The Foolishness of Trusting in Riches+

1Hear this, everyone!

Listen, all people everywhere,

2great and small alike,

rich and poor together.

3My thoughts will be clear;

I will speak words of wisdom.

4I will turn my attention to proverbs

and explain their meaning as I play the harp.

5I am not afraid in times of danger

when I am surrounded by enemies,

6by evil people who trust in their riches

and boast of their great wealth.

7We can never redeem ourselves;

we cannot pay God the price for our lives,

8because the payment for a human life is too great.

What we could pay would never be enough

9to keep us from the grave,

to let us live forever.

10 Anyone can see that even the wise die,

as well as the foolish and stupid.

They all leave their riches to their descendants.

11Their graves+ are their homes forever;

there they stay for all time,

though they once had lands of their own.

12Our greatness cannot keep us from death;

we will still die like the animals.

13See what happens to those who trust in themselves,

the fate of those+ who are satisfied with their wealth—

14they are doomed to die like sheep,

and Death will be their shepherd.

The righteous will triumph over them,

as their bodies quickly decay

in the world of the dead far from their homes.+

15But God will rescue me;

he will save me from the power of death.

16Don't be upset when someone becomes rich,

when his wealth grows even greater;

17he cannot take it with him when he dies;

his wealth will not go with him to the grave.

18Even if someone is satisfied with this life

and is praised because he is successful,

19he will join all his ancestors in death,

where the darkness lasts forever.

20Our greatness cannot keep us from death;

we will still die like the animals.