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
International Standard Version
To the Director: A song by the Sons of Korah.
The Destiny of the Wicked and the Upright
49 Listen to this, all you people!
Pay attention, all you who live in the world,
2 both average people and those of means,[a]
the rich and the poor together.
3 My mouth will speak wisely,
and I will understand what I think about.
4 I will focus my attention on[b] a proverb;
I will use the harp to expound my riddle.
5 Why should I be afraid when evil days come my way,
when the wickedness of those who deceive me surrounds me—
6 those who put confidence in their wealth
and boast about their great riches?
7 No man can redeem the life of another,[c]
nor can he give to God a sufficient payment for him—
8 for it would cost too much to redeem his life,
and the payments would go on forever—
9 that he should go on living
and not see corruption.
10 Indeed, he will see wise people die;
the stupid and the senseless will meet their doom
and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their inner thoughts are on[d] their homes forever;
their dwellings from generation to generation.
They even name their lands after themselves.
12 But humanity cannot last, despite its conceit;[e]
it will pass away just like the animals.[f]
13 This is the fate of those who are foolish
and of those who correct their words after they speak.
14 Like sheep, they are destined for the realm of the dead,[g]
with death as their shepherd.
The upright will have dominion over them in the morning;
their strength will be consumed in the afterlife,[h]
so that they have no home.
15 God will truly redeem me from the power[i] of Sheol.[j]
He will surely receive me!
16 Don’t be afraid when someone gets rich,
when the glory of his household increases.
17 When he dies, he will not be able to take it all with him[k]—
his possessions[l] will not follow him to the grave,[m]
18 although he considers himself blessed while he’s alive.
Though people praise you for doing well,
19 you will end up like your[n] ancestors’ generation,
never again to see the light of day!
20 Humanity, despite its conceit, does not understand
that it will perish, just like the animals.
Footnotes
- Psalm 49:2 Lit. both sons of Adam and sons of men
- Psalm 49:4 Lit. will incline my ear to
- Psalm 49:7 Lit. of a brother
- Psalm 49:11 So MT DSS 4QPsc 4QPsj; LXX reads Their graves are
- Psalm 49:12 So MT; DSS 4QPsc Syr LXX read Humans, held in honor, had no understanding;
- Psalm 49:12 So MT; LXX reads they resembled senseless animals, and became like them; DSS 4QPsc read they are like animals that perish
- Psalm 49:14 Lit. for Sheol; i.e. the realm of the dead
- Psalm 49:14 Lit. in Sheol; i.e. the realm of the dead
- Psalm 49:15 Lit. hand
- Psalm 49:15 I.e. the realm of the dead
- Psalm 49:17 The Heb. lacks with him
- Psalm 49:17 Or glory
- Psalm 49:17 The Heb. lacks to the grave
- Psalm 49:19 Lit. his
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