14FOR THIS [IS] GOD GOD OUR FOREVER AND EVER HE HE WILL GUIDE US ON DYING 14For this God is our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even till death.*NoteCloseOr He will guide us beyond death
0TO THE CHOIRMASTER OF [THE] SONS OF KORAH A PSALM The Evanescence of Wealth (Ecclesiastes 5:8–20) 0For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
1HEAR THIS O ALL THE PEOPLES GIVE EAR O ALL [THE] INHABITANTS OF [THE] WORLD 1Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all inhabitants of the world,
2BOTH [THE] CHILDREN OF HUMANKIND AS WELL AS [THE] CHILDREN OF MAN ALIKE [THE] RICH AND [THE] NEEDY 2both low and high rich and poor alike.
3MOUTH MY IT WILL SPEAK WISDOM<S> AND [THE] MEDITATION OF HEART MY [WILL BE] UNDERSTANDING<S> 3My mouth will impart wisdom, and the meditation of my heart will bring understanding.
4I WILL INCLINE TO A PROVERB EAR MY I WILL OPEN WITH A HARP RIDDLE MY 4I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle with the harp:
5<TO> WHY? WILL I FEAR IN DAYS OF TROUBLE [THE] INIQUITY OF HEELS MY IT SURROUNDS ME 5Why should I fear in times of trouble, when wicked usurpers surround me?
6THOSE RELYING ON WEALTH THEIR AND IN [THE] GREATNESS OF RICH[ES] THEIR THEY BOAST 6They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches.
7A BROTHER NOT CERTAINLY <TO RANSOM> HE WILL RANSOM ANYONE NOT HE WILL GIVE TO GOD RANSOM HIS 7No man can possibly redeem his brother*NoteCloseOr redeem another or pay his ransom to God.
8SO IT MAY BE COSTLY [THE] RANSOM OF LIFE THEIR AND HE WILL CEASE FOR EVER 8For the redemption of his soul is costly, and never can payment suffice,
9SO HE MAY LIVE STILL TO PERPETUITY NOT HE WILL SEE THE PIT 9that he should live on forever and not see decay.
10FOR ANYONE WILL SEE WISE [PEOPLE] THEY DIE ALIKE A FOOL AND A STUPID [PERSON] THEY PERISH AND THEY LEAVE TO OTHER [PEOPLE] WEALTH THEIR 10For it is clear that wise men die, and the foolish and the senseless both perish and leave their wealth to others.
11INNER BEING THEIR HOUSES THEIR FOR EVER DWELLING PLACES THEIR TO A GENERATION AND A GENERATION THEY CALLED WITH NAMES THEIR ON LANDS 11Their graves*NoteCloseLXX, Syriac, and Aramaic Targum; Hebrew Their inward thoughts are their eternal homes— their dwellings for endless generations even though their lands were their namesakes.
12AND HUMANKIND IN HONOR NOT HE REMAINS HE IS LIKE LIKE THE ANIMALS [WHICH] THEY ARE DESTROYED 12But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish.
13THIS [IS] WAY THEIR STUPIDITY [BELONGS] TO THEM AND AFTER THEM IN MOUTH THEIR THEY TAKE DELIGHT SELAH 13This is the fate of the foolish*NoteCloseOr the way of the foolish and their followers who endorse their sayings. Selah
14LIKE <THE> SHEEP FOR SHEOL THEY HAVE BEEN APPOINTED DEATH IT WILL SHEPHERD THEM AND THEY RULED OVER THEM UPRIGHT [PEOPLE] TO THE MORNING AND FORM THEIR [IS] FOR [THE] CONSUMING OF SHEOL FROM LOFTY ABODE OF HIM 14Like sheep they are destined for Sheol. Death will be their shepherd. The upright will rule them in the morning, and their form will decay in Sheol, far from their lofty abode
15SURELY GOD HE WILL REDEEM LIFE MY FROM [THE] HAND OF SHEOL FOR HE WILL TAKE ME SELAH 15But God will redeem my life from Sheol, for He will surely take me to Himself. Selah
16MAY NOT YOU FEAR IF HE WILL BECOME RICH ANYONE IF IT WILL INCREASE [THE] HONOR OF HOUSE HIS 16Do not be afraid when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases.
17FOR NOT IN DEATH HIS HE WILL TAKE <THE> ANYTHING NOT IT WILL GO DOWN AFTER HIM HONOR HIS 17For when he dies, he will carry nothing away; his abundance will not follow him down.
18FOR SELF HIS IN LIFE HIS HE BLESSED AND PEOPLE PRAISE YOU IF YOU WILL DO WELL TO YOURSELF 18Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul— and men praise you when you prosper
19IT WILL GO TO [THE] GENERATION OF ANCESTORS HIS UNTIL PERPETUITY NOT THEY WILL SEE LIGHT 19he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of day.
20HUMANKIND WITH HONOR AND NOT HE UNDERSTANDS HE IS LIKE LIKE THE ANIMALS [WHICH] THEY ARE DESTROYED 20A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.