Psalm 49
Holman 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,[a]
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[b]
or pay his ransom to God(G)—
8 since the price of redeeming him is too costly,
one should forever stop trying[c](H)—
9 so that he may live forever
and not see the Pit.(I)
10 For one can see that wise men die;
foolish and stupid men also pass away.(J)
Then they leave their wealth to others.(K)
11 Their graves are their eternal homes,[d]
their homes from generation to generation,
though they have named estates after themselves.(L)
12 But despite his assets,[e] man 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.[f](N)
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,[g]
far from their lofty abode.(P)
15 But God will redeem my life
from the power of Sheol,
for He will take me.(Q)
16 Do not be afraid when a man gets rich,
when the wealth[h] of his house increases.(R)
17 For when he dies, he will take nothing at all;
his wealth[i] will not follow him down.(S)
18 Though he praises himself during his lifetime—
and people praise you when you do well for yourself(T)—
19 he will go to the generation of his fathers;
they will never see the light.(U)
20 A man with valuable possessions[j]
but without understanding
is like the animals that perish.(V)
Footnotes
- Psalm 49:2 Lit both sons of Adam and sons of man
- Psalm 49:7 Or Certainly he cannot redeem himself, or Yet he cannot redeem a brother
- Psalm 49:8 Or costly, it will cease forever
- Psalm 49:11 LXX, Syr, Tg; MT reads Their inner thought is that their houses are eternal
- Psalm 49:12 Or honor
- Psalm 49:13 Lit and after them with their mouth they were pleased
- Psalm 49:14 Hb obscure
- Psalm 49:16 Or glory
- Psalm 49:17 Or glory
- Psalm 49:20 Or with honor
Psalm 49
Easy-to-Read Version
To the director: A song from the Korah family.
49 Listen to this, all you nations.
Pay attention, all you people on earth.
2 Everyone, rich and poor, listen to me.
3 I have some very wise words for you.
My thoughts will give you understanding.
4 I listened to these sayings.
And now, with my harp, I will sing and make the hidden meaning clear.
5 Why should I be afraid when trouble comes?
There is no need to fear when evil enemies surround me.
6 They think their wealth will protect them.
They brag about how rich they are.
7 But no one has enough to buy back a life,
and you cannot bribe[a] God.
8 You will never get enough money
to pay for your own life.
9 You will never have enough
to buy the right to live forever
and keep your body out of the grave.
10 Look, the wise die the same as fools and stupid people.[b]
They die and leave their wealth to others.
11 The grave will be their new home forever.
And how much land they owned will not make any difference.
12 People might be wealthy, but they cannot stay here forever.
They will die like the animals.
13 That is what happens to all who trust in themselves
and to anyone who accepts their way of life. Selah
14 They are just like sheep, but the grave will be their pen.
Death will be their shepherd.
When morning comes, the good people will enjoy victory,
as the bodies of the proud slowly rot in the grave,
far away from their fancy houses.
15 But God will pay the price to save me from the grave.
He will take me to be with him. Selah
16 Don’t be afraid of people just because they are rich.
Don’t be afraid of people just because they have big, fancy houses.
17 They will not take anything with them when they die.
They will not take their wealth with them.
18 A wealthy man might tell himself how well he has done in life.
And other people might praise him.
19 But the time will come for him to die and go to his ancestors.
And he will never again see the light of day.
20 Wealthy people don’t seem to understand
that they will die like the animals.
Footnotes
- Psalm 49:7 bribe Here, this means offering a gift or sacrifice so that God will not punish a guilty person.
- Psalm 49:10 stupid people Or “animals.”
诗篇 49
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
财富的虚幻
可拉后裔的诗，交给乐长。
49 万民啊，你们要听！
世人啊，
2 不论贵贱贫富，都要留心听！
3 因为我口出智慧，心思明智。
4 我要侧耳听箴言，
弹琴解释人生之谜。
5 危难来临，四面被奸诈之徒包围时，我何必惧怕？
6 他们倚靠金钱、夸耀财富，
7 却不能救赎自己的生命，
也无法向上帝付生命的赎价。
8 因为生命的赎价高昂，
无人付得起，
9 以致可以永远活着，不进坟墓。
10 众所周知，即使智者也要死去，
愚人和庸者也要灭亡，
将他们的财富留给别人。
11 尽管他们用自己的名字来为产业命名，
坟墓却是他们永远的归宿，
世代的住处。
12 人不能长享富贵，
终必死去，与兽无异。
13 这就是愚昧人及其追随者的下场！（细拉）
14 他们注定要死，与羊无异，
死亡是他们的牧者；
到了早晨，
他们必被正直人管辖。
他们的躯体必朽烂在坟墓里，
远离自己的豪宅。
15 但上帝必救赎我的生命脱离死亡的权势，
接我到祂身边。（细拉）
16 因此，见他人财富增多，
日益奢华，
不要害怕。
17 因为他们死后什么也带不走，
再不能拥有荣华富贵。
18 他们活着时自以为有福，
人们都赞扬他们的成就，
19 到头来他们还是要归到祖先那里，
再也看不见光明。
20 人有财富，却无明智的心，
无异于必死的兽类。
Psalm 49
English Standard Version
Why Should I Fear in Times of Trouble?
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of (A)the Sons of Korah.
49 (B)Hear this, all peoples!
Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2 (C)both low and high,
rich and poor together!
3 My mouth shall speak (D)wisdom;
the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to (E)a proverb;
I will solve my (F)riddle to the music of the lyre.
5 (G)Why should I fear in (H)times of trouble,
when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,
6 those who (I)trust in their wealth
and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7 Truly no man (J)can ransom another,
or (K)give to God (L)the price of his life,
8 for (M)the ransom of their life is costly
and can never suffice,
9 that he should live on forever
and (N)never see the pit.
10 For he sees (O)that even the wise die;
(P)the fool and the stupid alike must perish
and (Q)leave their wealth to others.
11 Their (R)graves are their homes forever,[a]
their dwelling places (S)to all generations,
though they (T)called lands by their own names.
12 Man in his pomp (U)will not remain;
(V)he is like the beasts that perish.
13 This is the path of those who have (W)foolish confidence;
yet after them people approve of their boasts.[b] Selah
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
death shall be their shepherd,
and the upright (X)shall rule over them in the morning.
(Y)Their form shall be consumed (Z)in Sheol, with no place to dwell.
15 But God will (AA)ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
for he will (AB)receive me. Selah
16 Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,
when the glory of his house increases.
17 (AC)For when he dies he will (AD)carry nothing away;
his glory will not go down after him.
18 For though, while he lives, he counts himself (AE)blessed—
and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—
19 his soul will (AF)go to the generation of his fathers,
who will never again (AG)see light.
20 (AH)Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.
Footnotes
- Psalm 49:11 Septuagint, Syriac, Targum; Hebrew Their inward thought was that their homes were forever
- Psalm 49:13 Or and of those after them who approve of their boasts
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