1Hear this , all ye peoples; Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world, 2Both low and high, Rich and poor together . 3My mouth shall speak wisdom; And the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. 4I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp. 5Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, When iniquity at my heels compasseth me about? 6They that trust in their wealth, And boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; 7None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him 8( For the redemption of their life is costly, And it faileth for ever ), 9That he should still live alway , That he should not see corruption. 10For he shall see it . Wise men die; The fool and the brutish alike perish, And leave their wealth to others. 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 man being in honor abideth not: He is like the beasts that perish.
The Destiny of the Foolish and the Wise
13This their way is their folly: Yet after them men approve their sayings. [Selah 14They are appointed as a flock for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd: And the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning ; And their beauty shall be for Sheol to consume, That there be no habitation for it . 15But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol ; For he will receive me. [Selah 16Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, When the glory of his house is increased: 17For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him . 18Though while he lived he blessed his soul ( And men praise thee , when thou doest well to thyself), 19He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see the light. 20Man that is in honor, and understandeth not , Is like the beasts that perish.