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Psalms 73

BOOK 3

Psalm 73

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

A Psalm of Asaph.

1God certainly is good to Israel,

To those who are pure in heart!

2But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling,

My steps had almost slipped.

3For I was envious of the arrogant

As I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4For there are no pains in their death,

And their belly is fat.

5They are not in trouble like other people,

Nor are they tormented together with the rest of mankind.

6Therefore arrogance is their necklace;

The garment of violence covers them.

7Their eye bulges from fatness;

The imaginations of their heart overflow.

8They mock and wickedly speak of oppression;

They speak from on high.

9They have set their mouth against the heavens,

And their tongue parades through the earth.

10Therefore his people return here,

And abundant waters are drunk by them.

11They say, “How does God know?

And is there knowledge with the Most High?”

12Behold, these are the wicked;

And always at ease, they have increased in wealth.

13Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure

And washed my hands in innocence;

14For I have been stricken all day long,

And punished every morning.

15If I had said, “I will speak this way,”

Behold, I would have betrayed the generation of Your children.

16When I thought of understanding this,

It was troublesome in my sight

17Until I entered the sanctuary of God;

Then I perceived their end.

18You indeed put them on slippery ground;

You dropped them into ruin.

19How they are destroyed in a moment!

They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors!

20Like a dream when one awakes,

Lord, when stirred, You will despise their image.

21When my heart was embittered

And I was pierced within,

22Then I was stupid and ignorant;

I was like an animal before You.

23Nevertheless I am continually with You;

You have taken hold of my right hand.

24You will guide me with Your plan,

And afterward receive me to glory.

25Whom do I have in heaven but You?

And with You, I desire nothing on earth.

26My flesh and my heart may fail,

But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

27For, behold, those who are far from You will perish;

You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.

28But as for me, the nearness of God is good for me;

I have made the Lord God my refuge,

So that I may tell of all Your works.

Psalms

Chapter 73

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