1 H ear this, all you peoples. Listen, all you inhabitants of the world,

2 b oth low and high, rich and poor together.

3 M y mouth will speak words of wisdom. My heart shall utter understanding.

4 I will incline my ear to a proverb. I will open my riddle on the harp.

5 W hy should I fear in the days of evil, when iniquity at my heels surrounds me?

6 T hose who trust in their wealth, and boast in the multitude of their riches—

7 n one of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give God a ransom for him.

8 F or the redemption of their life is costly, no payment is ever enough,

9 T hat he should live on forever, that he should not see corruption.

10 F or he sees that wise men die; likewise the fool and the senseless perish, and leave their wealth to others.

11 T heir inward thought is that their houses will endure forever, and their dwelling places to all generations. They name their lands after themselves.

12 B ut man, despite his riches, doesn’t endure. He is like the animals that perish.

13 T his is the destiny of those who are foolish, and of those who approve their sayings. Selah.

14 T hey are appointed as a flock for Sheol. Death shall be their shepherd. The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning. Their beauty shall decay in Sheol, far from their mansion.

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

16 D on’t be afraid when a man is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased.

17 F or when he dies he shall carry nothing away. His glory shall not descend after him.

18 T hough while he lived he blessed his soul— and men praise you when you do well for yourself—

19 h e shall go to the generation of his fathers. They shall never see the light.

20 A man who has riches without understanding, is like the animals that perish.