Psalm 49
Authorized (King James) Version
Psalm 49
To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.
1 Hear this, all ye people;
give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world:
2 both low and high,
rich and poor, together.
3 My mouth shall speak of wisdom;
and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.
4 I will incline mine ear to a parable:
I will open my dark saying upon the harp.
5 Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil,
when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?
6 They that trust in their wealth,
and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;
7 none of them can by any means redeem his brother,
nor give to God a ransom for him:
8 (for the redemption of their soul is precious,
and it ceaseth for ever:)
9 that he should still live for ever,
and not see corruption.
10 For he seeth that wise men die,
likewise the fool and the brutish person perish,
and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever,
and their dwelling places to all generations;
they call their lands after their own names.
12 Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not:
he is like the beasts that perish.
13 This their way is their folly:
yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah.
14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them;
and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning;
and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.
15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave:
for he shall receive me. Selah.
16 Be not thou afraid when one is made rich,
when the glory of his house is increased;
17 for when he dieth he shall carry nothing away:
his glory shall not descend after him.
18 Though while he lived he blessed his soul:
and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself.
19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers;
they shall never see light.
20 Man that is in honour, and understandeth not,
is like the beasts that perish.
Psalm 49
American Standard Version
The folly of trusting in riches.
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
49 Hear this, all ye peoples;
Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world,
2 Both low and high,
Rich and poor together.
3 My mouth shall speak wisdom;
And the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.
4 I will incline mine ear to a parable:
I will open my dark saying upon the harp.
5 Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil,
When [a]iniquity at my heels compasseth me about?
6 They that trust in their wealth,
And boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;
7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother,
Nor give to God a ransom for him
8 (For the redemption of their life is costly,
And it faileth for ever),
9 That he should still live alway,
That he should not see [b]corruption.
10 For [c]he shall see it. Wise men die;
The fool and the brutish alike perish,
And leave their wealth to others.
11 Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever,
And their dwelling-places to all generations;
They call their lands after their own names.
12 But man being in honor abideth not:
He is like the beasts that perish.
13 This [d]their way is [e]their folly:
Yet after them men approve their sayings. Selah
14 They are appointed as a flock for Sheol;
Death shall be their shepherd:
And the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning;
And their [f]beauty shall be for Sheol to consume,
That there be no habitation for it.
15 But God will redeem my soul from the [g]power of Sheol;
For he will receive me. Selah
16 Be not thou afraid when one is made rich,
When the [h]glory of his house is increased:
17 For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away;
His glory shall not descend after him.
18 Though while he lived he blessed his soul
(And men praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself),
19 [i]He shall go to the generation of his fathers;
[j]They shall never see the light.
20 Man that is in honor, and understandeth not,
Is like the beasts that perish.
Footnotes
- Psalm 49:5 Or, the iniquity of them that would supplant me compasseth me about, Even of them that trust . . . riches?
- Psalm 49:9 Or, the pit
- Psalm 49:10 Or, he seeth that wise men etc.
- Psalm 49:13 Or, is the way of them that are foolish
- Psalm 49:13 Or, their confidence: and after etc.
- Psalm 49:14 Or, form
- Psalm 49:15 Hebrew hand.
- Psalm 49:16 Or, wealth
- Psalm 49:19 Hebrew Thou shalt go, or, It shall go.
- Psalm 49:19 Or, Who never more see
KJV reproduced by permission of Cambridge University Press, the Crown’s patentee in the UK.
Public Domain (Why are modern Bible translations copyrighted?)