Psalms 73
1 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,
BOOK III A Psalm of Asaph. Surely God is good to Israel, even to such as are pure in heart.
2 As nothing, have my steps 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 The peace of the wicked I see, 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 In the misery of mortals they are not, And with common men they are not plagued.
In the trouble of man they are not; neither are they plagued like men.
6 Therefore hath pride encircled them, Violence covereth them as a dress.
Therefore pride is as a chain about their neck; violence covereth them as a garment.
7 Their eye hath 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, From on high they speak.
They scoff, and in wickedness utter oppression; they speak as if there were none on high.
9 They have set in the heavens their mouth, And their tongue walketh in the earth.
They have set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.
10 Therefore do His people return hither, And waters of fulness 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 hath 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 Lo, 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 in innocency my hands,
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 [is] every morning.
For all the day have I been plagued, and my chastisement came every morning.
15 If I have said, 'I recount thus,' Lo, a generation of Thy sons I have deceived.
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, Perverseness it [is] in mine eyes,
And when I pondered how I might know this, it was wearisome in mine eyes;
17 Till I come in to the sanctuaries of God, I attend to their latter end.
Until I entered into the sanctuary of God, and considered their end.
18 Only, in slippery places Thou dost set them, Thou hast caused them to fall to desolations.
Surely Thou settest them in slippery places; Thou hurlest them down to utter ruin.
19 How have they 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, their image Thou despisest.
As a dream when one awaketh, so, O Lord, when Thou arousest Thyself, Thou wilt despise their semblance.
21 For my heart doth show 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. A beast I have been with Thee.
But I was brutish, and ignorant; I was as a beast before Thee.
23 And I [am] continually with Thee, Thou hast laid hold on my right hand.
Nevertheless I am continually with Thee; Thou holdest my right hand.
24 With Thy counsel Thou dost lead me, And after honour dost receive me.
Thou wilt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me with glory.
25 Whom have I in the heavens? And with Thee none I have desired in earth.
Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And beside Thee I desire none upon earth.
26 Consumed hath been my flesh and my heart, The rock of my heart and my portion [is] God to the age.
My flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the rock of my heart and my portion for ever.
27 For, lo, those far from Thee do perish, Thou hast cut off every one, Who is going a whoring from Thee.
For, lo, they that go far from Thee shall perish; Thou dost destroy all them that go astray from Thee.
28 And I — nearness of God to me [is] good, I have placed in the Lord Jehovah my refuge, To recount all Thy 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.
