Psalm 49, side by side

¹For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all inhabitants of the world,

¹Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world:

²both low and high, rich and poor alike.

²Both low and high, rich and poor, together.

³My mouth will impart wisdom, and the meditation of my heart will bring understanding.

³My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.

⁴I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle with the harp:

⁴I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.

⁵Why should I fear in times of trouble, when wicked usurpers surround me?

⁵Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?

⁶They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches.

⁶They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;

⁷No man can possibly redeem his brother or pay his ransom to God.

⁷None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:

⁸For the redemption of his soul is costly, and never can payment suffice,

⁸(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)

⁹that he should live on forever and not see decay.

⁹That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.

¹⁰For it is clear that wise men die, and the foolish and the senseless both perish and leave their wealth to others.

¹⁰For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.

¹¹Their graves are their eternal homes— their dwellings for endless generations— even though their lands were their namesakes.

¹¹Their 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.

¹²But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish.

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

¹³This is the fate of the self-confident and their followers who endorse their sayings. Selah

¹³This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah.

¹⁴Like sheep they are destined for Sheol. Death will be their shepherd. The upright will rule them in the morning, and their form will decay in Sheol, far from their lofty abode.

¹⁴Like 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.

¹⁵But God will redeem my life from Sheol, for He will surely take me to Himself. Selah

¹⁵But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.

¹⁶Do not be amazed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases.

¹⁶Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;

¹⁷For when he dies, he will carry nothing away; his abundance will not follow him down.

¹⁷For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.

¹⁸Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul— and men praise you when you prosper—

¹⁸Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself.

¹⁹he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of day.

¹⁹He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.

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

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