| 1 | Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, |
| 2 | both low and high, rich and poor together! |
| 3 | My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. |
| 4 | I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre. |
| 5 | Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me, |
| 6 | men who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches? |
| 7 | Truly no man can ransom himself, or give to God the price of his life, |
| 8 | for the ransom of his life is costly, and can never suffice, |
| 9 | that he should continue to live on for ever, and never see the Pit. |
| 10 | Yea, he shall see that even the wise die, the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others. |
| 11 | Their graves are their homes for ever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they named lands their own. |
| 12 | Man cannot abide in his pomp, he is like the beasts that perish. |
| 13 | This is the fate of those who have foolish confidence, the end of those who are pleased with their portion. [Selah] |
| 14 | Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; straight to the grave they descend, and their form shall waste away; Sheol shall be their home. |
| 15 | But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. [Selah] |
| 16 | Be not afraid when one becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases. |
| 17 | For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him. |
| 18 | Though, while he lives, he counts himself happy, and though a man gets praise when he does well for himself, |
| 19 | he will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never more see the light. |
| 20 | Man cannot abide in his pomp, he is like the beasts that perish. |