Study Desk

^(C1)Hear this, all peoples; Listen, all ^(C2)inhabitants of the world,

Both ^(C1)low and high, Rich and poor together.

My mouth will ^(C1)speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart will be ^(C2)understanding.

I will incline my ear to ^(C1)a proverb; ^(C2)I will ^(F1)express my ^(C3)riddle on the harp.

Why should I ^(C1)fear in days of adversity, When the injustice of those who betray me surrounds me,

Those who ^(C1)trust in their wealth And boast in the abundance of their riches?

No one can by any means ^(C1)redeem another Or give God a ^(C2)ransom for him—

For ^(C1)the redemption of ^(F1)his soul is priceless, And he should cease imagining forever—

That he might ^(C1)live on eternally, That he might not ^(F1)(C2)undergo decay.

For he sees that even ^(C1)wise people die; The ^(C2)foolish and the stupid alike perish And ^(C3)leave their wealth to others.

Their ^(F1)(C1)inner thought is that their houses ^(C2)are forever And their dwelling places to all generations; They have ^(C3)named their lands after their own names.

But ^(C1)man in his splendor will not endure; He is like the animals that ^(F1)perish.

This is the ^(C1)way of those who are foolish, And of those after them who ^(C2)approve their words. Selah

Like sheep they sink down ^(C1)to ^(F1)Sheol; Death will be their shepherd; And the ^(C2)upright will rule over them in the morning, And their form shall be for ^(F1)Sheol ^(C3)to consume ^(F2)So that they have no lofty home.

But God will ^(C1)redeem my soul from the ^(F1)power of ^(F2)Sheol, For ^(C2)He will receive me. Selah

Do not be afraid ^(C1)when a person becomes rich, When the splendor of his house is increased;

For when he dies, he will ^(C1)take nothing with him; His ^(F1)wealth will not descend after him.

Though while he lives he ^(C1)congratulates ^(F1)himself— And though people praise you when you do well for yourself—

^(F1)He will ^(C1)go to the generation of his fathers; They will never see ^(C2)the light.

^(C1)Mankind in its splendor, yet without understanding, Is ^(C2)like the animals that ^(F1)perish.