PsalmsChapter 49
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1For the music leader. A psalm of the sons of Korah.
Hear this, all you peoples.
Listen, all who live in the world, 2both low and high,
rich and poor alike. 3My mouth will speak wisdom.
The thoughts of my heart will give understanding. 4I will turn my ear to a wise saying.
I will explain my riddle with the harp: 5Why should I be afraid in times of trouble,
when wicked people who cheat surround me? 6They trust in their money.
They brag about how rich they are. 7No man can ever redeem his brother.
He can't pay God a ransom for him. 8For the price to redeem a soul is too high.
No payment will ever be enough 9for him to live on forever
and never see his body rot. 10For it is plain to see that wise men die.
Foolish and senseless people both perish.
They leave their riches to others. 11Their graves are their homes forever.
They are where they will live for all time to come.
This is true even though they named lands after themselves. 12But a man can't last, even with his riches.
He is like the animals that perish. 13This is what happens to foolish people.
It happens to those who follow them and agree with what they say. Selah 14Like sheep, they are headed for the grave.
Death will be their shepherd.
In the morning, honest people will rule over them.
Their bodies will rot in the grave,
far from their fine homes.a 15But God will redeem my life from the grave.
For he will surely take me to himself. Selahb 16Don't be afraid when a man gets rich,
when his house grows more and more grand. 17For when he dies, he will take nothing with him.
His riches will not go down with him. 18While he lives, he tells himself he is blessed.
And people praise you when you do well. 19But he will join his fathers who died before him.
They will never see the light of day. 20A man who is rich but does not understand
is like the animals that perish.