Psalms 49:1-20

Psalms 49:1-20 The Message (MSG)

Listen, everyone, listen— earth-dwellers, don’t miss this. All you haves and have-nots, All together now: listen. I set plainspoken wisdom before you, my heart-seasoned understandings of life. I fine-tuned my ear to the sayings of the wise, I solve life’s riddle with the help of a harp. So why should I fear in bad times, hemmed in by enemy malice, Shoved around by bullies, demeaned by the arrogant rich? Really! There’s no such thing as self-rescue, pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. The cost of rescue is beyond our means, and even then it doesn’t guarantee Life forever, or insurance against the Black Hole. Anyone can see that the brightest and best die, wiped out right along with fools and idiots. They leave all their prowess behind, move into their new home, The Coffin, The cemetery their permanent address. And to think they named counties after themselves! We aren’t immortal. We don’t last long. Like our dogs, we age and weaken. And die. This is what happens to those who live for the moment, who only look out for themselves: Death herds them like sheep straight to hell; they disappear down the gullet of the grave; They waste away to nothing— nothing left but a marker in a cemetery. But me? God snatches me from the clutch of death, he reaches down and grabs me. So don’t be impressed with those who get rich and pile up fame and fortune. They can’t take it with them; fame and fortune all get left behind. Just when they think they’ve arrived and folks praise them because they’ve made good, They enter the family burial plot where they’ll never see sunshine again. We aren’t immortal. We don’t last long. Like our dogs, we age and weaken. And die.

Psalms 49:1-20 King James Version (KJV)

Hear this, all ye people; Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world: Both low and high, Rich and poor, together. My mouth shall speak of wisdom; And the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp. Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, When the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about? They that trust in their wealth, And boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him: (For the redemption of their soul is precious, And it ceaseth for ever:) That he should still live for ever, And not see corruption. For he seeth that wise men die, Likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others. Their 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. Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: He is like the beasts that perish. This their way is their folly: Yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah. Like sheep they are laid in the grave; Death shall feed on them; And the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; And their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling. But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: For he shall receive me. Selah. Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, When the glory of his house is increased; For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: His glory shall not descend after him. Though while he lived he blessed his soul, And men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself. He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see light. Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, Is like the beasts that perish.

Psalms 49:1-20 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)

Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, Both low and high, Rich and poor together. My mouth will speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart will be understanding. I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle on the harp. Why should I fear in days of adversity, When the iniquity of my foes surrounds me, Even those who trust in their wealth And boast in the abundance of their riches? No man can by any means redeem his brother Or give to God a ransom for him— For the redemption of his soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever— That he should live on eternally, That he should not undergo decay. For he sees that even wise men die; The stupid and the senseless alike perish And leave their wealth to others. Their inner thought is that their houses are forever And their dwelling places to all generations; They have called their lands after their own names. But man in his pomp will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish. This is the way of those who are foolish, And of those after them who approve their words. Selah. As sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; And the upright shall rule over them in the morning, And their form shall be for Sheol to consume So that they have no habitation. But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah. Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased; For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him. Though while he lives he congratulates himself— And though men praise you when you do well for yourself— He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They will never see the light. Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, Is like the beasts that perish.

Psalms 49:1-20 New Century Version (NCV)

Listen to this, all you nations; listen, all you who live on earth. Listen, both great and small, rich and poor together. What I say is wise, and my heart speaks with understanding. I will pay attention to a wise saying; I will explain my riddle on the harp. Why should I be afraid of bad days? Why should I fear when evil people surround me? They trust in their money and brag about their riches. No one can buy back the life of another. No one can pay God for his own life, because the price of a life is high. No payment is ever enough. Do people live forever? Don’t they all face death? See, even wise people die. Fools and stupid people also die and leave their wealth to others. Their graves will always be their homes. They will live there from now on, even though they named places after themselves. Even rich people do not live forever; like the animals, people die. This is what will happen to those who trust in themselves and to their followers who believe them.Selah Like sheep, they must die, and death will be their shepherd. Honest people will rule over them in the morning, and their bodies will rot in a grave far from home. But God will save my life and will take me from the grave.Selah Don’t be afraid of rich people because their houses are more beautiful. They don’t take anything to the grave; their wealth won’t go down with them. Even though they were praised when they were alive— and people may praise you when you succeed— they will go to where their ancestors are. They will never see light again. Rich people with no understanding are just like animals that die.

Psalms 49:1-20 American Standard Version (ASV)

Hear this, all ye peoples; Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world, Both low and high, Rich and poor together. My mouth shall speak wisdom; And the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp. Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, When iniquity at my heels compasseth me about? They that trust in their wealth, And boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him (For the redemption of their life is costly, And it faileth for ever), That he should still live alway, That he should not see corruption. For he shall see it. Wise men die; The fool and the brutish alike perish, And leave their wealth to others. Their 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. But man being in honor abideth not: He is like the beasts that perish. This their way is their folly: Yet after them men approve their sayings. [Selah They 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. But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol; For he will receive me. [Selah Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, When the glory of his house is increased: For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him. Though while he lived he blessed his soul (And men praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself), He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see the light. Man that is in honor, and understandeth not, Is like the beasts that perish.

Psalms 49:1-20 New International Version (NIV)

Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world, both low and high, rich and poor alike: My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the meditation of my heart will give you understanding. I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle: Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me— those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches? No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them— the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough— so that they should live on forever and not see decay. For all can see that the wise die, that the foolish and the senseless also perish, leaving their wealth to others. Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves. People, despite their wealth, do not endure; they are like the beasts that perish. This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. They are like sheep and are destined to die; death will be their shepherd (but the upright will prevail over them in the morning). Their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions. But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; he will surely take me to himself. Do not be overawed when others grow rich, when the splendor of their houses increases; for they will take nothing with them when they die, their splendor will not descend with them. Though while they live they count themselves blessed— and people praise you when you prosper— they will join those who have gone before them, who will never again see the light of life. People who have wealth but lack understanding are like the beasts that perish.

