| King James Bible | NET Bible |
| 1To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world: | 1For the music director, a psalm by the Korahites. Listen to this, all you nations! Pay attention, all you inhabitants of the world! |
| 2Both low and high, rich and poor, together. | 2Pay attention, all you people, both rich and poor! |
| 3My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. | 3I will declare a wise saying; I will share my profound thoughts. |
| 4I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp. | 4I will learn a song that imparts wisdom; I will then sing my insightful song to the accompaniment of a harp. |
| 5Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about? | 5Why should I be afraid in times of trouble, when the sinful deeds of deceptive men threaten to overwhelm me? |
| 6They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; | 6They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches. |
| 7None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: | 7Certainly a man cannot rescue his brother; he cannot pay God an adequate ransom price |
| 8(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) | 8(the ransom price for a human life is too high, and people go to their final destiny), |
| 9That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption. | 9so that he might continue to live forever and not experience death. |
| 10For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others. | 10Surely one sees that even wise people die; fools and spiritually insensitive people all pass away and leave their wealth to others. |
| 11Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names. | 11Their grave becomes their permanent residence, their eternal dwelling place. They name their lands after themselves, |
| 12Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish. | 12but, despite their wealth, people do not last, they are like animals that perish. |
| 13This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah. | 13This is the destiny of fools, and of those who approve of their philosophy. (Selah) |
| 14Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling. | 14They will travel to Sheol like sheep, with death as their shepherd. The godly will rule over them when the day of vindication dawns; Sheol will consume their bodies and they will no longer live in impressive houses. |
| 15But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah. | 15But God will rescue my life from the power of Sheol; certainly he will pull me to safety. (Selah) |
| 16Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; | 16Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich and his wealth multiplies! |
| 17For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him. | 17For he will take nothing with him when he dies; his wealth will not follow him down into the grave. |
| 18Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself. | 18He pronounces this blessing on himself while he is alive: "May men praise you, for you have done well!" |
| 19He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light. | 19But he will join his ancestors; they will never again see the light of day. |
| 20Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish. | 20Wealthy people do not understand; they are like animals that perish. |
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