The Confidence of the Foolish
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
1 Hear this, all peoples;
Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2 Both low and high,
Rich and poor together.
3 My mouth shall speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart shallgive understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will disclose my dark saying on the harp.
5 Why should I fear in the days of evil,
When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me?
6 Those who Job 31:24; Ps. 52:7; (Prov. 11:28; Mark 10:23, 24)trust in their wealth
And boast in the multitude of their riches,
7 None ofthem can by any means redeem his brother,
Nor Job 36:18, 19give to God a ransom for him—
8 For (Matt. 16:26)the redemption of their souls is costly,
And it shall cease forever—
9 That he should continue to live eternally,
AndPs. 89:48not see the Pit.
10 For he sees wise men die;
Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish,
And leave their wealth to others.
11 Their inner thought isthat their houses willlast forever,
Their dwelling places to all generations;
They Gen. 4:17; Deut. 3:14call their lands after their own names.
12 Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain;
He is like the beasts that perish.
13 This is the way of those who are(Luke 12:20)foolish,
And of their posterity who approve their sayings.
Selah
14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave;
Death shall feed on them;
Ps. 47:3; (Dan. 7:18; 1 Cor. 6:2; Rev. 2:26)The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning;
Job 4:21And their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling.
15 But God (Hos. 13:4); Mark 16:6, 7; Acts 2:31, 32will redeem my soul from the power of the grave,
For He shall Ps. 73:24receive me.
Selah
16 Do not be afraid when one becomes rich,
When the glory of his house is increased;
17 For when he dies he shall carry nothing away;
His glory shall not descend after him.
18 Though while he lives Deut. 29:19; Luke 12:19he blesses himself
(For men will praise you when you do well for yourself),
19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers;
They shall never see Job 33:30light.
20 A man whois in honor, yet does not understand,
Eccl. 3:19Is like the beasts that perish.