Psalm 49 :: New King James Version (NKJV)

The Confidence of the Foolish

Psa 49:1To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

Hear this, all peoples;
Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,

Psa 49:2

Psa 49:2Both low and high,
Rich and poor together.

Psa 49:3

Psa 49:3My mouth shall speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.

Psa 49:4

Psa 49:4I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will disclose my dark saying on the harp.

Psa 49:5

Psa 49:5Why should I fear in the days of evil,
When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me?

Psa 49:6

Psa 49:6Those who trust in their wealth
And boast in the multitude of their riches,

Psa 49:7

Psa 49:7None of them can by any means redeem his brother,
Nor give to God a ransom for him—

Psa 49:8

Psa 49:8For the redemption of their souls is costly,
And it shall cease forever—

Psa 49:9

Psa 49:9That he should continue to live eternally,
And not see the Pit.

Psa 49:10

Psa 49:10For he sees wise men die;
Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish,
And leave their wealth to others.

Psa 49:11

Psa 49:11Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever,[fn]
Their dwelling places to all generations;
They call their lands after their own names.

Psa 49:12

Psa 49:12Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain;[fn]
He is like the beasts that perish.

Psa 49:13

Psa 49:13This is the way of those who are foolish,
And of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah

Psa 49:14

Psa 49:14Like 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.

Psa 49:15

Psa 49:15But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave,
For He shall receive me. Selah

Psa 49:16

Psa 49:16Do not be afraid when one becomes rich,
When the glory of his house is increased;

Psa 49:17

Psa 49:17For when he dies he shall carry nothing away;
His glory shall not descend after him.

Psa 49:18

Psa 49:18Though while he lives he blesses himself
(For men will praise you when you do well for yourself),

Psa 49:19

Psa 49:19He shall go to the generation of his fathers;
They shall never see light.

Psa 49:20

Psa 49:20A man who is in honor, yet does not understand,
Is like the beasts that perish.

See the NKJV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NKJV Footnotes

(49:11)

Septuagint, Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate read Their graves shall be their houses forever.

(49:12)

Following Masoretic Text and Targum; Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate read understand (compare verse 20).

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