Book III: Psalms 73–89

¹A psalm of Asaf:

How good God is to Isra’el,

to those who are pure in heart!

²But as for me, I lost my balance,

my feet nearly slipped,

³when I grew envious of the arrogant

and saw how the wicked prosper.

⁴For when their death comes, it is painless;

and meanwhile, their bodies are healthy;

⁵they don’t have ordinary people’s troubles,

they aren’t plagued like others.

⁶So for them, pride is a necklace;

and violence clothes them like a robe.

⁷Their eyes peep out through folds of fat;

evil thoughts overflow from their hearts.

⁸They scoff and speak with malice,

they loftily utter threats.

⁹They set their mouths against heaven;

their tongues swagger through the earth.

¹⁰Therefore his people return here

and [thoughtlessly] suck up that whole cup of water.

¹¹Then they ask, “How does God know?

Does the Most High really have knowledge?”

¹²Yes, this is what the wicked are like;

those free of misfortune keep increasing their wealth.

¹³It’s all for nothing that I’ve kept my heart clean

and washed my hands, staying free of guilt;

¹⁴for all day long I am plagued;

my punishment comes every morning.

¹⁵If I had said, “I will talk like them,”

I would have betrayed a generation of your children.

¹⁶When I tried to understand all this,

I found it too hard for me —

¹⁷until I went into the sanctuaries of God

and grasped what their destiny would be.

¹⁸Indeed, you place them on a slippery slope

and make them fall to their ruin.

¹⁹How suddenly they are destroyed,

swept away by terrors!

²⁰They are like a dream when one awakens;

Adonai , when you rouse yourself,

you will despise their phantoms.

²¹When I had a sour attitude

and felt stung by pained emotions,

²²I was too stupid to understand;

I was like a brute beast with you.

²³Nevertheless, I am always with you;

you hold my right hand.

²⁴You will guide me with your advice;

and afterwards, you will receive me with honor.

²⁵Whom do I have in heaven but you?

And with you, I lack nothing on earth.

²⁶My mind and body may fail; but God

is the rock for my mind and my portion forever.

²⁷Those who are far from you will perish;

you destroy all who adulterously leave you.

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

I have made Adonai Elohim my refuge,

so that I can tell of all your works.