The Folly of Trusting in Riches

491 To the chief Musician. Of the sons of Korah. A Psalm. Hear this, all ye peoples; give ear, all inhabitants of the world: 2 Both men of low and men of high degree, rich and poor alike. 3 My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding: 4 I will incline mine ear to a parable, I will open my riddle upon the harp. 5 Wherefore should I fear in the days of adversity, [when] the iniquity of my supplanters encompasseth me?—

6 They depend upon their wealth, and boast themselves in the abundance of their riches. ... 7 None can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him, 8 (For the redemption of their soul is costly, and must be given up for ever,) 9 That he should still live perpetually, [and] not see corruption. 10 For he seeth that wise men die; all alike, the fool and the brutish perish, and they leave their wealth to others. 11 Their inward thought is, that their houses are for ever,their dwelling-places from generation to generation: they call the lands after their own names. 12 Nevertheless, man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish. 13 This their way is their folly, yet they that come after them delight in their sayings. Selah. 14 Like sheep are they laid in Sheol: Death feedeth on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their comeliness shall be for Sheol to consume, that there be no habitation for them.

15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol: for he will receive me. Selah. 16 Be not afraid when a man becometh rich, when the glory of his house is increased: 17 For when he dieth, he shall carry nothing away; his glory shall not descend after him. 18 Though he blessed his soul in his lifetime,—and men will praise thee when thou doest well to thyself,— 19 It shall go to the generation of his fathers: they shall never see light. 20 Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.

God Is the Judge

501 God, Elohim-Jehovah, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. 2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined forth. 3 Our God will come, and will not keep silence: fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. 4 He will call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people: 5 Gather unto me my godly ones, those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice! 6 And the heavens shall declare his righteousness; for God executeth judgment himself. Selah.

7 Hear, my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify unto thee: I am God, thy God. 8 I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices, or thy burnt-offerings, continually before me; 9 I will take no bullock out of thy house, [nor] he-goats out of thy folds: 10 For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle upon a thousand hills; 11 I know all the fowl of the mountains, and the roaming creatures of the field are mine: 12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee; for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. 13 Should I eat the flesh of bulls, and drink the blood of goats? 14 Offer unto God thanksgiving, and perform thy vows unto the Most High; 15 And call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

16 But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant into thy mouth, 17 Seeing thou hast hated correction and hast cast my words behind thee? 18 When thou sawest a thief, thou didst take pleasure in him, and thy portion was with adulterers; 19 Thou lettest thy mouth loose to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit; 20 Thou sittest [and] speakest against thy brother, thou revilest thine own mother's son: 21 These [things] hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether as thyself: [but] I will reprove thee, and set [them] in order before thine eyes. 22 Now consider this, ye that forget +God, lest I tear in pieces, and there be no deliverer. 23 Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me; and to him that ordereth [his] way will I shew the salvation of God.

Salutation

11 Paul, bondman of Jesus Christ, [a] called apostle, separated to God's glad tidings, 2 (which he had before promised by his prophets in holy writings,) 3 concerning his Son (come of David's seed according to flesh, 4 marked out Son of God in power, according to [the] Spirit of holiness, by resurrection of [the] dead) Jesus Christ our Lord; 5 by whom we have received grace and apostleship in behalf of his name, for obedience of faith among all the nations, 6 among whom are ye also [the] called of Jesus Christ: 7 to all that are in Rome, beloved of God, called saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and [our] Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul's Desire to Visit Rome

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is proclaimed in the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the glad tidings of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you, 10 always beseeching at my prayers, if any way now at least I may be prospered by the will of God to come to you. 11 For I greatly desire to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to establish you; 12 that is, to have mutual comfort among you, each by the faith [which is] in the other, both yours and mine. 13 But I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, that I often proposed to come to you, (and have been hindered until the present time,) that I might have some fruit among you too, even as among the other nations also. 14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and barbarians, both to wise and unintelligent: 15 so, as far as depends on me, am I ready to announce the glad tidings to you also who [are] in Rome.

The Power of the Gospel

16 For I am not ashamed of the glad tidings; for it is God's power to salvation, to every one that believes, both to Jew first and to Greek: 17 for righteousness of God is revealed therein, on the principle of faith, to faith: according as it is written, But the just shall live by faith.

The Guilt of Mankind

18 For there is revealed wrath of God from heaven upon all impiety, and unrighteousness of men holding the truth in unrighteousness.

19 Because what is known of God is manifest among them, for God has manifested [it] to them, 20 —for from [the] world's creation the invisible things of him are perceived, being apprehended by the mind through the things that are made, both his eternal power and divinity,—so as to render them inexcusable. 21 Because, knowing God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but fell into folly in their thoughts, and their heart without understanding was darkened: 22 professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into [the] likeness of an image of corruptible man and of birds and quadrupeds and reptiles. 24 Wherefore God gave them up [also] in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, to dishonour their bodies between themselves: 25 who changed the truth of God into falsehood, and honoured and served the creature more than him who had created [it], who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to vile lusts; for both their females changed the natural use into that contrary to nature; 27 and in like manner the males also, leaving the natural use of the female, were inflamed in their lust towards one another; males with males working shame, and receiving in themselves the recompense of their error which was fit. 28 And according as they did not think good to have God in [their] knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind to practise unseemly things; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil dispositions; whisperers, 30 back-biters, hateful to God, insolent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 void of understanding, faithless, without natural affection, unmerciful; 32 who knowing the righteous judgment of God, that they who do such things are worthy of death, not only practise them, but have fellow delight in those who do [them].