Psalm 73

BOOK 3

The End of the Wicked Contrasted with That of the Righteous.

A Psalm of Asaph.

73 God certainly is good to Israel,
To those who are pure in heart!
2 But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling,
My steps [a]had almost slipped.
3 For I was envious of the [b]arrogant
As I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are no pains in their death,
And their belly is fat.
5 They are not [c]in trouble like other people,
Nor are they tormented together with the rest of mankind.
6 Therefore arrogance is their necklace;
The garment of violence covers them.
7 Their eye [d]bulges from fatness;
The imaginations of their heart overflow.
8 They mock and [e]wickedly speak of oppression;
They speak from on high.
9 They have set their mouth [f]against the heavens,
And their tongue [g]parades through the earth.

10 Therefore [h]his people return here,
And abundant waters are drunk by them.
11 They say, “How does God know?
And is there knowledge [i]with the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are the wicked;
And always at ease, they have increased in wealth.
13 Surely in vain I have [j]kept my heart pure
And washed my hands in innocence;
14 For I have been stricken all day long,
And [k]punished every morning.

15 If I had said, “I will speak this way,”
Behold, I would have betrayed the generation of Your children.
16 When I thought of understanding this,
It was [l]troublesome in my sight
17 Until I entered the [m]sanctuary of God;
Then I perceived their end.
18 You indeed put them on slippery ground;
You dropped them into [n]ruin.
19 How they are [o]destroyed in a moment!
They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors!
20 Like a dream when one awakes,
Lord, when stirred, You will despise their image.

21 When my heart was embittered
And I was pierced [p]within,
22 Then I was stupid and ignorant;
I was like an animal [q]before You.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
24 You will guide me with Your plan,
And afterward receive me [r]to glory.

25 Whom do I have in heaven but You?
And with You, I desire nothing on earth.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the [s]strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 For, behold, those who are far from You will perish;
You have destroyed all those who [t]are unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me, the nearness of God is good for me;
I have made the Lord [u]God my refuge,
So that I may tell of all Your works.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 73:2 Lit were caused to slip
  2. Psalm 73:3 Or boasters
  3. Psalm 73:5 Lit in the trouble of people
  4. Psalm 73:7 Lit goes forth
  5. Psalm 73:8 Or they speak in wickedness; From on high they speak of oppression
  6. Psalm 73:9 Or in
  7. Psalm 73:9 Lit walks
  8. Psalm 73:10 Or His
  9. Psalm 73:11 Lit in
  10. Psalm 73:13 Or cleansed my heart
  11. Psalm 73:14 Lit my punishment
  12. Psalm 73:16 Lit labor, trouble
  13. Psalm 73:17 Lit sanctuaries
  14. Psalm 73:18 Or deception
  15. Psalm 73:19 Lit become a desolation
  16. Psalm 73:21 Lit in my kidneys
  17. Psalm 73:22 Lit with You
  18. Psalm 73:24 Or with honor
  19. Psalm 73:26 Lit rock
  20. Psalm 73:27 Lit go to a whoring from
  21. Psalm 73:28 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord