| 49:1 |
Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world, |
| 49:2 |
both low and high, rich and poor alike: |
| 49:3 |
My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding. |
| 49:4 |
I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle: |
| 49:5 |
Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me-- |
| 49:6 |
those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches? |
| 49:7 |
No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him-- |
| 49:8 |
the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough-- |
| 49:9 |
that he should live on forever and not see decay. |
| 49:10 |
For all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others. |
| 49:11 |
Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves. |
| 49:12 |
But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish. |
| 49:13 |
This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. Selah |
| 49:14 |
Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them. The upright will rule over them in the morning; their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions. |
| 49:15 |
But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself. Selah |
| 49:16 |
Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; |
| 49:17 |
for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him. |
| 49:18 |
Though while he lived he counted himself blessed--and men praise you when you prosper-- |
| 49:19 |
he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life. |
| 49:20 |
A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish. |
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