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,
BOOK III A Psalm of Asaph. Surely God is good to Israel, even to such as are pure in heart.
2 As nothing, my steps have slipped, For I have been envious of the boastful,
But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.
3 I see the peace of the wicked, That there are no bands at their death,
For I was envious at the arrogant, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 And their might [is] firm.
For there are no pangs at their death, and their body is sound.
5 They are not in the misery of mortals, And they are not plagued with common men.
In the trouble of man they are not; neither are they plagued like men.
6 Therefore pride has encircled them, Violence covers them as a dress.
Therefore pride is as a chain about their neck; violence covereth them as a garment.
7 Their eye has come out from fat. The imaginations of the heart transgressed;
Their eyes stand forth from fatness; they are gone beyond the imaginations of their heart.
8 They do corruptly, And they speak in the wickedness of oppression, They speak from on high.
They scoff, and in wickedness utter oppression; they speak as if there were none on high.
9 They have set their mouth in the heavens, And their tongue walks in the earth.
They have set their mouth against the heavens, 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 return hither; and waters of fullness are drained out by them.
11 And they have said, “How has God known? And is there knowledge in the Most High?”
And they say: 'How doth God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?'
12 Behold, these [are] the wicked and easy ones of the age, They have increased strength.
Behold, such are the wicked; and they that are always at ease increase riches.
13 Only—a vain thing! I have purified my heart, And I wash my hands in innocence,
Surely in vain have I cleansed my heart, and washed my hands in innocency;
14 And I am plagued all the day, And my reproof—every morning.
For all the day have I been plagued, and my chastisement came every morning.
15 If I have said, “I recount thus,” Behold, I have deceived a generation of Your sons.
If I had said: 'I will speak thus', behold, I had been faithless to the generation of Thy children.
16 And I think to know this, It [is] perverseness in my eyes,
And when I pondered how I might know this, it was wearisome in mine eyes;
17 Until I come into the sanctuaries of God, I attend to their latter end.
Until I entered into the sanctuary of God, and considered their end.
18 Surely You set them in slippery places, You have caused them to fall to desolations.
Surely Thou settest them in slippery places; Thou hurlest them down to utter ruin.
19 How they have become a desolation as in a moment, They have been ended—consumed from terrors.
How are they become a desolation in a moment! They are wholly consumed by terrors.
20 As a dream from awakening, O Lord, In awaking, You despise their image.
As a dream when one awaketh, so, O Lord, when Thou arousest Thyself, Thou wilt despise their semblance.
21 For my heart shows itself violent, And my reins prick themselves,
For my heart was in a ferment, and I was pricked in my reins.
22 And I am brutish, and do not know. I have been a beast with You.
But I was brutish, and ignorant; I was as a beast before Thee.
23 And I [am] continually with You, You have laid hold on my right hand.
Nevertheless I am continually with Thee; Thou holdest my right hand.
24 You lead me with Your counsel, And after, receive me [to] glory.
Thou wilt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me with glory.
25 Whom do I have in the heavens? And none have I desired in earth [besides] You.
Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And beside Thee I desire none upon earth.
26 My flesh and my heart have been consumed, God [is] the rock of my heart and my portion for all time.
My flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the rock of my heart and my portion for ever.
27 For behold, those far from You perish, You have cut off everyone, Who is going whoring from You.
For, lo, they that go far from Thee shall perish; Thou dost destroy all them that go astray 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!
But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all Thy works.
