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| [1]HEAR this, all people; give ear, all inhabitants of the world, |
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| [2]Children of earth and sons of men, rich and poor together. |
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| [3]My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. |
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| [4]I will incline my ear to parables; I will chant my proverbs upon the harp. |
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| [5]I will fear not in days of evil, when the iniquity of my enemies shall surround me, |
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| [6]They who trust in their own strength and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches. |
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| [7]A brother cannot save a brother, nor can a man give to God a ransom for himself; |
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| [8]For the redemption of their souls is precious: |
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| [9]Do good for ever and you shall live for ever, and not see corruption. |
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| [10]But you will see wise men die; likewise the fool and the weak minded shall perish and leave their wealth to others. |
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| [11]Their graves shall be their only habitations for ever, and their dwelling places throughout generations; their marked graves will be their only remembrance on earth. |
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| [12]Nevertheless, such a man is not sustained by his honour; his end will be as the beasts, and he will perish. |
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| [13]This their way is their folly; in the end, demented, they will graze like cattle. |
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| [14]Like sheep they are consigned to the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; the grave shall consume their beauty, and they shall be cast out from their glory. |
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| [15]But God will redeem my soul; from the power of the grave he will raise me up. |
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| [16]Be not afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; |
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| [17]For when he dies he shall carry nothing away; neither shall his glory descend after him. |
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| [18]For while he lived, he lived comfortably; he praised you when you favored him. |
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| [19]His end shall be as his father's was before him; they shall never see light. |
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| [20]Man cannot depend upon his honor for consolation, for if he does, he resembles the wild beasts. |
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