Psalms 49:1-20 New King James Version (NKJV)

Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, Both low and high, Rich and poor together. My mouth shall speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding. I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will disclose my dark saying on the harp. Why should I fear in the days of evil, When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me? Those who trust in their wealth And boast in the multitude of their riches, None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him— For the redemption of their souls is costly, And it shall cease forever— That he should continue to live eternally, And not see the Pit. For he sees wise men die; Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish, And leave their wealth to others. Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever, Their dwelling places to all generations; They call their lands after their own names. Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain; He is like the beasts that perish. This is the way of those who are foolish, And of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah Like sheep they are laid in the grave; Death shall feed on them; The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; And their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling. But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me. Selah Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased; For when he dies he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him. Though while he lives he blesses himself (For men will praise you when you do well for yourself), He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see light. A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, Is like the beasts that perish.

Psalms 49:1-20 Amplified Bible (AMP)

Hear this, all peoples; Listen carefully, all inhabitants of the world, Both low and high, Rich and poor together: My mouth will speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart will be understanding. I will incline my ear and consent to a proverb; On the lyre I will unfold my riddle. Why should I fear in the days of evil, When the wickedness of those who would betray me surrounds me [on every side], Even those who trust in and rely on their wealth And boast of the abundance of their riches? None of them can by any means redeem [either himself or] his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him— For the ransom of his soul is too costly, And he should cease trying forever— So that he should live on eternally, That he should never see the pit (grave) and undergo decay. For he sees that even wise men die; The fool and the stupid alike perish And leave their wealth to others. Their inward thought is that their houses will continue forever, And their dwelling places to all generations; They have named their lands after their own names [ignoring God]. But man, with all his [self] honor and pomp, will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish. This is the fate of those who are foolishly confident, And of those after them who approve [and are influenced by] their words. Selah. Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead); Death will be their shepherd; And the upright shall rule over them in the morning, And their form and beauty shall be for Sheol to consume, So that they have no dwelling [on earth]. But God will redeem my life from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah. Be not afraid when [an ungodly] man becomes rich, When the wealth and glory of his house are increased; For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him. Though while he lives he counts himself happy and prosperous— And though people praise you when you do well for yourself— He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never again see the light. A man [who is held] in honor, Yet who lacks [spiritual] understanding and a teachable heart, is like the beasts that perish.

Psalms 49:1-20 New Living Translation (NLT)

Listen to this, all you people! Pay attention, everyone in the world! High and low, rich and poor—listen! For my words are wise, and my thoughts are filled with insight. I listen carefully to many proverbs and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp. Why should I fear when trouble comes, when enemies surround me? They trust in their wealth and boast of great riches. Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paying a ransom to God. Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough to live forever and never see the grave. Those who are wise must finally die, just like the foolish and senseless, leaving all their wealth behind. The grave is their eternal home, where they will stay forever. They may name their estates after themselves, but their fame will not last. They will die, just like animals. This is the fate of fools, though they are remembered as being wise. Interlude Like sheep, they are led to the grave, where death will be their shepherd. In the morning the godly will rule over them. Their bodies will rot in the grave, far from their grand estates. But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of the grave. Interlude So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich and their homes become ever more splendid. For when they die, they take nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave. In this life they consider themselves fortunate and are applauded for their success. But they will die like all before them and never again see the light of day. People who boast of their wealth don’t understand; they will die, just like animals.

Psalms 49:1-20 The Passion Translation (TPT)

Listen, one and all! Both rich and poor together, all over the world— everyone listen to what I have to say! For wisdom will come from my mouth; words of insight and understanding will be heard from the musings of my heart. I will break open mysteries with my music, and my song will release riddles solved. There’s no reason to fear when troubling times come, even when you’re surrounded with problems and persecutors who chase at your heels. They trust in their treasures and boast in their riches, yet not one of them, though rich as a king, could rescue his own brother from the guilt of his sins. No one could give God the ransom price for the soul of another, let alone for himself. A soul’s redemption is too costly and precious for anyone to pay with earthly wealth. The price to pay is never enough to purchase eternal life for even one, to keep them out of hell. The brightest and best, along with the foolish and senseless, God sees that they all will die one day, leaving their houses and wealth to others. Even though they name streets and lands after themselves, hoping to have their memory endure beyond the grave, becoming legends in their own minds, their home address is now the cemetery! The honor of man is short-lived and fleeting. There’s little difference between man and beast, for both will one day perish. Such is the path of foolish men and those who quote everything they say, for they are here today and gone tomorrow! Pause in his presence A shepherd called “Death” herds them, leading them straight to hell like mindless sheep. Yet at daybreak you will find the righteous ruling in their place. Every trace of them will be gone forever, with all their “glory” lost in the darkness of their doom. But I know the loving God will redeem my soul, raising me up from the dark power of death, taking me as his bridal partner. Pause in his presence So don’t be disturbed when you see the rich surround you with the “glory” of their wealth on full display. For when they die, they will carry nothing with them, and their riches will not follow them beyond the grave. Though they have the greatest rewards of this world and all applaud them for their accomplishments, they will follow those who have gone before them and go straight into the realm of darkness, where they will never ever see the light again. So this is the way of mortal man— honored for a moment, yet without eternal insight, like a beast that will one day perish.

Psalms 49:1-20 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)

Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together! My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre. Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me, those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches? Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit. For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others. Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own names. Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish. This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright shall rule over them in the morning. Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell. But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases. For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him. For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed —and though you get praise when you do well for yourself— his soul will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never again see light. Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.