Lyrics
Listen to this, all you nations Pay attention All you inhabitants of the world
Pay attention, all you people Both rich and poor
I will declare a wise saying I will share my profound thoughts I will learn a song That imparts wisdom I will sing my insightful song To the uh-comp-nee-ment of a harp
Why should I be afraid In times of trouble When the sinful deeds Of deceptive men Threaten to overwhelm me
They trust in their wealth And boast in their great riches
Certainly a man Cannot rescue his brother He cannot pay God An adequate ransom price
The ransom price For a human life is too high And people go To their final destiny
So that he might continue To live forever And not experience death
Surely one sees That even wise people die Fools and spiritually insensitive people All pass away And leave their wealth to others
Their grave becomes Their permanent residence Their eternal dwelling place They name their lands After themselves
But despite their wealth People do not last They are like animals that perish
This is the destiny of fools And of those who approve Of their philosophy
They will travel to שְׁאוֹל like sheep With death as their shepherd
The godly will rule over them When the day of vindication dawns
שְׁאוֹל will consume their bodies And they will no longer live In impressive houses
But God will rescue my life From the power of שְׁאוֹל Certainly he will pull me to safety
Certainly he will pull me to safety
Do not be afraid When a man becomes rich And his wealth multiplies For he will take nothing with him When he dies
His wealth will not follow him Down into the grave
He blesses himself while he lives “May men praise you You have done well”
But he will join his ancestors They will never again See the light of day
Wealthy people do not understand They are like animals that perish