| English Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, | 1For the music director, a psalm by the Korahites. Listen to this, all you nations! Pay attention, all you inhabitants of the world! |
| 2both low and high, rich and poor together! | 2Pay attention, all you people, both rich and poor! |
| 3My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. | 3I will declare a wise saying; I will share my profound thoughts. |
| 4I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre. | 4I will learn a song that imparts wisdom; I will then sing my insightful song to the accompaniment of a harp. |
| 5Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me, | 5Why should I be afraid in times of trouble, when the sinful deeds of deceptive men threaten to overwhelm me? |
| 6those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches? | 6They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches. |
| 7Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, | 7Certainly a man cannot rescue his brother; he cannot pay God an adequate ransom price |
| 8for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, | 8(the ransom price for a human life is too high, and people go to their final destiny), |
| 9that he should live on forever and never see the pit. | 9so that he might continue to live forever and not experience death. |
| 10For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others. | 10Surely one sees that even wise people die; fools and spiritually insensitive people all pass away and leave their wealth to others. |
| 11Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own names. | 11Their grave becomes their permanent residence, their eternal dwelling place. They name their lands after themselves, |
| 12Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish. | 12but, despite their wealth, people do not last, they are like animals that perish. |
| 13This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah | 13This is the destiny of fools, and of those who approve of their philosophy. (Selah) |
| 14Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright shall rule over them in the morning. Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell. | 14They will travel to Sheol like sheep, with death as their shepherd. The godly will rule over them when the day of vindication dawns; Sheol will consume their bodies and they will no longer live in impressive houses. |
| 15But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah | 15But God will rescue my life from the power of Sheol; certainly he will pull me to safety. (Selah) |
| 16Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases. | 16Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich and his wealth multiplies! |
| 17For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him. | 17For he will take nothing with him when he dies; his wealth will not follow him down into the grave. |
| 18For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed—and though you get praise when you do well for yourself— | 18He pronounces this blessing on himself while he is alive: "May men praise you, for you have done well!" |
| 19his soul will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never again see light. | 19But he will join his ancestors; they will never again see the light of day. |
| 20Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish. | 20Wealthy people do not understand; they are like animals that perish. |
|
    |