3My thoughts will be clear; I will speak words of wisdom.
4I will turn my attention to proverbs and explain their meaning as I play the harp.
5I am not afraid in times of danger when I am surrounded by enemies,
6by evil people who trust in their riches and boast of their great wealth.
7We can never redeem ourselves; we cannot pay God the price for our lives,
8because the payment for a human life is too great. What we could pay would never be enough
9to keep us from the grave, to let us live forever.
10Anyone can see that even the wise die, as well as the foolish and stupid. They all leave their riches to their descendants.
11Their graves are their homes forever; there they stay for all time, though they once had lands of their own.
12Our greatness cannot keep us from death; we will still die like the animals.
13See what happens to those who trust in themselves, the fate of those who are satisfied with their wealth—
14they are doomed to die like sheep, and Death will be their shepherd. The righteous will triumph over them, as their bodies quickly decay in the world of the dead far from their homes.
15But God will rescue me; he will save me from the power of death.
16Don't be upset when someone becomes rich, when his wealth grows even greater;
17he cannot take it with him when he dies; his wealth will not go with him to the grave.
18Even if someone is satisfied with this life and is praised because he is successful,
19he will join all his ancestors in death, where the darkness lasts forever.
20Our greatness cannot keep us from death; we will still die like the animals.
Good News Translation (1992) Tap a verse to copy, share, highlight or add a note. Dotted words link to encyclopedia articles.
20 verses in this psalm
49 / 150 psalms
The text is Good News Translation (1992)(English) — Published under a copyright agreement with the Korean Bible Society — the text is copyright of the Korean Bible Society. Highlights, notes and read marks stay with the chapter whichever version you read. Dotted words are people, places and terms that have an encyclopedia article (marked once per page). Highlights, notes and read marks are saved only in this browser and gathered under My marks.