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,
A psalm of Asaph. Surely God is good to Israel, to those with a pure heart.
2 As nothing, have my steps slipped, For I have been envious of the boastful,
But as for me, my feet almost slipped; my feet almost slipped out from under me
3 The peace of the wicked I see, That there are no bands at their death,
because I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 And their might [is] firm.
For they have no pain until their death, but they are strong and well fed.
5 In the misery of mortals they are not, And with common men they are not plagued.
They are free from the burdens of other men; they are not afflicted like other men.
6 Therefore hath pride encircled them, Violence covereth them as a dress.
Pride adorns them like a necklace around their neck; violence clothes them like a robe.
7 Their eye hath come out from fat. The imaginations of the heart transgressed;
Out of such blindness comes sin; evil thoughts pass through their hearts.
8 They do corruptly, And they speak in the wickedness of oppression, From on high they speak.
They mock and speak wickedly; in their arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 They have set in the heavens their mouth, And their tongue walketh in the earth.
They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongues march through the earth.
10 Therefore do His people return hither, And waters of fulness are wrung out to them.
Therefore his people turn to them and abundant waters are drained out.
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 with the Most High?”
12 Lo, these [are] the wicked and easy ones of the age, They have increased strength.
Take notice: these people are wicked; they are always carefree, becoming richer and richer.
13 Only — a vain thing! I have purified my heart, And I wash in innocency my hands,
Surely it is in vain that I have guarded my heart and washed my hands in innocence.
14 And I am plagued all the day, And my reproof [is] every morning.
For all the day long I have been afflicted and disciplined 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 say these things,” then I would have betrayed this generation of your children.
16 And I think to know this, Perverseness it [is] in mine eyes,
Though I tried to understand these things, it was too difficult for me.
17 Till I come in to the sanctuaries of God, I attend to their latter end.
Then I went into God's sanctuary and came to understand their fate.
18 Only, in slippery places Thou dost set them, Thou hast caused them to fall to desolations.
Surely you put them in slippery places; you bring them down to ruin.
19 How have they become a desolation as in a moment, They have been ended — consumed from terrors.
How they become a wilderness in a moment! They come to an end and are finished in awful terrors.
20 As a dream from awakening, O Lord, In awaking, their image Thou despisest.
They are like a dream after one wakes up; Lord, when you arise, you will think nothing of those dreams.
21 For my heart doth show itself violent, And my reins prick themselves,
For my heart was grieved, and I was deeply wounded.
22 And I am brutish, and do not know. A beast I have been with Thee.
I was ignorant and lacked insight; I was like a senseless animal before you.
23 And I [am] continually with Thee, Thou hast laid hold on my right hand.
Yet I am always with you; you hold my right hand.
24 With Thy counsel Thou dost lead me, And after honour dost receive me.
You will guide me with your advice and afterward receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in the heavens? And with Thee none I have desired in earth.
Whom have I in heaven but you? There is no one on earth that I desire but 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 grow weak, but God is the strength of my heart forever.
27 For, lo, those far from Thee do perish, Thou hast cut off every one, Who is going a whoring from Thee.
Those who are far from you will perish; you will destroy 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 as for me, all I need to do is to approach God. I have made the Lord Yahweh my refuge. I will declare all your deeds.
