Reading the Bible Together

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

¹ Hear this, all you peoples;
listen, all who live in this world,

² both low and high,
rich and poor alike:

³ My mouth will speak words of wisdom;
the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.

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

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

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

⁷ No one can redeem the life of another
or give to God a sufficient ransom—

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

⁹ so that someone should live on forever
and not see decay.

¹⁰ For all can see that the wise die,
that the foolish and the senseless also perish,
leaving their wealth to others.

¹¹ Their tombs will remain their houses forever,
their dwellings for endless generations,
though they had named lands after themselves.

¹² Human beings, despite their wealth, do not endure;
they are like the beasts that perish.

¹³ This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,
and of their followers, who approve their sayings.

¹⁴ They are like sheep and are destined to die;
death will be their shepherd
(but the upright will prevail 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;
he will surely take me to himself.

¹⁶ Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
when the splendor of their houses increases;

¹⁷ for they will take nothing with them when they die,
their splendor will not descend with them.

¹⁸ Though while they live they count themselves blessed—
and people praise you when you prosper—

¹⁹ they will join those who have gone before them,
who will never again see the light of life.

²⁰ Human beings who have wealth but lack understanding
are like the beasts that perish.

Do Not Forget the LORD

¹ Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the LORD promised on oath to your ancestors. ² Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. ³ He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that people do not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. ⁴ Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. ⁵ Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.

⁶ Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. ⁷ For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; ⁸ a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; ⁹ a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.