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
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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