| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, | 1For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah. Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who inhabit the world, |
| 2Both low and high, Rich and poor together. | 2both low and high, rich and poor together. |
| 3My mouth shall speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding. | 3My mouth speaks wisdom; my heart's meditation brings understanding. |
| 4I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will disclose my dark saying on the harp. | 4I turn my ear to a proverb; I explain my riddle with a lyre. |
| 5Why should I fear in the days of evil, When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me? | 5Why should I fear in times of trouble? The iniquity of my foes surrounds me. |
| 6Those who trust in their wealth And boast in the multitude of their riches, | 6They trust in their wealth and boast of their abundant riches. |
| 7None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him— | 7Yet these cannot redeem a person or pay his ransom to God-- |
| 8For the redemption of their souls is costly, And it shall cease forever— | 8since the price of redeeming him is too costly, one should forever stop trying-- |
| 9That he should continue to live eternally, And not see the Pit. | 9so that he may live forever and not see the Pit. |
| 10For he sees wise men die; Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish, And leave their wealth to others. | 10For one can see that wise men die; foolish and stupid men also pass away. Then they leave their wealth to others. |
| 11Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever, Their dwelling places to all generations; They call their lands after their own names. | 11Their graves are their eternal homes, their homes from generation to generation, though they have named estates after themselves. |
| 12Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain; He is like the beasts that perish. | 12But despite his assets, man will not last; he is like the animals that perish. |
| 13This is the way of those who are foolish, And of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah | 13This is the way of those who are arrogant, and of their followers, who approve of their words. Selah |
| 14Like 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. | 14Like sheep they are headed for Sheol; Death will shepherd them. The upright will rule over them in the morning, and their form will waste away in Sheol, far from their lofty abode. |
| 15But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me. Selah | 15But God will redeem my life from the power of Sheol, for He will take me. Selah |
| 16Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased; | 16Do not be afraid when a man gets rich, when the wealth of his house increases. |
| 17For when he dies he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him. | 17For when he dies, he will take nothing at all; his wealth will not follow him down. |
| 18Though while he lives he blesses himself (For men will praise you when you do well for yourself), | 18Though he praises himself during his lifetime-- and people praise you when you do well for yourself-- |
| 19He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see light. | 19he will go to the generation of his fathers; they will never see the light. |
| 20A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, Is like the beasts that perish. | 20A man with valuable possessions but without understanding is like the animals that perish. |
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