New Century Version NCV
English Standard Version ESV
1 Listen to this, all you nations; listen, all you who live on earth.
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Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2 Listen, both great and small, rich and poor together.
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both low and high, rich and poor together!
3 What I say is wise, and my heart speaks with understanding.
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My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
4 I will pay attention to a wise saying; I will explain my riddle on the harp.
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I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.
5 Why should I be afraid of bad days? Why should I fear when evil men surround me?
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Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,
6 They trust in their money and brag about their riches.
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those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7 No one can buy back the life of another. No one can pay God for his own life,
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Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life,
8 because the price of a life is high. No payment is ever enough.
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for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice,
9 Do people live forever? Don't they all face death?
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that he should live on forever and never see the pit.
10 See, even wise people die. Fools and stupid people also die and leave their wealth to others.
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For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves will always be their homes. They will live there from now on, even though they named places after themselves.
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Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own names.
12 Even rich people do not live forever; like the animals, people die.
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Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish.
13 This is what will happen to those who trust in themselves and to their followers who believe them. Selah
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This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah
14 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.
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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.
15 But God will save my life and will take me from the grave.Selah
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But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah
16 Don't be afraid of rich people because their houses are more beautiful.
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Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases.
17 They don't take anything to the grave; their wealth won't go down with them.
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For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him.
18 Even though they were praised when they were alive -- and people may praise you when you succeed --
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For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed—and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—
19 they will go to where their ancestors are. They will never see light again.
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his soul will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never again see light.
20 Rich people with no understanding are just like animals that die. A psalm of Asaph.
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Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.