¹ Hear this, all you peoples.
Listen, all you inhabitants of the world, ² both low and high,
rich and poor together. ³ My mouth will speak words of wisdom. ⁴ I will incline my ear to a proverb. ⁵ Why should I fear in the days of evil,
when iniquity at my heels surrounds me? ⁶ Those who trust in their wealth, ⁷ none of them can by any means redeem his brother,
nor give God a ransom for him. ⁸ For the redemption of their life is costly, ⁹ that he should live on forever, ¹⁰ For he sees that wise men die;
likewise the fool and the senseless perish, ¹¹ Their inward thought is that their houses will endure forever, ¹² But man, despite his riches, doesn’t endure. ¹³ This is the destiny of those who are foolish, ¹⁴ They are appointed as a flock for Sheol.¹
Death shall be their shepherd.
far from their mansion. ¹⁵ But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol,^{2 16} Don’t be afraid when a man is made rich, ¹⁷ for when he dies he will carry nothing away. ¹⁸ Though while he lived he blessed his soul— ¹⁹ he shall go to the generation of his fathers. ²⁰ A man who has riches without understanding,