The Folly of Trusting in Riches.

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

1Hear this, all peoples;

Listen carefully, all inhabitants of the world,

2Both low and high,

Rich and poor together:

3My mouth will speak wisdom,

And the meditation of my heart will be understanding.

4I will incline my ear and consent to a proverb;

On the lyre I will unfold my riddle.

5Why should I fear in the days of evil,

When the wickedness of those who would betray me surrounds me [on every side],

6Even those who trust in and rely on their wealth

And boast of the abundance of their riches?

7None of them can by any means redeem [either himself or] his brother,

Nor give to God a ransom for him--

8For the ransom of his soul is too costly,

And he should cease trying forever--

9So that he should live on eternally,

That he should never see the pit (grave) and undergo decay.

10For he sees that even wise men die;

The fool and the stupid alike perish

And leave their wealth to others.

11Their inward thought is that their houses will continue forever,

And their dwelling places to all generations;

They have named their lands after their own names [ignoring God].

12But man, with all his [self] honor and pomp, will not endure;

He is like the beasts that perish.

13This is the fate of those who are foolishly confident,

And of those after them who approve [and are influenced by] their words. Selah.

14Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead);

Death will be their shepherd;

And the upright shall rule over them in the morning,

And their form and beauty shall [a]be for Sheol to consume,

So that they have no dwelling [on earth].

15But God will redeem my life from the power of Sheol,

For He will receive me. Selah.

16Be not afraid when [an ungodly] man becomes rich,

When the wealth and glory of his house are increased;

17For when he dies he will carry nothing away;

His glory will not descend after him.

18Though while he lives he counts himself happy and prosperous--

And though people praise you when you do well for yourself--

19He shall go to the generation of his fathers;

They shall never again see the light.

20A man [who is held] in honor,

Yet who lacks [spiritual] understanding and a teachable heart, is like the beasts that perish.