Psalm 49
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
Misplaced Trust in Wealth
For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah.
49 Hear this, all you peoples;
listen, all who inhabit the world,(A)
2 both low and high,
rich and poor together.(B)
3 My mouth speaks wisdom;
my heart’s meditation brings understanding.(C)
4 I turn my ear to a proverb;
I explain my riddle with a lyre.(D)
5 Why should I fear in times of trouble?
The iniquity of my foes surrounds me.(E)
6 They trust in their wealth
and boast of their abundant riches.(F)
7 Yet these cannot redeem a person[a]
or pay his ransom to God(G) –
8 since the price of redeeming him is too costly,
one should for ever stop trying[b](H) –
9 so that he may live for ever
and not see the Pit.(I)
10 For one can see that the wise die;
the foolish and stupid also pass away.(J)
Then they leave their wealth to others.(K)
11 Their graves are their permanent homes,[c]
their dwellings from generation to generation,
though they have named estates after themselves.(L)
12 But despite his assets,[d] mankind will not last;
he is like the animals that perish.(M)
13 This is the way of those who are arrogant,
and of their followers,
who approve of their words.[e](N) Selah
14 Like sheep they are headed for Sheol;
Death will shepherd them.
The upright will rule over them in the morning,(O)
and their form will waste away in Sheol,[f]
far from their lofty abode.(P)
15 But God will redeem me
from the power of Sheol,
for he will take me.(Q) Selah
16 Do not be afraid when a person gets rich,
when the wealth[g] of his house increases.(R)
17 For when he dies, he will take nothing at all;
his wealth will not follow him down.(S)
18 Though he blesses himself during his lifetime –
and you are acclaimed when you do well for yourself(T) –
19 he will go to the generation of his ancestors;
they will never see the light.(U)
20 Mankind, with his assets
but without understanding,
is like the animals that perish.(V)
Footnotes
- 49:7 Or Certainly he cannot redeem himself, or Yet he cannot redeem a brother
- 49:8 Or costly, it will cease for ever
- 49:11 LXX, Syr, Tg; MT reads Their inner thought is that their houses are eternal
- 49:12 Or honour
- 49:13 Lit and after them with their mouth they were pleased
- 49:14 Hb obscure
- 49:16 Or glory, also in v. 17
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