PSALM 49

The Folly of Trust in Riches

Psalm 49:1 Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,

Psalm 49:2 both low and high, rich and poor together!

Psalm 49:3 My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.

Psalm 49:4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.

Psalm 49:5 Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,

Psalm 49:6 men who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?

Psalm 49:7 Truly no man can ransom himself, or give to God the price of his life,

Psalm 49:8 for the ransom of his  life is costly, and can never suffice,

Psalm 49:9 that he should continue to live on for ever, and never see the Pit.

Psalm 49:10 Yes, he shall see that even the wise die, the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others.

Psalm 49:11 Their graves  are their homes for ever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they named lands their own.

Psalm 49:12 Man cannot abide in his pomp, he is like the beasts that perish.

Psalm 49:13 This is the fate of those who have foolish confidence, the end of those  who are pleased with their portion.

Psalm 49:14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; straight to the grave they descend, and their form shall waste away; Sheol shall be their home.

Psalm 49:15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.

Psalm 49:16 Be not afraid when one becomes rich, when the glory  of his house increases.

Psalm 49:17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory  will not go down after him.

Psalm 49:18 Though, while he lives, he counts himself happy, and though a man gets praise when he does well for himself,

Psalm 49:19 he will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never more see the light.

Psalm 49:20 Man cannot abide in his pomp, he is like the beasts that perish.