| New Living Translation | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Listen to this, all you people! Pay attention, everyone in the world! | 1Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who inhabit the world, |
| 2High and low, rich and poor—listen! | 2both low and high, rich and poor together. |
| 3For my words are wise, and my thoughts are filled with insight. | 3My mouth speaks wisdom; my heart's meditation brings understanding. |
| 4I listen carefully to many proverbs and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp. | 4I turn my ear to a proverb; I explain my riddle with a lyre. |
| 5Why should I fear when trouble comes, when enemies surround me? | 5Why should I fear in times of trouble? The iniquity of my foes surrounds me. |
| 6They trust in their wealth and boast of great riches. | 6They trust in their wealth and boast of their abundant riches. |
| 7Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paying a ransom to God. | 7Yet these cannot redeem a person or pay his ransom to God-- |
| 8Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough | 8since the price of redeeming him is too costly, one should forever stop trying-- |
| 9to live forever and never see the grave. | 9so that he may live forever and not see the Pit. |
| 10Those who are wise must finally die, just like the foolish and senseless, leaving all their wealth behind. | 10For one can see that the wise die; the foolish and stupid also pass away. Then they leave their wealth to others. |
| 11The grave is their eternal home, where they will stay forever. They may name their estates after themselves, | 11Their graves are their permanent homes, their dwellings from generation to generation, though they have named estates after themselves. |
| 12but their fame will not last. They will die, just like animals. | 12But despite his assets, mankind will not last; he is like the animals that perish. |
| 13This is the fate of fools, though they are remembered as being wise. Interlude | 13This is the way of those who are arrogant, and of their followers, who approve of their words. Selah |
| 14Like sheep, they are led to the grave, where death will be their shepherd. In the morning the godly will rule over them. Their bodies will rot in the grave, far from their grand estates. | 14Like sheep they are headed for Sheol; Death will shepherd them. The upright will rule over them in the morning, and their form will waste away in Sheol, far from their lofty abode. |
| 15But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of the grave. Interlude | 15But God will redeem me from the power of Sheol, for he will take me. Selah |
| 16So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich and their homes become ever more splendid. | 16Do not be afraid when a person gets rich, when the wealth of his house increases. |
| 17For when they die, they take nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave. | 17For when he dies, he will take nothing at all; his wealth will not follow him down. |
| 18In this life they consider themselves fortunate and are applauded for their success. | 18Though he blesses himself during his lifetime--and you are acclaimed when you do well for yourself-- |
| 19But they will die like all before them and never again see the light of day. | 19he will go to the generation of his fathers; they will never see the light. |
| 20People who boast of their wealth don’t understand; they will die, just like animals. | 20Mankind, with his assets but without understanding, is like the animals that perish. |
| Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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