Psalm 49

Hear this, all you peoples; hearken, all you who dwell in the world,

you of high degree and low, rich and poor together.

My mouth shall speak of wisdom,

and my heart shall meditate on understanding.

I will incline my ear to a proverb

and set forth my riddle upon the harp.

Why should I be afraid in evil days,

when the wickedness of those at my heels surrounds me,

The wickedness of those who put their trust in their goods,

and boast of their great riches?

We can never ransom ourselves,

or deliver to God the price of our life;

For the ransom of our life is so great,

that we should never have enough to pay it,

In order to live for ever and ever,

and never see the grave.

For we see that the wise die also; like the dull and stupid they perish

and leave their wealth to those who come after them.

Their graves shall be their homes for ever, their dwelling places from generation to generation,

though they call the lands after their own names.

Even though honored, they cannot live for ever;

they are like the beasts that perish.

Such is the way of those who foolishly trust in themselves,

and the end of those who delight in their own words.

Like a flock of sheep they are destined to die; Death is their shepherd;

they go down straightway to the grave.

Their form shall waste away,

and the land of the dead shall be their home.

But God will ransom my life;

he will snatch me from the grasp of death.

Do not be envious when some become rich,

or when the grandeur of their house increases;

For they will carry nothing away at their death,

nor will their grandeur follow them.

Though they thought highly of themselves while they lived,

and were praised for their success,

They shall join the company of their forebears,

who will never see the light again.

Those who are honored, but have no understanding,

are like the beasts that perish.