Psalm 49

(By the descendants of Korah)

Listen to this, all you people!
Lend an ear, all who live in the world,
High and low, rich and poor alike.
From my mouth are words of wisdom,
The meditations of my mind
Are imbued with understanding.
To a proverb I incline my ear,
With a harp I solve a riddle.

Why should I fear the troublous times ahead,
When the evil of my foes surround me?

Those who rely upon their wealth
And boast of their lavish riches,
They cannot redeem their brother man,
Or pay ransom to God for him,
For the price of a man’s redemption
Is dear: one can never pay enough
To prolong a life forever
That it may know not death and decay.
One can surely see that wise men die,
As do the foolish and slow-witted,
Passing on their wealth to others.
The tomb, he thinks, will be his home,
A monument lasting forever.
His estate will always bear his name,
But wealth will not make a man endure,
For, like a beast, he perishes.

Such is the fate of arrogant fools
And those who find wisdom in their words.
They are like sheep led to the tomb,
And their shepherd is death itself.
In the morning of resurrection
Godly men will be placed above them.
Their bodies will rot in the grave
And they will have no habitation.

But as for me, God will redeem my body
From the power of death and receive me.

Do not be impressed when someone becomes rich
And the prestige of his family grows.
For when he dies, he will take nothing with him,
His wealth will not go with him to the grave.
While alive, he regards himself as blessed,
And is praised for having done well for himself,
Yet, he will go down to join his ancestors
And, like them, never see the light again.

Those who have wealth, but not understanding,
Are like the beasts and will, like them, perish.