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49:1  For the director. A psalm of the sons of Korah.
49:2  Hear this, all you peoples; listen carefully, all you inhabitants of the world,
49:3  whether lowborn or highborn, rich and poor alike.
49:4  My mouth will speak words of wisdom, and the utterance of my heart will give understanding.
49:5  I will listen carefully to a proverb, and with the harp I will interpret my riddle.
49:6  Why should I be afraid in evil times when I am beset by the wickedness of my foes,
49:7  those who place their trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?
49:8  For no one can ever redeem himself or pay a ransom to God for his release.
49:9  The price to ransom a life would be too costly; no one would ever have enough
49:10  to enable him to live on forever and avoid being consigned to the pit.
49:11  For all can see that the wise die, just as the foolish and the stupid also pass away, and all leave their wealth to others.
49:12  Their graves are their eternal homes, their dwelling places for all generations, even though they had named lands after themselves.
49:13  Despite his riches, a man cannot escape death; he is like the beasts that perish.
49:14  Such is the destiny of those who trust in themselves alone, the fate of those who are pleased with their lot. Selah
49:15  Like sheep they are destined for the netherworld, with death as their shepherd. They descend straight to the grave where their bodies will waste away; the netherworld will be their home.
49:16  But God will ransom me from the netherworld; he will take me to himself. Selah
49:17  Do not be afraid when someone becomes rich and the splendor of his house increases.
49:18  When he dies, he will take nothing with him; his wealth will not accompany him below.
49:19  Although during his lifetime he considered himself blessed: “They will praise me because I have done well,”
49:20  he will end up joining the company of his ancestors who will never again see the light.
49:21  Despite his riches, a man who does not have wisdom is like the beasts that perish.