| King James Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world: | 1Listen to this, all you people! Pay attention, everyone in the world! |
| 2Both low and high, rich and poor, together. | 2High and low, rich and poor—listen! |
| 3My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. | 3For my words are wise, and my thoughts are filled with insight. |
| 4I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp. | 4I listen carefully to many proverbs and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp. |
| 5Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about? | 5Why should I fear when trouble comes, when enemies surround me? |
| 6They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; | 6They trust in their wealth and boast of great riches. |
| 7None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: | 7Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paying a ransom to God. |
| 8(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) | 8Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough |
| 9That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption. | 9to live forever and never see the grave. |
| 10For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others. | 10Those who are wise must finally die, just like the foolish and senseless, leaving all their wealth behind. |
| 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. | 11The grave is their eternal home, where they will stay forever. They may name their estates after themselves, |
| 12Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish. | 12but their fame will not last. They will die, just like animals. |
| 13This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah. | 13This is the fate of fools, though they are remembered as being wise. Interlude |
| 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. | 14Like sheep, they are led to the grave, where death will be their shepherd. In the morning the godly will rule over them. Their bodies will rot in the grave, far from their grand estates. |
| 15But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah. | 15But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of the grave. Interlude |
| 16Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; | 16So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich and their homes become ever more splendid. |
| 17For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him. | 17For when they die, they take nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave. |
| 18Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself. | 18In this life they consider themselves fortunate and are applauded for their success. |
| 19He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light. | 19But they will die like all before them and never again see the light of day. |
| 20Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish. | 20People who boast of their wealth don’t understand; they will die, just like animals. |
| King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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