¹可拉子孫的詩，交給詩班長。萬民哪！你們要聽這話；世上的居民哪！你們要留心聽。

¹Hear this, all you peoples. Listen, all you inhabitants of the world,

²不論地位高低，或貧或富，都要一同留心聽。

²both low and high, rich and poor together.

³我的口要說出智慧的話；我的心要默想明智的事。

³My mouth will speak words of wisdom. My heart shall utter understanding.

⁴我要留心聆聽箴言；我要彈琴解開謎語。

⁴I will incline my ear to a proverb. I will open my riddle on the harp.

⁵在患難的日子，暗中迫害我的惡人圍繞我的時候，我何須懼怕呢？

⁵Why should I fear in the days of evil, when iniquity at my heels surrounds me?

⁶他們倚靠財富，自誇多財。

⁶Those who trust in their wealth, and boast in the multitude of their riches—

⁷但他們沒有一個能把他的兄弟贖回，或把他的贖價交給　神，

⁷none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give God a ransom for him.

⁸（因為他生命的贖價非常昂貴，只好永遠放棄，）

⁸For the redemption of their life is costly, no payment is ever enough,

⁹使他永遠活著，不見朽壞。

⁹That he should live on forever, that he should not see corruption.

¹⁰他看見智慧人死去，愚昧人和愚頑人一同滅亡，把他們的財產留給別人。

¹⁰For he sees that wise men die; likewise the fool and the senseless perish, and leave their wealth to others.

¹¹他們心裡想，他們的家必永存，他們的住處必留到萬代；他們以自己的名，稱自己的地方。

¹¹Their inward thought is that their houses will endure forever, and their dwelling places to all generations. They name their lands after themselves.

¹²但是人不能長享富貴；他們就像要滅亡的牲畜一樣。

¹²But man, despite his riches, doesn’t endure. He is like the animals that perish.

¹³這就是愚昧人的道路；但在他們以後的人，還欣賞他們的話。（細拉）

¹³This is the destiny of those who are foolish, and of those who approve their sayings. Selah.

¹⁴他們好像羊群被派定下陰間；死亡必作他們的牧人。到了早晨，正直人要管轄他們；他們的形體必被陰間消滅，他們再沒有住處。

¹⁴They are appointed as a flock for Sheol Sheol is the place of the dead. . Death shall be their shepherd. The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning. Their beauty shall decay in Sheol Sheol is the place of the dead. , far from their mansion.

¹⁵但　神必救贖我的靈魂脫離陰間的權勢，因為他必把我接去。（細拉）

¹⁵But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol Sheol is the place of the dead. , for he will receive me. Selah.

¹⁶別人發財，家室增榮的時候，你不要懼怕。

¹⁶Don’t be afraid when a man is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased.

¹⁷因為他死的時候，甚麼也不能帶走；他的榮華也不能隨他下去。

¹⁷For when he dies he shall carry nothing away. His glory shall not descend after him.

¹⁸他在世的時候，雖然自稱是有福的，並且說：“只要你豐足，人就稱讚你。”

¹⁸Though while he lived he blessed his soul— and men praise you when you do well for yourself—

¹⁹他還要歸到他歷代的祖宗那裡去，永不再見光明。

¹⁹he shall go to the generation of his fathers. They shall never see the light.

²⁰人享富貴而不聰明，就像要滅亡的牲畜一樣。

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