49:0 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
49:1 Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
49:2 both low and high, rich and poor together!
49:3 My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
49:4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.
49:5 Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,
49:6 men who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?
49:7 Truly no man can ransom himself, or give to God the price of his life,
49:8 for the ransom of his life is costly, and can never suffice,
49:9 that he should continue to live on for ever, and never see the Pit.
49:10 Yea, he shall see that even the wise die, the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others.
49:11 Their graves are their homes for ever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they named lands their own.
49:12 Man cannot abide in his pomp, he is like the beasts that perish.
49:13 This is the fate of those who have foolish confidence, the end of those who are pleased with their portion. [Selah]
49:14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; straight to the grave they descend, and their form shall waste away; Sheol shall be their home.
49:15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. [Selah]
49:16 Be not afraid when one becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases.
49:17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him.
49:18 Though, while he lives, he counts himself happy, and though a man gets praise when he does well for himself,
49:19 he will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never more see the light.
49:20 Man cannot abide in his pomp, he is like the beasts that perish.
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