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The Foolishness of Trusting in Riches.

^1 (C1)Hear this, all peoples;
Listen, 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 to ^(C1)a proverb;
^(C2)I will ^(F1)express my ^(C3)riddle on the harp.

⁵ Why should I ^(C1)fear in days of adversity,
When the injustice of those who betray me surrounds me,

⁶ Those who ^(C1)trust in their wealth
And boast in the abundance of their riches?

⁷ No one can by any means ^(C1)redeem another
Or give God a ^(C2)ransom for him—

⁸ For ^(C1)the redemption of ^(F1)his soul is priceless,
And he should cease imagining forever—

⁹ That he might ^(C1)live on eternally,
That he might not ^(F1)(C2)undergo decay.

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

¹¹ Their ^(F1)(C1)inner thought is that their houses ^(C2)are forever
And their dwelling places to all generations;
They have ^(C3)named their lands after their own names.

¹² But ^(C1)man in his splendor will not endure;
He is like the animals that ^(F1)perish.

¹³ This is the ^(C1)way of those who are foolish,
And of those after them who ^(C2)approve their words. Selah

¹⁴ Like sheep they sink down ^(C1)to ^(F1)Sheol;
Death will be their shepherd;
And the ^(C2)upright will rule over them in the morning,
And their form shall be for ^(F1)Sheol ^(C3)to consume
^(F2)So that they have no lofty home.

¹⁵ But God will ^(C1)redeem my soul from the ^(F1)power of ^(F2)Sheol,
For ^(C2)He will receive me. Selah

¹⁶ Do not be afraid ^(C1)when a person becomes rich,
When the splendor of his house is increased;

¹⁷ For when he dies, he will ^(C1)take nothing with him;
His ^(F1)wealth will not descend after him.

¹⁸ Though while he lives he ^(C1)congratulates ^(F1)himself—
And though people praise you when you do well for yourself—

^19 (F1)He will ^(C1)go to the generation of his fathers;
They will never see ^(C2)the light.

^20 (C1)Mankind in its splendor, yet without understanding,
Is ^(C2)like the animals that ^(F1)perish.