| 1 | {To the chief Musician. Of the sons of Korah. A Psalm.} Hear this, all ye peoples; give ear, all inhabitants of the world: |
| 2 | Both men of low and men of high degree, rich and poor alike. |
| 3 | My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding: |
| 4 | I will incline mine ear to a parable, I will open my riddle upon the harp. |
| 5 | Wherefore should I fear in the days of adversity, [when] the iniquity of my supplanters encompasseth me? -- |
| 6 | They depend upon their wealth, and boast themselves in the abundance of their riches. ... |
| 7 | None can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him, |
| 8 | (For the redemption of their soul is costly, and must be given up for ever,) |
| 9 | That he should still live perpetually, [and] not see corruption. |
| 10 | For he seeth that wise men die; all alike, the fool and the brutish perish, and they leave their wealth to others. |
| 11 | Their inward thought is, that their houses are for ever, their dwelling-places from generation to generation: they call the lands after their own names. |
| 12 | Nevertheless, man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish. |
| 13 | This their way is their folly, yet they that come after them delight in their sayings. Selah. |
| 14 | Like sheep are they laid in Sheol: Death feedeth on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their comeliness shall be for Sheol to consume, that there be no habitation for them. |
| 15 | But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol: for he will receive me. Selah. |
| 16 | Be not afraid when a man becometh rich, when the glory of his house is increased: |
| 17 | For when he dieth, he shall carry nothing away; his glory shall not descend after him. |
| 18 | Though he blessed his soul in his lifetime,—and men will praise thee when thou doest well to thyself, -- |
| 19 | It shall go to the generation of his fathers: they shall never see light. |
| 20 | Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish. |