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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 49:2Both low and high,
Rich and poor together.
Psa 49:3My mouth shall speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.
Psa 49:4I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will disclose my dark saying on the harp.
Psa 49:5Why should I fear in the days of evil,
When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me?
Psa 49:6Those who trust in their wealth
And boast in the multitude of their riches,
Psa 49:7None of them can by any means redeem his brother,
Nor give to God a ransom for him—
Psa 49:8For the redemption of their souls is costly,
And it shall cease forever—
Psa 49:9That he should continue to live eternally,
And not see the Pit.
Psa 49:10For he sees wise men die;
Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish,
And leave their wealth to others.
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 49:12Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain;[fn]
He is like the beasts that perish.
Psa 49:13This is the way of those who are foolish,
And of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah
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 49:15But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave,
For He shall receive me. Selah
Psa 49:16Do not be afraid when one becomes rich,
When the glory of his house is increased;
Psa 49:17For when he dies he shall carry nothing away;
His glory shall not descend after him.
Psa 49:18Though while he lives he blesses himself
(For men will praise you when you do well for yourself),
Psa 49:19He shall go to the generation of his fathers;
They shall never see light.
Psa 49:20A man who is in honor, yet does not understand,
Is like the beasts that perish.
NKJV Footnotes
Septuagint, Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate read Their graves shall be their houses forever.
Following Masoretic Text and Targum; Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate read understand (compare verse 20).
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Psalm Chapter 49 — Additional Translations: