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 ransom for them—
8. the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—
9. so that they 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. People, 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.