Psalm 49

⁵ 
Why should I fear in the days of evil,
When the wickedness of those who would betray me surrounds me [on every side],
⁶ 
Even those who trust in and rely on their wealth
And boast of the abundance of their riches?
⁷ 
None of them can by any means redeem [either himself or] his brother,
Nor give to God a ransom for him—
⁸ 
For the ransom of his soul is too costly,
And he should cease trying forever—
⁹ 
So that he should live on eternally,
That he should never see the pit (grave) and undergo decay.

¹⁰ 
For he sees that even wise men die;
The fool and the stupid alike perish
And leave their wealth to others.
¹¹ 
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].
¹² 
But man, with all his [self] honor and pomp, will not endure;
He is like the beasts that perish.

¹³ 
This is the fate of those who are foolishly confident,
And of those after them who approve [and are influenced by] their words. Selah.
¹⁴ 
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 ^[a]be for Sheol to consume,
So that they have no dwelling [on earth].
¹⁵ 
But God will redeem my life from the power of Sheol,
For He will receive me. Selah.

¹⁶ 
Be not afraid when [an ungodly] man becomes rich,
When the wealth and glory of his house are increased;
¹⁷ 
For when he dies he will carry nothing away;
His glory will not descend after him.
¹⁸ 
Though while he lives he counts himself happy and prosperous—
And though people praise you when you do well for yourself—
¹⁹ 
He shall go to the generation of his fathers;
They shall never again see the light.
²⁰ 
A man [who is held] in honor,
Yet who lacks [spiritual] understanding and a teachable heart, is like the beasts that perish.