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,
Surely God is good to Israel [God prevails], to those who 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 nearly slipped.
3 The peace of the wicked I see, That there are no bands at their death,
For I was envious of the arrogant, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 And their might [is] firm.
For there are no struggles in their death, but their strength is firm.
5 In the misery of mortals they are not, And with common men they are not plagued.
They are free from burdens of men, neither are they plagued like other men.
6 Therefore hath pride encircled them, Violence covereth them as a dress.
Therefore pride is like a chain around their neck. Violence covers them like a garment.
7 Their eye hath come out from fat. The imaginations of the heart transgressed;
Their eyes bulge with fat. Their minds pass the limits of conceit.
8 They do corruptly, And they speak in the wickedness of oppression, From on high they speak.
They scoff and speak with malice. In arrogance, they threaten oppression.
9 They have set in the heavens their mouth, And their tongue walketh in the earth.
They have set their mouth in the heavens. Their tongue walks through the earth.
10 Therefore do His people return hither, And waters of fulness are wrung out to them.
Therefore their people teshuvah ·completely return· to them, and they drink up waters of abundance.
11 And they have said, 'How hath God known? And is there knowledge in the Most High?'
They say, “How does God know? Is there knowledge in haElyon [the Most High]?”
12 Lo, these [are] the wicked and easy ones of the age, They have increased strength.
Behold, these are the wicked. Being always at ease, they increase in riches.
13 Only — a vain thing! I have purified my heart, And I wash in innocency my hands,
Surely in vain I have cleansed my heart, and washed my hands in innocence,
14 And I am plagued all the day, And my reproof [is] every morning.
For all day long have I been plagued, and punished 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 would have betrayed the generation of your children.
16 And I think to know this, Perverseness it [is] in mine eyes,
When I tried to understand this, it was too painful for me;
17 Till I come in to the sanctuaries of God, I attend to their latter end.
Until I entered God’s sanctuary, and considered their latter end.
18 Only, in slippery places Thou dost set them, Thou hast caused them to fall to desolations.
Surely you set them in slippery places. You throw them down to destruction.
19 How have they become a desolation as in a moment, They have been ended — consumed from terrors.
How they are suddenly destroyed! They are completely swept away with terrors.
20 As a dream from awakening, O Lord, In awaking, their image Thou despisest.
As a dream when one wakes up, so, Lord, when you awake, you will despise their fantasies.
21 For my heart doth show itself violent, And my reins prick themselves,
For my soul was grieved. I was embittered in my heart.
22 And I am brutish, and do not know. A beast I have been with Thee.
I was so senseless and ignorant. I was a brute beast before you.
23 And I [am] continually with Thee, Thou hast laid hold on my right hand.
Nevertheless, I am continually with you. You have held my right hand.
24 With Thy counsel Thou dost lead me, And after honour dost receive me.
You will guide me with your counsel, and afterward receive me to kavod ·weighty glory·.
25 Whom have I in the heavens? And with Thee none I have desired in earth.
Whom do I have in heaven? There is no one on earth whom I desire besides you.
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 fails, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 For, lo, those far from Thee do perish, Thou hast cut off every one, Who is going a whoring from Thee.
For, behold, those who are far from you shall perish. You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to you.
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 it is good for me to come close to God. I have made the Lord Adonai my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.
