Psalm 49
Legacy Standard Bible
Why Should I Fear in Days of Evil?
For the choir director. Of the sons of Korah. A Psalm.
49 (A)Hear this, all peoples;
Give ear, all (B)inhabitants of the world,
2 Both [a](C)low and [b]high,
Rich and poor together.
3 My mouth will (D)speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart will be (E)discernment.
4 I will incline my ear to (F)a proverb;
(G)I will [c]express my (H)riddle on the harp.
5 Why should I (I)fear in days of evil,
When the iniquity of my [d]supplanters surrounds me,
6 Even those who (J)trust in their wealth
And boast in the abundance of their riches?
7 Truly, no man can (K)redeem his brother;
He cannot give to God a (L)ransom for him—
8 For (M)the redemption price for their soul is costly,
And it ceases forever—
9 That he should (N)live on eternally,
That he should not (O)see [e]corruption.
10 For he sees that even (P)wise men die;
The [f](Q)fool and the senseless alike perish
And (R)leave their wealth to others.
11 Their [g](S)inner thought is that their houses (T)are forever
And their dwelling places [h]from generation to generation;
They have (U)called their lands after their own names.
12 But (V)man in his honor will not endure;
He is like the animals that [i]perish.
13 This is the (W)way of those who are foolish,
And of those after them who (X)are pleased [j]with their words. [k]Selah.
14 As sheep they are appointed (Y)for Sheol;
Death will shepherd them;
And the (Z)upright shall have dominion over them in the morning,
And their form shall be for Sheol (AA)to consume,
Far away from his habitation.
15 But God will (AB)redeem my soul from the [l]power of Sheol,
For (AC)He will receive me. Selah.
16 Do not be afraid (AD)when a man becomes rich,
When the [m]glory of his house increases;
17 For when he dies he will not (AE)take any of it;
His [n]glory will not descend after him.
18 For while he lives he (AF)blesses his soul—
And men will praise you when you do well for yourself—
19 But his soul shall (AG)go to the generation of his fathers;
They will eternally not see (AH)light.
20 (AI)Man in his honor, but who does not understand,
Is (AJ)like the animals that [o]perish.
Footnotes
- Psalm 49:2 Lit sons of men
- Psalm 49:2 Lit sons of men of rank
- Psalm 49:4 Lit open up
- Psalm 49:5 One who grabs the heel; one who cheats
- Psalm 49:9 Or the pit
- Psalm 49:10 One who fails in wisdom due to willful sin
- Psalm 49:11 Some versions graves are their houses
- Psalm 49:11 Lit to
- Psalm 49:12 Lit are destroyed
- Psalm 49:13 Lit in their mouths
- Psalm 49:13 Selah may mean Pause, Crescendo, Musical Interlude
- Psalm 49:15 Lit hand
- Psalm 49:16 Or wealth
- Psalm 49:17 Or wealth
- Psalm 49:20 Lit are destroyed
Psalm 49
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 49
Misplaced Trust in Wealth
For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah.
1 Hear this, all you peoples;
listen, all who inhabit the world,(A)
2 both low and high,
rich and poor together.(B)
3 My mouth speaks wisdom;
my heart’s meditation brings understanding.(C)
4 I turn my ear to a proverb;
I explain my riddle with a lyre.(D)
5 Why should I fear in times of trouble?
The iniquity of my foes surrounds me.(E)
6 They trust in their wealth
and boast of their abundant riches.(F)
7 Yet these cannot redeem a person[a]
or pay his ransom to God(G)—
8 since the price of redeeming him is too costly,
one should forever stop trying[b](H)—
9 so that he may live forever
and not see the Pit.(I)
10 For one can see that the wise die;
the foolish and stupid also pass away.(J)
Then they leave their wealth to others.(K)
11 Their graves are their permanent homes,[c]
their dwellings from generation to generation,
though they have named estates after themselves.(L)
12 But despite his assets,[d] mankind will not last;
he is like the animals that perish.(M)
13 This is the way of those who are arrogant,
and of their followers,
who approve of their words.[e](N)Selah
14 Like sheep they are headed for Sheol;
Death will shepherd them.
The upright will rule over them in the morning,(O)
and their form will waste away in Sheol,[f]
far from their lofty abode.(P)
15 But God will redeem me
from the power of Sheol,
for he will take me.(Q)Selah
16 Do not be afraid when a person gets rich,
when the wealth[g] of his house increases.(R)
17 For when he dies, he will take nothing at all;
his wealth will not follow him down.(S)
18 Though he blesses himself during his lifetime—
and you are acclaimed when you do well for yourself(T)—
19 he will go to the generation of his ancestors;
they will never see the light.(U)
20 Mankind, with his assets
but without understanding,
is like the animals that perish.(V)
Footnotes
- 49:7 Or Certainly he cannot redeem himself, or Yet he cannot redeem a brother
- 49:8 Or costly, it will cease forever
- 49:11 LXX, Syr, Tg; MT reads Their inner thought is that their houses are eternal
- 49:12 Or honor
- 49:13 Lit and after them with their mouth they were pleased
- 49:14 Hb obscure
- 49:16 Or glory, also in v. 17
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