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The Folly of Trusting in Riches.

^1 (C1)Hear this, all peoples;
Listen carefully, all ^(C2)inhabitants of the world,

² Both ^(C1)low and high,
Rich and poor together:

³ My mouth will ^(C1)speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart will be ^(C2)understanding.

⁴ I will incline my ear and consent to ^(C1)a proverb;
On the lyre ^(C2)I will unfold my ^(C3)riddle.

⁵ Why should I ^(C1)fear in the days of evil,
When the wickedness of those who would betray me surrounds me on every side,

⁶ Even those who ^(C1)trust in and rely on their wealth
And boast of the abundance of their riches?

⁷ None of them can by any means ^(C1)redeem either himself or his brother,
Nor give to God a ^(C2)ransom for him—

⁸ For ^(C1)the ransom of his soul is too costly,
And he should cease trying forever—

⁹ So that he should ^(C1)live on eternally,
That he should never ^(C2)see the pit (grave) and undergo decay.

¹⁰ For he sees that even ^(C1)wise men die;
The ^(C2)fool and the stupid alike perish
And ^(C3)leave their wealth to others. ^(VR1)

¹¹ Their ^(C1)inward thought is that their houses ^(C2)will continue forever,
And their dwelling places to all generations;
They have ^(C3)named their lands after their own names ignoring God.

¹² But ^(C1)man, with all his self honor and pomp, will not endure;
He is like the beasts that perish.

¹³ This is the ^(C1)fate of those who are foolishly confident,
And of those after them who ^(C2)approve and are influenced by their words. Selah.

¹⁴ Like sheep they are appointed ^(C1)for Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead);
Death will be their shepherd;
And the ^(C2)upright shall rule over them in the morning,
And their form and beauty shall ^(F1)be for ^(C3)Sheol to consume,
So that they have no dwelling on earth.

¹⁵ But God will ^(C1)redeem my life from the power of Sheol,
For ^(C2)He will receive me. Selah.

¹⁶ Be not afraid ^(C1)when an ungodly man becomes rich,
When the wealth and glory of his house are increased;

¹⁷ For when he dies he will ^(C1)carry nothing away;
His glory will not descend after him.

¹⁸ Though while he lives he ^(C1)counts himself happy and prosperous—
And though people praise you when you do well for yourself—

¹⁹ He shall ^(C1)go to the generation of his fathers;
They shall never again see ^(C2)the light.

²⁰ A ^(C1)man who is held in honor,
Yet who lacks spiritual understanding and a teachable heart, is ^(C2)like the beasts that perish.