[1] Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
[2] Both low and high, Rich and poor together.
[3] My mouth will speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart will be understanding.
[4] I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle on the harp.
[5] Why should I fear in days of adversity, When the iniquity of my foes surrounds me,
[6] Even those who trust in their wealth And boast in the abundance of their riches?
[7] No man can by any means redeem his brother Or give to God a ransom for him—
[8] For the redemption of his soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever—
[9] That he should live on eternally, That he should not undergo decay.
[10] For he sees that even wise men die; The stupid and the senseless alike perish And leave their wealth to others.
[11] Their inner thought is that their houses are forever And their dwelling places to all generations; They have called their lands after their own names.
[12] But man in his pomp will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.
[13] This is the way of those who are foolish, And of those after them who approve their words. Selah.
[14] As sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; And the upright shall rule over them in the morning, And their form shall be for Sheol to consume So that they have no habitation.
[15] But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah.
[16] Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased;
[17] For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him.
[18] Though while he lives he congratulates himself— And though men praise you when you do well for yourself—
[19] He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They will never see the light.
[20] Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, Is like the beasts that perish.