Psalm 49
1Hear this, all you peoples;
hearken, all you who dwell in the world,
you of high degree and low, rich and poor together.
2My mouth shall speak of wisdom,
and my heart shall meditate on understanding.
3I will incline my ear to a proverb
and set forth my riddle upon the harp.
4Why should I be afraid in evil days,
when the wickedness of those at my heels surrounds me,
5The wickedness of those who put their trust in their goods,
and boast of their great riches?
6We can never ransom ourselves,
or deliver to God the price of our life;
7For the ransom of our life is so great,
that we should never have enough to pay it,
8In order to live for ever and ever,
and never see the grave.
9For we see that the wise die also;
like the dull and stupid they perish
and leave their wealth to those who come after them.
10Their graves shall be their homes for ever,
their dwelling places from generation to generation,
though they call the lands after their own names.
11Even though honored, they cannot live for ever;
they are like the beasts that perish.
12Such is the way of those who foolishly trust in themselves,
and the end of those who delight in their own words.
13Like a flock of sheep they are destined to die;
Death is their shepherd;
they go down straightway to the grave.
14Their form shall waste away,
and the land of the dead shall be their home.
15But God will ransom my life;
he will snatch me from the grasp of death.
16Do not be envious when some become rich,
or when the grandeur of their house increases;
17For they will carry nothing away at their death,
nor will their grandeur follow them.
18Though they thought highly of themselves while they lived,
and were praised for their success,
19They shall join the company of their forebears,
who will never see the light again.
20Those who are honored, but have no understanding,
are like the beasts that perish.