Psalms 49:4-17

⁴I will incline my ear to a parable; I will begin my parable with the harp.

⁵Why should I fear the days of evil, when iniquity surrounds me at my heels?

⁶Why should I fear those who trust in their wealth and boast about the amount of their riches?

⁷It is certain that no one can redeem his brother or give God a ransom for him,

⁸For the redemption of one's life is costly, and no one can pay what we owe.

⁹No one can live forever so that his body should not decay.

¹⁰For he will see decay. Wise men die; the fool and the brute alike perish and leave their wealth to others.

¹¹Their inner thought is that their families will continue forever, and the places where they live, to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.

¹²But man, having wealth, does not remain alive; he is like the beasts that perish.

¹³This, their way, is their folly; yet after them, men approve of their sayings. Selah

¹⁴Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol, and death will be their shepherd. The upright will rule over them in the morning, and their bodies will be consumed in Sheol, with no place for them to live.

¹⁵But God will redeem my life from the power of Sheol; he will receive me. Selah

¹⁶Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, and the glory of his house increases.

¹⁷For when he dies he will take nothing away; his glory will not go down after him.