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