| New King James Version | International Standard Version |
| 1To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, | 1Listen to this, all you people! Pay attention, all you who live in the world, |
| 2Both low and high, Rich and poor together. | 2both average people and those of means, the rich and the poor together. |
| 3My mouth shall speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding. | 3My mouth will speak wisely, and I will understand what I think about. |
| 4I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will disclose my dark saying on the harp. | 4I will focus my attention on a proverb; I will use the harp to expound my riddle. |
| 5Why should I fear in the days of evil, When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me? | 5Why should I be afraid when evil days come my way, when the wickedness of those who deceive me surrounds me— |
| 6Those who trust in their wealth And boast in the multitude of their riches, | 6those who put confidence in their wealth and boast about their great riches? |
| 7None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him— | 7No man can redeem the life of another, nor can he give to God a sufficient payment for him— |
| 8For the redemption of their souls is costly, And it shall cease forever— | 8for it would cost too much to redeem his life, and the payments would go on forever— |
| 9That he should continue to live eternally, And not see the Pit. | 9that he should go on living and not see corruption. |
| 10For he sees wise men die; Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish, And leave their wealth to others. | 10Indeed, he will see wise people die; the stupid and the senseless will meet their doom and leave their wealth to others. |
| 11Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever, Their dwelling places to all generations; They call their lands after their own names. | 11Their inner thoughts are on their homes forever; their dwellings from generation to generation. They even name their lands after themselves. |
| 12Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain; He is like the beasts that perish. | 12But humanity cannot last, despite its conceit; it will pass away just like the animals. |
| 13This is the way of those who are foolish, And of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah | 13This is the fate of those who are foolish and of those who correct their words after they speak. Interlude |
| 14Like sheep they are laid in the grave; Death shall feed on them; The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; And their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling. | 14Like sheep, they are destined for the realm of the dead, with death as their shepherd. The upright will have dominion over them in the morning; their strength will be consumed in the afterlife, so that they have no home. |
| 15But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me. Selah | 15God will truly redeem me from the power of Sheol. He will surely receive me! Interlude |
| 16Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased; | 16Don't be afraid when someone gets rich, when the glory of his household increases. |
| 17For when he dies he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him. | 17When he dies, he will not be able to take it all with him — his possessions will not follow him to the grave, |
| 18Though while he lives he blesses himself (For men will praise you when you do well for yourself), | 18although he considers himself blessed while he's alive. Though people praise you for doing well, |
| 19He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see light. | 19you will end up like your ancestors' generation, never again to see the light of day! |
| 20A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, Is like the beasts that perish. | 20Humanity, despite its conceit, does not understand that it will perish, just like the animals. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. |
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