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

5Why should I fear in days of adversity,
         When the iniquity of my foes surrounds me,

6Even those who trust in their wealth
         And boast in the abundance of their riches?

7No man can by any means redeem his brother
         Or give to God a ransom for him—

8For the redemption of his soul is costly,
         And he should cease trying forever—

9That he should live on eternally,
         That he should not undergo decay.

10For he sees that even wise men die;
         The stupid and the senseless alike perish
         And leave their wealth to others.

11Their inner thought is that their houses are forever
         And their dwelling places to all generations;
         They have called their lands after their own names.

12But man in his pomp will not endure;
         He is like the beasts that perish.

13This is the way of those who are foolish,
         And of those after them who approve their words.

14As 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.

15But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol,
         For He will receive me.

16Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich,
         When the glory of his house is increased;

17For when he dies he will carry nothing away;
         His glory will not descend after him.

18Though while he lives he congratulates himself—
         And though men praise you when you do well for yourself—

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

20Man in his pomp, yet without understanding,
         Is like the beasts that perish.

NASB ©1995

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