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!
³My mouth shall speak ^(D)wisdom;
    the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
⁴I 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,
⁶those who ^(I)trust in their wealth
    and boast of the abundance of their riches?
⁷Truly no man ^(J)can ransom another,
    or ^(K)give to God ^(L)the price of his life,
⁸for ^(M)the ransom of their life is costly
    and can never suffice,
⁹that he should live on forever
    and ^(N)never see the pit.

¹⁰For he sees ^(O)that even the wise die;
    ^(P)the fool and the stupid alike must perish
    and ^(Q)leave their wealth to others.
¹¹Their ^(R)graves are their homes forever,^[a]
    their dwelling places ^(S)to all generations,
    though they ^(T)called lands by their own names.
¹²Man in his pomp ^(U)will not remain;
    ^(V)he is like the beasts that perish.

¹³This is the path of those who have ^(W)foolish confidence;
    yet after them people approve of their boasts.^[b] Selah
¹⁴Like 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.
¹⁵But God will ^(AA)ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
    for he will ^(AB)receive me. Selah

¹⁶Be 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.
¹⁸For though, while he lives, he counts himself ^(AE)blessed
    —and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—
¹⁹his 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

Mark 8:34-38

English Standard Version

³⁴And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him ^(A)deny himself and ^(B)take up his cross and follow me. ³⁵For ^(C)whoever would save his life^[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake ^(D)and the gospel's will save it. ³⁶^(E)For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? ³⁷For ^(F)what can a man give in return for his soul? ³⁸For ^(G)whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this ^(H)adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed ^(I)when he comes in the glory of his Father with ^(J)the holy angels.”

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Footnotes

Mark 8:35 The same Greek word can mean either soul or life, depending on the context; twice in this verse and once in verse 36 and once in verse 37