49:1 > Hear this, all you peoples. Listen, all you inhabitants of the world,
49:2 Both low and high, Rich and poor together.
49:3 My mouth will speak words of wisdom. My heart shall utter understanding.
49:4 I will incline my ear to a proverb. I will open my riddle on the harp.
49:5 Why should I fear in the days of evil, When iniquity at my heels surrounds me?
49:6 Those who trust in their wealth, And boast in the multitude of their riches--
49:7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give God a ransom for him.
49:8 For the redemption of their life is costly, No payment is ever enough,
49:9 That he should live on forever, That he should not see corruption.
49:10 For he sees that wise men die; Likewise the fool and the senseless perish, And leave their wealth to others.
49:11 Their inward thought is that their houses will endure forever, And their dwelling places to all generations. They name their lands after themselves.
49:12 But man, despite his riches, doesn't endure. He is like the animals that perish.
49:13 This is the destiny of those who are foolish, And of those who approve their sayings. Selah.
49:14 They are appointed as a flock for Sheol. Death shall be their shepherd. The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning. Their beauty shall decay in Sheol, Far from their mansion.
49:15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For he will receive me. Selah.
49:16 Don't be afraid when a man is made rich, When the glory of his house is increased.
49:17 For when he dies he shall carry nothing away. His glory shall not descend after him.
49:18 Though while he lived he blessed his soul-- And men praise you when you do well for yourself--
49:19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers. They shall never see the light.
49:20 A man who has riches without understanding, Is like the animals that perish.
