1 H ear this, all ye peoples; give ear, all inhabitants of the world:

2 B oth men of low and men of high degree, rich and poor alike.

3 M y 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 riddle upon the harp.

5 W herefore should I fear in the days of adversity, the iniquity of my supplanters encompasseth me?—

6 T hey depend upon their wealth, and boast themselves in the abundance of their riches. …

7 N one can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him,

8 ( For the redemption of their soul is costly, and must be given up for ever,)

9 T hat he should still live perpetually, not see corruption.

10 F or he seeth that wise men die; all alike, the fool and the brutish perish, and they leave their wealth to others.

11 T heir inward thought is, that their houses are for ever, their dwelling-places from generation to generation: they call the lands after their own names.

12 N evertheless, man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.

13 T his their way is their folly, yet they that come after them delight in their sayings. Selah.

14 L ike sheep are they laid in Sheol: Death feedeth on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their comeliness shall be for Sheol to consume, that there be no habitation for them.

15 B ut God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol: for he will receive me. Selah.

16 B e not afraid when a man becometh rich, when the glory of his house is increased:

17 F or when he dieth, he shall carry nothing away; his glory shall not descend after him.

18 T hough he blessed his soul in his lifetime,—and men will praise thee when thou doest well to thyself,—

19 I t shall go to the generation of his fathers: they shall never see light.

20 M an that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.