Psalm 73

BOOK 3

PSALM 73

The Nearness of God Is My Good

A Psalm of Asaph.

¹Surely God is ^agood to Israel,

To those who are ^bpure in heart!

²But as for me, ^amy feet had almost stumbled,

My steps ¹had almost slipped.

³For I was ^aenvious of the boastful,

I saw the ^bpeace of the wicked.

⁴For there are no pains in their death,

And their ¹body is fat.

⁵They are ^anot ¹in trouble as other ²men,

And they are not ^bstricken along with the rest of mankind.

⁶Therefore lofty pride is ^atheir necklace;

The ^bgarment of violence covers them.

⁷Their eye ¹bulges from ^afatness;

The delusions of their heart overflow.

⁸They ^ascoff and ¹wickedly speak of oppression;

They ^bspeak from on high.

⁹They have ^aset their mouth ¹against the heavens,

And their tongue goes through the earth.

¹⁰Therefore ¹his people return here, to his place,

And waters of ^afullness are ²drunk by them.

¹¹They say, “^aHow does God know?

And is there knowledge with the Most High?”

¹²Behold, ^athese are the wicked;

And always ^bat ease, they have increased in wealth.

¹³Surely ^ain vain I have ¹kept my heart pure

And ^bwashed my hands in innocence;

¹⁴For I have been stricken ^aall day long

And ^1breproved every morning.

¹⁵If I had said, “I will recount thus,”

Behold, I would have betrayed the ^ageneration of Your children.

¹⁶When I ^agave thought to know this,

It was trouble in my sight

¹⁷Until I came into the ^1asanctuary of God;

Then I understood their ^bend.

¹⁸Surely You set them in ^aslippery places;

You cause them to fall to ^1bdestruction.

¹⁹How they become ^adesolate in a moment!

They are completely swept away by ^bterrors!

²⁰Like a ^adream when one awakes,

O Lord, when ^baroused, You will ^cdespise their ¹form.

²¹When my ^aheart was embittered

And I was ^bpierced ¹within,

²²Then I was ^asenseless and ignorant;

I was like ¹an ^banimal ²before You.

²³Nevertheless ^aI am continually with You;

You have taken hold of my right hand.

²⁴With Your counsel You will ^alead me,

And afterward ^btake me ¹in glory.

^25aWhom have I in heaven but You?

And ¹besides You, I desire nothing on earth.

²⁶My ^aflesh and my heart fail,

But God is the rock of my heart and my ^bportion forever.

²⁷For, behold, ^athose who are far from You will ^bperish;

You have ¹destroyed everyone who ^2cis unfaithful to You.

²⁸But as for me, ^athe nearness of God is my good;

I have set Lord Yahweh as my ^brefuge,

That I may ^crecount all Your works.