The Foolishness of Trusting in Riches.
For the music director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
49 (A)Hear this, all peoples;
Listen, all (B)inhabitants of the world,
2 Both (C)low and high,
Rich and poor together.
3 My mouth will (D)speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart will be (E)understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to (F)a proverb;
(G)I will express my (H)riddle on the harp.
5 Why should I (I)fear in days of adversity,
When the injustice of those who betray me surrounds me,
6 Those who (J)trust in their wealth
And boast in the abundance of their riches?
7 No one can by any means (K)redeem another
Or give God a (L)ransom for him—
8 For (M)the redemption of his soul is priceless,
And he should cease imagining forever—
9 That he might (N)live on eternally,
That he might not (O)undergo decay.
10 For he sees that even (P)wise people die;
The (Q)foolish and the stupid alike perish
And (R)leave their wealth to others.
11 Their (S)inner thought is that their houses (T)are forever
And their dwelling places to all generations;
They have (U)named their lands after their own names.
12 But (V)man in his splendor will not endure;
He is like the animals that perish.
13 This is the (W)way of those who are foolish,
And of those after them who (X)approve their words. Selah
14 Like sheep they sink down (Y)to Sheol;
Death will be their shepherd;
And the (Z)upright will rule over them in the morning,
And their form shall be for Sheol (AA)to consume
So that they have no lofty home.
15 But God will (AB)redeem my soul from the power of Sheol,
For (AC)He will receive me. Selah
16 Do not be afraid (AD)when a person becomes rich,
When the splendor of his house is increased;
17 For when he dies, he will (AE)take nothing with him;
His wealth will not descend after him.
18 Though while he lives he (AF)congratulates himself—
And though people praise you when you do well for yourself—
19 He will (AG)go to the generation of his fathers;
They will never see (AH)the light.
20 (AI)Mankind in its splendor, yet without understanding,
Is (AJ)like the animals that perish.
Footnotes
- Psalm 49:4
- Psalm 49:8
- Psalm 49:9
- Psalm 49:11
- Psalm 49:12
- Psalm 49:14
- Psalm 49:14
- Psalm 49:14
- Psalm 49:15
- Psalm 49:15
- Psalm 49:17
- Psalm 49:18
- Psalm 49:19
- Psalm 49:20
Cross references
- Psalm 49:1 : Ps 78:1; Is 1:2; Mic 1:2
- Psalm 49:1 : Ps 33:8
- Psalm 49:2 : Ps 62:9
- Psalm 49:3 : Ps 37:30
- Psalm 49:3 : Ps 119:130
- Psalm 49:4 : Ps 78:2
- Psalm 49:4 : 2 Kin 3:15
- Psalm 49:4 : Num 12:8
- Psalm 49:5 : Ps 23:4; 27:1
- Psalm 49:6 : Job 31:24; Ps 52:7; Prov 11:28; Mark 10:24
- Psalm 49:7 : Matt 25:8, 9
- Psalm 49:7 : Job 36:18, 19
- Psalm 49:8 : Matt 16:26
- Psalm 49:9 : Ps 22:29
- Psalm 49:9 : Ps 16:10; 89:48
- Psalm 49:10 : Eccl 2:16
- Psalm 49:10 : Ps 92:6; 94:8
- Psalm 49:10 : Ps 39:6; Eccl 2:18, 21; Luke 12:20
- Psalm 49:11 : Ps 64:6
- Psalm 49:11 : Ps 10:6
- Psalm 49:11 : Gen 4:17; Deut 3:14
- Psalm 49:12 : Ps 49:20
- Psalm 49:13 : Jer 17:11
- Psalm 49:13 : Ps 49:18
- Psalm 49:14 : Ps 9:17
- Psalm 49:14 : Dan 7:18; Mal 4:3; 1 Cor 6:2; Rev 2:26
- Psalm 49:14 : Job 24:19
- Psalm 49:15 : Ps 16:10; 56:13; Hos 13:14
- Psalm 49:15 : Gen 5:24; Ps 16:11; 73:24
- Psalm 49:16 : Ps 37:7
- Psalm 49:17 : Ps 17:14; 1 Tim 6:7
- Psalm 49:18 : Deut 29:19; Ps 10:3, 6; Luke 12:19
- Psalm 49:19 : Gen 15:15
- Psalm 49:19 : Job 33:30; Ps 56:13
- Psalm 49:20 : Ps 49:12
- Psalm 49:20 : Eccl 3:19
