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2both low and high,
rich and poor alike:

3My mouth will speak words of wisdom;
the utterance from my heart will give understanding.

4I will turn my ear to a proverb;
with the harp I will expound my riddle:

5Why should I fear when evil days come,
when wicked deceivers surround me—

6those who trust in their wealth
and boast of their great riches?

7No man can redeem the life of another
or give to God a ransom for him—

8the ransom for a life is costly,
no payment is ever enough—

9that he should live on forever
and not see decay.

10For all can see that wise men die;
the foolish and the senseless alike perish
and leave their wealth to others.

11Their tombs will remain their housesSeptuagint and Syriac; Hebrew In their thoughts their houses will remain forever,
their dwellings for endless generations,
though they hadOr / for they have named lands after themselves.

12But man, despite his riches, does not endure;
he isHebrew; Septuagint and Syriac read verse 12 the same as verse 20. like the beasts that perish.

15But God will redeem my lifeOr soul from the grave;
he will surely take me to himself.
Selah

16Do not be overawed when a man grows rich,
when the splendor of his house increases;

17for he will take nothing with him when he dies,
his splendor will not descend with him.

18Though while he lived he counted himself blessed—
and men praise you when you prosper—

19he will join the generation of his fathers,
who will never see the light of life.

20A man who has riches without understanding
is like the beasts that perish.