Psalms 73
1 A psalm of Asaph. Yes, God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure.
2 As for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have no pains when they die, and their bodies are healthy.
5 They do not suffer like other mortals; they are not struck down like other people.
6 So pride is their necklace, and violence wraps around them like a garment.
7 Their eyes bulge with fat; the fantasies of their hearts overflow.
8 They mock and speak wickedly; from on high they speak of oppression.
9 They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues roam the earth.
10 So his people turn back here, and abundant waters are gulped down by them.
11 They say, “How would God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?”
12 That is what the wicked are like: always at ease, they grow richer.
13 So it was all for nothing that I kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence.
14 For I was struck all day long, and my punishment came every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak this way,” I would have betrayed the generation of your children.
16 When I tried to understand this, it seemed a burden to me.
17 Only when I entered God's sanctuary did I understand their end.
18 Yes, you set them on slippery ground and make them fall into ruin.
19 How suddenly they are devastated! They come to an end, consumed by terrors.
20 Like a dream after waking, Lord, when you wake, you will despise their image.
21 When my heart grew bitter, I felt a stabbing pain inside.
22 I was ignorant and understood nothing; I was like an animal before you.
23 Yet I am always with you; you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me into glory.
25 Whom do I have in heaven? With you, I desire nothing else on earth.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the rock of my heart and my portion forever.
27 For those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 As for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, to tell of all your works.
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