< Psalms 73 >
1 A Melody of Asaph. Nothing but good, is God, Unto Israel, Unto the pure in heart.
`The salm of Asaph. God of Israel is ful good; to hem that ben of riytful herte.
2 But, as for me, —My feet had, almost stumbled, My steps had, well-nigh slipped;
But my feet weren moued almeest; my steppis weren sched out almeest.
3 For I was envious of the boasters, At the prosperity of the lawless, used I to look.
For Y louede feruentli on wickid men; seynge the pees of synneris.
4 For they have no pangs in their death, And vigorous is their body;
For biholdyng is not to the deth of hem; and stidefastnesse in the sikenesse of hem.
5 Of the toil of weak mortals, have they none, Nor, with the sons of earth, are they hard smitten.
Thei ben not in the trauel of men; and thei schulen not be betun with men.
6 For this cause, doth arrogance deck them as a neck-chain, And a garment of wrong is their attire;
Therfore pride helde hem; thei weren hilid with her wickidnesse and vnfeithfulnesse.
7 Their iniquity, hath proceeded from fatness, They have surpassed the imaginations of the heart;
The wickidnesse of hem cam forth as of fatnesse; thei yeden in to desire of herte.
8 They mock, and wickedly command oppression, From on high, they command;
Thei thouyten and spaken weiwardnesse; thei spaken wickidnesse an hiy.
9 They have set, in the heavens, their mouth, And, their tongue, marcheth through the earth.
Thei puttiden her mouth in to heuene; and her tunge passide in erthe.
10 Therefore must his people return thither, And, the waters of abundance, are drained by them;
Therfor my puple schal be conuertid here; and fulle daies schulen be foundun in hem.
11 And they say—How doth GOD know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?
And thei seiden, How woot God; and whether kunnyng is an heiye, `that is, in heuene?
12 Lo! these, are the lawless, Who are secure for an age, They have attained unto wealth.
Lo! thilke synneris and hauynge aboundance in the world; helden richessis.
13 Altogether in vain, Have I cleansed my heart, And bathed in pureness, my hands;
And Y seide, Therfor without cause Y iustifiede myn herte; and waischide myn hoondis among innocentis.
14 And yet been smitten all the day, And been rebuked morning by morning!
And Y was betun al dai; and my chastisyng was in morutidis.
15 If I had thought, I will relate it thus, Lo! the circle of thy sons, had I betrayed.
If Y seide, Y schal telle thus; lo! Y repreuede the nacioun of thi sones.
16 When I reasoned, that I might understand this, A vexation, it was in mine eyes:
I gesside, that Y schulde knowe this; trauel is bifore me.
17 Until I could enter the holy places of God, —Could give heed to their hereafter: —
Til Y entre in to the seyntuarie of God; and vndurstonde in the last thingis of hem.
18 Surely, in slippery places, dost thou set them, —Thou hast suffered them to fall into places of danger.
Netheles for gilis thou hast put to hem; thou castidist hem doun, while thei weren reisid.
19 How have they become desolate, as in a moment! They have ceased—come to an end, by reason of calamities.
Hou ben thei maad into desolacioun; thei failiden sodeynli, thei perischiden for her wickidnesse.
20 As the dream of him that waketh, O my Lord! when rousing thyself up, their shadowy being, wilt thou despise.
As the dreem of men that risen; Lord, thou schalt dryue her ymage to nouyt in thi citee.
21 But my heart had grown embittered, And, in my reins, had I received wounds;
For myn herte is enflaumed, and my reynes ben chaungid;
22 But, I, was brutish, and could not perceive, Like the beasts, had I become before thee.
and Y am dryuun to nouyt, and Y wiste not.
23 Nevertheless, I, am continually before thee, Thou hast taken hold of my right hand;
As a werk beeste Y am maad at thee; and Y am euere with thee.
24 By thy counsel, wilt thou guide me, And, afterwards, unto glory, wilt thou take me.
Thou heldist my riythond, and in thi wille thou leddist me forth; and with glorie thou tokist me vp.
25 Whom have I in the heavens? And, compared with thee, there is nothing I desire on earth.
For whi what is to me in heuene; and what wolde Y of thee on erthe?
26 Failed have my flesh and my heart, The rock of my heart—and my portion, is God unto times age-abiding.
Mi fleische and myn herte failide; God of myn herte, and my part is God withouten ende.
27 For lo! they who are far from thee, shall perish, Thou hast put an end to every one who wandered unchastely from thee.
For lo! thei that drawen awei fer hem silf fro thee, `bi deedli synne, schulen perische; thou hast lost alle men that doen fornycacioun fro thee.
28 But, as for me, the drawing near of God, is my blessedness, —I have made, of My Lord Yahweh, my refuge, —That I may recount all thy works.
But it is good to me to cleue to God; and to sette myn hope in the Lord God. That Y telle alle thi prechyngis; in the yatis of the douyter of Syon.