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Hear this, everyone! Listen, all people everywhere,
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great and small alike, rich and poor together.
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My thoughts will be clear; I will speak words of wisdom.
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I will turn my attention to proverbs and explain their meaning as I play the harp.
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I am not afraid in times of danger when I am surrounded by enemies,
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by evil people who trust in their riches and boast of their great wealth.
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We can never redeem ourselves; we cannot pay God the price for our lives,
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because the payment for a human life is too great. What we could pay would never be enough
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to keep us from the grave, to let us live forever.
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Anyone can see that even the wise die,
1 as well as the foolish and stupid. They all leave their riches to their descendants.
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Their graves are their homes forever; there they stay for all time, though they once had lands of their own.