Psalms 73
Open Word Bible
A psalm of Asaph. God really is good to Israel, to people with a clean heart. But I came close to losing my footing; my steps very nearly slid out from under me. I had grown jealous of the proud, watching wicked people do well. They die without pain, and their bodies are plump and healthy. They are free from the hardships others carry; they are not plagued like the rest of humankind. So they wear pride like a chain around the neck, and violence wraps them like a robe. Their eyes bulge from their fat faces; the fancies of their minds run past all limits. They jeer and talk of evil; from on high they speak of crushing others. Their mouths speak as if they owned heaven; their tongues go swaggering through the land. So his people turn their way and gulp down their words like water from a full cup. And they ask, “What can God know? Is the Most High aware of anything?” So these are the wicked: never troubled, always growing richer. So it was for nothing that I kept my heart clean and washed my hands to show I was innocent. I have been beaten down the whole day long, and corrected afresh each morning. Had I resolved to speak like this, I would have broken faith with the family of your children. So I tried to make sense of it, but it seemed a weary task to me, until I entered God’s holy place; then I saw where they will end. In fact, you have set them where the footing is slick, and you let them crash into ruin. In an instant they are ruined! Sudden terrors make an end of them. They are like a dream once the sleeper wakes; Lord, when you stir, you will scorn them as mere shadows. When my heart had turned sour and I felt stabbed deep inside, I was a fool and knew nothing; in your presence I was no better than an animal. Even so, I am with you at all times; you have taken me by the right hand. You lead me by your wise advice, and at the end you will take me up in glory. Who else is there for me in heaven? And having you, I want nothing on earth. Though body and heart wear out, God is the rock my heart rests on and the share that is mine forever. Those who move far from you are lost; everyone who deserts you to love another, you cut off. As for me, being close to God is my good; in the Lord GOD I have found my shelter, and I will tell of all you have done.
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