For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

¹ Hear this, all you peoples;
    listen, all who live in this world,
² both low and high,
    rich and poor alike:
³ My mouth will speak words of wisdom;
    the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.
⁴ I will turn my ear to a proverb;
    with the harp I will expound my riddle:

⁵ Why should I fear when evil days come,
    when wicked deceivers surround me –
⁶ those who trust in their wealth
    and boast of their great riches?
⁷ No one can redeem the life of another
    or give to God a ransom for them –
⁸ the ransom for a life is costly,
    no payment is ever enough –
⁹ so that they should live on for ever
    and not see decay.
¹⁰ For all can see that the wise die,
    that the foolish and the senseless also perish,
    leaving their wealth to others.
¹¹ Their tombs will remain their houses for ever,
    their dwellings for endless generations,
    though they had named lands after themselves.

¹² People, despite their wealth, do not endure;
    they are like the beasts that perish.

¹³ This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,
    and of their followers, who approve their sayings.
¹⁴ They are like sheep and are destined to die;
    death will be their shepherd
    (but the upright will prevail over them in the morning).
Their forms will decay in the grave,
    far from their princely mansions.
¹⁵ But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;
    he will surely take me to himself.
¹⁶ Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
    when the splendour of their houses increases;
¹⁷ for they will take nothing with them when they die,
    their splendour will not descend with them.
¹⁸ Though while they live they count themselves blessed –
    and people praise you when you prosper –
¹⁹ they will join those who have gone before them,
    who will never again see the light of life.

²⁰ People who have wealth but lack understanding
    are like the beasts that perish.