Book Three

God Is My Strength and Portion Forever

A Psalm of (A)Asaph.

73 Truly God is good to (B)Israel,
    to those who are (C)pure in heart.
But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
    my steps had nearly slipped.
(D)For I was (E)envious of the arrogant
    when I saw the (F)prosperity of the wicked.

For they have no pangs until death;
    their bodies are fat and sleek.
They are not in trouble as others are;
    they are not (G)stricken like the rest of mankind.
Therefore pride is (H)their necklace;
    violence covers them as (I)a garment.
Their (J)eyes swell out through fatness;
    their hearts overflow with follies.
They scoff and (K)speak with malice;
    loftily they threaten oppression.
They set their mouths against the heavens,
    and their tongue struts through the earth.
10 Therefore his people turn back to them,
    and find (L)no fault in them.[a]
11 And they say, (M)“How can God know?
    Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are the wicked;
    always at ease, they (N)increase in riches.
13 All in vain have I (O)kept my heart clean
    and (P)washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all the day long I have been (Q)stricken
    and (R)rebuked (S)every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
    I would have betrayed (T)the generation of your children.

16 But when I thought how to understand this,
    it seemed to me (U)a wearisome task,
17 until I went into (V)the sanctuary of God;
    then I discerned their (W)end.

18 Truly you set them in (X)slippery places;
    you make them fall to ruin.
19 How they are destroyed (Y)in a moment,
    swept away utterly by (Z)terrors!
20 Like (AA)a dream when one awakes,
    O Lord, when (AB)you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
21 When my soul was embittered,
    when I was pricked in heart,
22 I was (AC)brutish and ignorant;
    I was like (AD)a beast toward you.

23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
    you (AE)hold my right hand.
24 You (AF)guide me with your counsel,
    and afterward you will (AG)receive me to glory.
25 (AH)Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 (AI)My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is (AJ)the strength[b] of my heart and my (AK)portion (AL)forever.

27 For behold, those who are (AM)far from you shall perish;
    you put an end to everyone who is (AN)unfaithful to you.
28 But for me it is good to (AO)be near God;
    I have made the Lord God my (AP)refuge,
    that I may (AQ)tell of all your works.

Notas al pie

  1. Psalm 73:10 Probable reading; Hebrew the waters of a full cup are drained by them
  2. Psalm 73:26 Hebrew rock

BOOK III (Psalms 73-89)

A song of Asaph.

A Plea for Deliverance

73 God is indeed good to Israel,
    to those pure in heart.

Now as for me, my feet nearly stumbled,
    as I almost lost my step.
For I was envious of the proud
    when I observed the prosperity of the wicked.
For there is no struggle at their deaths,
    and their bodies are healthy.
They do not experience problems common to ordinary people;
    they aren’t afflicted as others[a] are.
Therefore pride is their necklace
    and violence covers them like a garment.

Their eyes bulge from obesity
    and the imaginations of their mind cross the border into sin.[b]
In their mockery they speak evil;
    from their arrogant position they speak oppression.
They choose to speak[c] against heaven;
    while they talk about things on earth.
10 Therefore God’s[d] people return there
    and drink it all in like water until they’re satiated.
11 Then they say,
    “How can God know?
        Does the Most High have knowledge?”

12 Just look at these wicked people!
    They’re perpetually carefree
        as they increase their wealth.
13 I kept my heart pure for nothing
    and kept my hands clean from guilt.
14 For I suffer all day long
    and I am punished every morning.

15 If I say, “I will talk like this,”
    I would betray a generation of your children.
16 When I tried to understand this,
    it was too difficult for me
17 until I entered the sanctuaries of God.
    Then I understood their destiny.
18 You have certainly set them in slippery places;
    you will make them fall to their ruin.

19 How desolate they quickly become,
    completely destroyed by calamities.
20 Like a dream when one awakens, Lord,
    you will despise their image when you arise.
21 When I chose to be bitter
    I was emotionally pained.
22 Then, I was too stupid
    and didn’t realize I was acting like[e] a wild animal with you.

23 But now I am always with you,
    for you keep holding my right hand.
24 You will guide me with your wise advice,
    and later you will receive me with honor.

25 Whom do I have in heaven but you?
    I desire nothing on this [f]earth.
26 My body and mind may fail,
    but God is my strength[g] and my portion forever.

27 Those far from you will perish;
    you will destroy those who are unfaithful to you.
28 As for me, how good for me it is that God is near!
    I have made the Lord God my refuge
        so I can tell about all your deeds.

Notas al pie

  1. Psalm 73:5 Lit. human beings
  2. Psalm 73:7 The Heb. lacks into sin
  3. Psalm 73:9 Lit. They set their mouth
  4. Psalm 73:10 Lit. his
  5. Psalm 73:22 The Heb. lacks acting like
  6. Psalm 73:25 The Heb. lacks this
  7. Psalm 73:26 Lit. is the rock of my heart