The Foolishness of Trusting in Riches.
For the music director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
49 (A)Hear this, all peoples;
Listen, all (B)inhabitants of the world,
2 Both (C)low and high,
Rich and poor together.
3 My mouth will (D)speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart will be (E)understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to (F)a proverb;
(G)I will [a]express my (H)riddle on the harp.
5 Why should I (I)fear in days of adversity,
When the injustice of those who betray me surrounds me,
6 Those who (J)trust in their wealth
And boast in the abundance of their riches?
7 No one can by any means (K)redeem another
Or give God a (L)ransom for him—
8 For (M)the redemption of [b]his soul is priceless,
And he should cease imagining forever—
9 That he might (N)live on eternally,
That he might not [c](O)undergo decay.
10 For he sees that even (P)wise people die;
The (Q)foolish and the stupid alike perish
And (R)leave their wealth to others.
11 Their [d](S)inner thought is that their houses (T)are forever
And their dwelling places to all generations;
They have (U)named their lands after their own names.
12 But (V)man in his splendor will not endure;
He is like the animals that [e]perish.
13 This is the (W)way of those who are foolish,
And of those after them who (X)approve their words. Selah
14 Like sheep they sink down (Y)to [f]Sheol;
Death will be their shepherd;
And the (Z)upright will rule over them in the morning,
And their form shall be for [g]Sheol (AA)to consume
[h]So that they have no lofty home.
15 But God will (AB)redeem my soul from the [i]power of [j]Sheol,
For (AC)He will receive me. Selah
16 Do not be afraid (AD)when a person becomes rich,
When the splendor of his house is increased;
17 For when he dies, he will (AE)take nothing with him;
His [k]wealth will not descend after him.
18 Though while he lives he (AF)congratulates [l]himself—
And though people praise you when you do well for yourself—
19 [m]He will (AG)go to the generation of his fathers;
They will never see (AH)the light.
20 (AI)Mankind in its splendor, yet without understanding,
Is (AJ)like the animals that [n]perish.
Footnotes
- Psalm 49:4 Lit open up
- Psalm 49:8 Lit their
- Psalm 49:9 Or see corruption; lit see the pit
- Psalm 49:11 Some ancient versions graves are their houses
- Psalm 49:12 Lit are destroyed
- Psalm 49:14 I.e., the netherworld
- Psalm 49:14 I.e., the netherworld
- Psalm 49:14 Lit Away from his habitation
- Psalm 49:15 Lit hand
- Psalm 49:15 I.e., the netherworld
- Psalm 49:17 Lit glory
- Psalm 49:18 Lit his soul
- Psalm 49:19 Lit You; or It
- Psalm 49:20 Lit are destroyed
Cross references
- Psalm 49:1 : Ps 78:1; Is 1:2; Mic 1:2
- Psalm 49:1 : Ps 33:8
- Psalm 49:2 : Ps 62:9
- Psalm 49:3 : Ps 37:30
- Psalm 49:3 : Ps 119:130
- Psalm 49:4 : Ps 78:2
- Psalm 49:4 : 2 Kin 3:15
- Psalm 49:4 : Num 12:8
- Psalm 49:5 : Ps 23:4; 27:1
- Psalm 49:6 : Job 31:24; Ps 52:7; Prov 11:28; Mark 10:24
- Psalm 49:7 : Matt 25:8, 9
- Psalm 49:7 : Job 36:18, 19
- Psalm 49:8 : Matt 16:26
- Psalm 49:9 : Ps 22:29
- Psalm 49:9 : Ps 16:10; 89:48
- Psalm 49:10 : Eccl 2:16
- Psalm 49:10 : Ps 92:6; 94:8
- Psalm 49:10 : Ps 39:6; Eccl 2:18, 21; Luke 12:20
- Psalm 49:11 : Ps 64:6
- Psalm 49:11 : Ps 10:6
- Psalm 49:11 : Gen 4:17; Deut 3:14
- Psalm 49:12 : Ps 49:20
- Psalm 49:13 : Jer 17:11
- Psalm 49:13 : Ps 49:18
- Psalm 49:14 : Ps 9:17
- Psalm 49:14 : Dan 7:18; Mal 4:3; 1 Cor 6:2; Rev 2:26
- Psalm 49:14 : Job 24:19
- Psalm 49:15 : Ps 16:10; 56:13; Hos 13:14
- Psalm 49:15 : Gen 5:24; Ps 16:11; 73:24
- Psalm 49:16 : Ps 37:7
- Psalm 49:17 : Ps 17:14; 1 Tim 6:7
- Psalm 49:18 : Deut 29:19; Ps 10:3, 6; Luke 12:19
- Psalm 49:19 : Gen 15:15
- Psalm 49:19 : Job 33:30; Ps 56:13
- Psalm 49:20 : Ps 49:12
- Psalm 49:20 : Eccl 3:19