The Confidence of the Foolish

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

49 Hear this, all peoples;Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,² Both low and high,Rich and poor together.³ My mouth shall speak wisdom,And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.⁴ I will incline my ear to a proverb;I will disclose my dark saying on the harp.

⁵ Why should I fear in the days of evil,When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me?⁶ Those who trust in their wealthAnd boast in the multitude of their riches,⁷ None of them can by any means redeem his brother,Nor give to God a ransom for him—⁸ For the redemption of their souls is costly,And it shall cease forever—⁹ That he should continue to live eternally,And not see the Pit.

¹⁰ For he sees wise men die;Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish,And leave their wealth to others.¹¹ Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever,^[a]Their dwelling places to all generations;They call their lands after their own names.¹² Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain;^[b]He is like the beasts that perish.

¹³ This is the way of those who are foolish,And of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah¹⁴ 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.¹⁵ But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave,For He shall receive me. Selah

¹⁶ Do not be afraid when one becomes rich,When the glory of his house is increased;¹⁷ For when he dies he shall carry nothing away;His glory shall not descend after him.¹⁸ Though while he lives he blesses himself(For men will praise you when you do well for yourself),¹⁹ He shall go to the generation of his fathers;They shall never see light.²⁰ A man who is in honor, yet does not understand,Is like the beasts that perish.