Psalms 73
1 A Psalme committed to Asaph. Yet God is good to Israel: euen, to the pure in heart.
A Psalm of Asaph. Only — good to Israel [is] God, to the clean of heart. And I — as a little thing, My feet have been turned aside,
2 As for me, my feete were almost gone: my steps had well neere slipt.
As nothing, have my steps slipped, For I have been envious of the boastful,
3 For I feared at the foolish, when I sawe the prosperitie of the wicked.
The peace of the wicked I see, That there are no bands at their death,
4 For there are no bandes in their death, but they are lustie and strong.
And their might [is] firm.
5 They are not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued with other men.
In the misery of mortals they are not, And with common men they are not plagued.
6 Therefore pride is as a chayne vnto them, and crueltie couereth them as a garment.
Therefore hath pride encircled them, Violence covereth them as a dress.
7 Their eyes stande out for fatnesse: they haue more then heart can wish.
Their eye hath come out from fat. The imaginations of the heart transgressed;
8 They are licentious, and speake wickedly of their oppression: they talke presumptuously.
They do corruptly, And they speak in the wickedness of oppression, From on high they speak.
9 They set their mouth against heauen, and their tongue walketh through the earth.
They have set in the heavens their mouth, And their tongue walketh in the earth.
10 Therefore his people turne hither: for waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.
Therefore do His people return hither, And waters of fulness are wrung out to them.
11 And they say, Howe doeth God know it? or is there knowledge in the most High?
And they have said, 'How hath God known? And is there knowledge in the Most High?'
12 Lo, these are the wicked, yet prosper they alway, and increase in riches.
Lo, these [are] the wicked and easy ones of the age, They have increased strength.
13 Certainely I haue clensed mine heart in vaine, and washed mine hands in innocencie.
Only — a vain thing! I have purified my heart, And I wash in innocency my hands,
14 For dayly haue I bene punished, and chastened euery morning.
And I am plagued all the day, And my reproof [is] every morning.
15 If I say, I will iudge thus, beholde the generation of thy children: I haue trespassed.
If I have said, 'I recount thus,' Lo, a generation of Thy sons I have deceived.
16 Then thought I to know this, but it was too painefull for me,
And I think to know this, Perverseness it [is] in mine eyes,
17 Vntill I went into the Sanctuarie of God: then vnderstoode I their ende.
Till I come in to the sanctuaries of God, I attend to their latter end.
18 Surely thou hast set them in slipperie places, and castest them downe into desolation.
Only, in slippery places Thou dost set them, Thou hast caused them to fall to desolations.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed, perished and horribly consumed,
How have they become a desolation as in a moment, They have been ended — consumed from terrors.
20 As a dreame when one awaketh! O Lord, when thou raisest vs vp, thou shalt make their image despised.
As a dream from awakening, O Lord, In awaking, their image Thou despisest.
21 Certainely mine heart was vexed, and I was pricked in my reines:
For my heart doth show itself violent, And my reins prick themselves,
22 So foolish was I and ignorant: I was a beast before thee.
And I am brutish, and do not know. A beast I have been with Thee.
23 Yet I was alway with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.
And I [am] continually with Thee, Thou hast laid hold on my right hand.
24 Thou wilt guide me by thy counsell, and afterward receiue me to glory.
With Thy counsel Thou dost lead me, And after honour dost receive me.
25 Whom haue I in heauen but thee? and I haue desired none in the earth with thee.
Whom have I in the heavens? And with Thee none I have desired in earth.
26 My flesh fayleth and mine heart also: but God is the strength of mine heart, and my portion for euer.
Consumed hath been my flesh and my heart, The rock of my heart and my portion [is] God to the age.
27 For loe, they that withdrawe themselues from thee, shall perish: thou destroyest all them that goe a whoring from thee.
For, lo, those far from Thee do perish, Thou hast cut off every one, Who is going a whoring from Thee.
28 As for me, it is good for me to draw neere to God: therefore I haue put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy workes.
And I — nearness of God to me [is] good, I have placed in the Lord Jehovah my refuge, To recount all Thy works!
