| International Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 1Listen to this, all you people! Pay attention, all you who live in the world, | 1Listen to this, all you people! Pay attention, everyone in the world! |
| 2both average people and those of means, the rich and the poor together. | 2High and low, rich and poor—listen! |
| 3My mouth will speak wisely, and I will understand what I think about. | 3For my words are wise, and my thoughts are filled with insight. |
| 4I will focus my attention on a proverb; I will use the harp to expound my riddle. | 4I listen carefully to many proverbs and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp. |
| 5Why should I be afraid when evil days come my way, when the wickedness of those who deceive me surrounds me— | 5Why should I fear when trouble comes, when enemies surround me? |
| 6those who put confidence in their wealth and boast about their great riches? | 6They trust in their wealth and boast of great riches. |
| 7No man can redeem the life of another, nor can he give to God a sufficient payment for him— | 7Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paying a ransom to God. |
| 8for it would cost too much to redeem his life, and the payments would go on forever— | 8Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough |
| 9that he should go on living and not see corruption. | 9to live forever and never see the grave. |
| 10Indeed, he will see wise people die; the stupid and the senseless will meet their doom and leave their wealth to others. | 10Those who are wise must finally die, just like the foolish and senseless, leaving all their wealth behind. |
| 11Their inner thoughts are on their homes forever; their dwellings from generation to generation. They even name their lands after themselves. | 11The grave is their eternal home, where they will stay forever. They may name their estates after themselves, |
| 12But humanity cannot last, despite its conceit; it will pass away just like the animals. | 12but their fame will not last. They will die, just like animals. |
| 13This is the fate of those who are foolish and of those who correct their words after they speak. Interlude | 13This is the fate of fools, though they are remembered as being wise. Interlude |
| 14Like sheep, they are destined for the realm of the dead, with death as their shepherd. The upright will have dominion over them in the morning; their strength will be consumed in the afterlife, so that they have no home. | 14Like sheep, they are led to the grave, where death will be their shepherd. In the morning the godly will rule over them. Their bodies will rot in the grave, far from their grand estates. |
| 15God will truly redeem me from the power of Sheol. He will surely receive me! Interlude | 15But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of the grave. Interlude |
| 16Don't be afraid when someone gets rich, when the glory of his household increases. | 16So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich and their homes become ever more splendid. |
| 17When he dies, he will not be able to take it all with him — his possessions will not follow him to the grave, | 17For when they die, they take nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave. |
| 18although he considers himself blessed while he's alive. Though people praise you for doing well, | 18In this life they consider themselves fortunate and are applauded for their success. |
| 19you will end up like your ancestors' generation, never again to see the light of day! | 19But they will die like all before them and never again see the light of day. |
| 20Humanity, despite its conceit, does not understand that it will perish, just like the animals. | 20People who boast of their wealth don’t understand; they will die, just like animals. |
The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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