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The Folly of Trust in Riches

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

49 Hear this, all peoples!
Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
both low and high,
    rich and poor together!
My mouth shall speak wisdom;
    the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
I will incline my ear to a proverb;
    I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.

Why should I fear in times of trouble,
    when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,
men who trust in their wealth
    and boast of the abundance of their riches?
Truly no man can ransom himself,[a]
    or give to God the price of his life,
for the ransom of his[b] life is costly,
    and can never suffice,
that he should continue to live on for ever,
    and never see the Pit.

10 Yea, he shall see that even the wise die,
    the fool and the stupid alike must perish
    and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves[c] are their homes for ever,
    their dwelling places to all generations,
    though they named lands their own.
12 Man cannot abide in his pomp,
    he is like the beasts that perish.

13 This is the fate of those who have foolish confidence,
    the end of those[d] who are pleased with their portion.Selah
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
    Death shall be their shepherd;
straight to the grave they descend,[e]
    and their form shall waste away;
    Sheol shall be their home.[f]
15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
    for he will receive me.Selah

16 Be not afraid when one becomes rich,
    when the glory[g] of his house increases.
17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away;
    his glory[h] will not go down after him.
18 Though, while he lives, he counts himself happy,
    and though a man gets praise when he does well for himself,
19 he will go to the generation of his fathers,
    who will never more see the light.
20 Man cannot abide in his pomp,
    he is like the beasts that perish.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 49:7 Another reading is no man can ransom his brother
  2. Psalm 49:8 Gk: Heb their
  3. Psalm 49:11 Gk Syr Compare Tg: Heb their inward (thought)
  4. Psalm 49:13 Tg: Heb after them
  5. Psalm 49:14 Cn: Heb the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning
  6. Psalm 49:14 Heb uncertain
  7. Psalm 49:16 Or wealth
  8. Psalm 49:17 Or wealth

Los ricos también mueren

Al director. Canción de los descendientes de Coré.

Escuchen esto, naciones todas;
    oigan bien, habitantes de toda la tierra,
    pobres y ricos, poderosos y humildes.
Mi boca hablará con sabiduría
    y mi corazón con inteligencia.
Me concentraré en los refranes,
    y propondré mi enigma al son del arpa.

¿Por qué voy a sentir miedo en los días difíciles,
    cuando esté rodeado de la perversidad de mis enemigos?
Se imaginan que la riqueza los salvará
    y están orgullosos del dinero que tienen.
Pero no hay precio que valga la vida
    ni se le paga a Dios para salvarse.
La vida es muy valiosa;
    ninguna cantidad de dinero alcanza
para poder vivir para siempre
    y librarse de la muerte.
10 Podrán darse cuenta de que tanto el sabio como el tonto y el ignorante,
    todos mueren por igual,
    y otros se quedan con sus riquezas.
11 Aunque tuvieron tierras a su nombre,
    la tumba será para ellos su nuevo hogar, para toda la eternidad,
    su habitación de generación en generación.
12 El ser humano no entiende que por más dinero que tenga
    muere al igual que las bestias.

13 Eso es lo que les pasa a los que se sienten tan confiados;
    en eso acaban los que se complacen en su propia palabrería.[a] Selah

14 A ellos la muerte se los lleva al sepulcro
    como lleva un pastor a las ovejas.
Por la mañana, los justos gobernarán sobre ellos.
    No quedará ni rastro de ellos
    y su casa será el sepulcro.

15 En cambio, Dios me librará de la muerte,
    pues me llevará[b] para estar junto a él. Selah

16 Así que no temas al que se enriquece
    y aumenta el lujo de su casa,
17 porque nada se llevará cuando muera,
    ni su lujo descenderá con él.
18 Aunque piense que alcanzó toda la dicha del mundo porque tiene mucha riqueza,
    y lo admiren por todo lo que tiene,
19 llegará el día en que muera
    y nunca más volverá a ver la luz.
20 Se puede ser muy rico,
    y no entender que uno morirá al igual que mueren los animales.

Footnotes

  1. 49:13 se complacen […] palabrería o que corren tras sus deseos o que persiguen lo que quieren.
  2. 49:15 llevará Ver Gn 5:24.

The Confidence of the Foolish

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

49 Hear this, all peoples;
Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
Both low and high,
Rich and poor together.
My mouth shall speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.
I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will disclose my [a]dark saying on the harp.

Why should I fear in the days of evil,
When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me?
Those who (A)trust in their wealth
And boast in the multitude of their riches,
None of them can by any means redeem his brother,
Nor (B)give to God a ransom for him—
For (C)the redemption of their souls is costly,
And it shall cease forever—
That he should continue to live eternally,
And (D)not [b]see the Pit.

10 For he sees wise men die;
Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish,
And leave their wealth to others.
11 [c]Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever,
Their dwelling places to all generations;
They (E)call their lands after their own names.
12 Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not [d]remain;
He is like the beasts that perish.

13 This is the way of those who are (F)foolish,
And of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah
14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave;
Death shall feed on them;
(G)The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning;
(H)And their beauty shall be consumed in [e]the grave, far from their dwelling.
15 But God (I)will redeem my soul from the power of [f]the grave,
For He shall (J)receive me. Selah

16 Do not be afraid when one becomes rich,
When the glory of his house is increased;
17 For when he dies he shall carry nothing away;
His glory shall not descend after him.
18 Though while he lives (K)he blesses himself
(For men will praise you when you do well for yourself),
19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers;
They shall never see (L)light.[g]
20 A man who is in honor, yet does not understand,
(M)Is like the beasts that perish.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 49:4 riddle
  2. Psalm 49:9 experience corruption
  3. Psalm 49:11 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. Their graves shall be their houses forever
  4. Psalm 49:12 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr., Vg. understand (cf. v. 20)
  5. Psalm 49:14 Or Sheol
  6. Psalm 49:15 Or Sheol
  7. Psalm 49:19 The light of life