The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Psalms 049
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by the
sons of Korah.
1 Hear this, all you peoples.
Listen, all you inhabitants of the
world,
2 both low and high,rich and poor together.
3 My mouth will speak words of wisdom.
My heart will utter understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb.
I will solve my riddle on the harp.
5 Why should I fear in the days of evil,
when iniquity at my heels surrounds
me?
6 Those who trust in their wealth,
and boast in the multitude of their
riches—
7 none of them can by any means redeem his brother,
nor give God a ransom for him.
8 For the redemption of their life is costly,
no payment is ever enough,
9 that he should live on forever,
that he should not see corruption.
10 For he sees that wise men die;
likewise the fool and the senseless perish,
and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their inward thought is that their
houses will endure forever, and their dwelling
places to all generations. They name their lands after themselves.
12 But man, despite his riches, doesn’t endure.
He is like the animals that perish.
13 This is the destiny of those who are foolish,
and of those who approve their sayings.
Selah.
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.
15 But God will redeem my soul from the
power of Sheol,§ for he will receive me.
Selah.
16 Don’t be afraid when a man is made rich,
when the glory of his house is increased;
17 for when he dies he will carry nothing
away. His glory won’t descend after him.
18 Though while he lived he blessed his
soul— and men praise you when you do well
for yourself—
19 he shall go to the generation of his
fathers. They shall never see the light.
20 A man who has riches without understanding,
is like the animals that perish.