1 H ear this, all ye peoples; Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world,

2 B oth low and high, Rich and poor together.

3 M y mouth shall speak wisdom; And the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.

4 I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.

5 W herefore should I fear in the days of evil, When iniquity at my heels compasseth me about?

6 T hey that trust in their wealth, And boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;

7 N one 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;)

9 T hat he should still live alway, That he should not see corruption.

10 F or he shall see it. Wise men die; The fool and the brutish alike perish, And leave their wealth to others.

11 T heir 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.

12 B ut man being in honor abideth not: He is like the beasts that perish.

13 T his their way is their folly: Yet after them men approve their sayings. Selah

14 T hey 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.

15 B ut God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol; For he will receive me. Selah

16 B e not thou afraid when one is made rich, When the glory of his house is increased.

17 F or when he dieth he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him.

18 T hough while he lived he blessed his soul (And men praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself,)

19 H e shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see the light.

20 M an that is in honor, and understandeth not, Is like the beasts that perish.