Psalm 49a
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 Hearr this, all you peoples;s
listen, all who live in this world,t
2 both low and high,u
rich and poor alike:
3 My mouth will speak words of wisdom;v
the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.w
4 I will turn my ear to a proverb;x
with the harpy I will expound my riddle:z
5 Why should I feara when evil days come,
when wicked deceivers surround me—
6 those who trust in their wealthb
and boastc of their great riches?d
7 No one can redeem the life of another
or give to God a ransom for them—
8 the ransome for a life is costly,
no payment is ever enough—f
9 so that they should live ong forever
and not see decay.h
10 For all can see that the wise die,i
that the foolish and the senselessj also perish,
leaving their wealthk to others.l
11 Their tombsm will remain their housesb forever,
their dwellings for endless generations,n
though they hadc namedo lands after themselves.
12 People, despite their wealth, do not endure;p
they are like the beasts that perish.q
13 This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,r
and of their followers, who approve their sayings.d
14 They are like sheep and are destineds to die;t
death will be their shepherd
(but the upright will prevailu over them in the morning).
Their forms will decay in the grave,
far from their princely mansions.
15 But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;v
he will surely take me to himself.w
16 Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
when the splendor of their houses increases;
17 for they will take nothingx with them when they die,
their splendor will not descend with them.y
18 Though while they live they count themselves blessed—z
and people praise you when you prosper—
19 they will join those who have gone before them,a
who will never again see the lightb of life.
20 People who have wealth but lack understandingc
are like the beasts that perish.d
![]() |
About The New International VersionThe NIV is the world’s most read and trusted contemporary English Bible translation. It follows the principle of "dynamic equivalence" to ensure crystal clear understandable English. The NIV is the most readable English Bible ever produced. |
Copyright |
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.™ Used by Permission. All rights reserved worldwide. “New International Version” and “NIV” are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. The NIV® text may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio), up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without the express written permission of the publisher, providing the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted. Notice of copyright must appear on the title or copyright page as follows: “Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.” The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ When quotations from the NIV® text are used by a local church in non-saleable media such as church bulletins, orders of service, posters, overhead transparencies, or similar materials, a complete copyright notice is not required, but the initials (NIV®) must appear at the end of each quotation. Any commentary or other biblical reference work produced for commercial sale, that uses the NIV® text must obtain written permission for use of the NIV® text. Permission requests for commercial use within the USA and Canada that exceeds the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by The Zondervan Corporation, 5300 Patterson Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49530, USA. www.Zondervan.com Permission requests for commercial use within the UK, EU and EFTA that exceeds the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by Hodder & Stoughton Limited, 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH, United Kingdom. www.Hodder.co.uk Permission requests for non-commercial use that exceeds the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by Biblica US, Inc., 1820 Jet Stream Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80921, USA. www.Biblica.com Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers printed in this Bible are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of the Bible. |
Support Info | niv2011 |