Psalm 73-75

Contemporary English Version

⁶ Their pride is like a necklace,
and they commit sin more often
    than they dress themselves.
⁷ Their eyes bulge with fat,
and their minds are flooded
    with foolish thoughts.
⁸ They sneer and say cruel things,
and because of their pride,
    they make violent threats.
⁹ They dare to speak against God
    and to order others around.

¹⁰ God will bring his people back,
and they will drink the water
    he so freely gives.^[c]

¹¹ Only evil people would say,
“God Most High cannot
    know everything!”
¹² Yet all goes well for them,
    and they live in peace.
¹³ What good did it do me
to keep my thoughts pure
    and refuse to do wrong?
¹⁴ I am sick all day,
and I am punished
    each morning.
¹⁵ If I had said evil things,
I would not have been loyal
    to your people.

¹⁶ It was hard for me
    to understand all this!
¹⁷ Then I went to your temple,
    and there I understood
what will happen
    to my enemies.
¹⁸ You will make them stumble,
    never to get up again.
¹⁹ They will be terrified,
suddenly swept away
    and no longer there.
²⁰ They will disappear, Lord,
despised like a bad dream
    the morning after.

²¹ Once I was bitter
    and brokenhearted.
²² I was stupid and ignorant,
and I treated you
    as a wild animal would.
²³ But I never really left you,
    and you hold my right hand.
²⁴ Your advice has been my guide,
and later you will welcome me
    in glory.^[d]
25 In heaven I have only you,
and on this earth
    you are all I want.
²⁶ My body and mind may fail,
but you are my strength
    and my choice forever.

²⁷ All-Powerful Lord God,
those who stay far from you
    will be lost,
and you will destroy those
    who are unfaithful.
²⁸ It is good for me
    to be near you.
I choose you as my protector,
and I will tell about
    your wonderful deeds.

Think of Mount Zion,
    your home;
³ walk over to the temple
left in ruins forever
    by those who hate us.

⁴ Your enemies roared like lions
    in your holy temple,
and they have placed
    their banners there.
⁵ It looks like a forest
    chopped to pieces.^[e]
6 They used axes and hatchets
    to smash the carvings.
⁷ They burned down your temple
    and badly disgraced it.
⁸ They said to themselves,
    “We'll crush them!”
Then they burned every one
of your meeting places
    all over the country.
⁹ There are no more miracles
    and no more prophets.
Who knows how long
    it will be like this?

¹⁰ Our God, how much longer
    will our enemies sneer?
Won't they ever stop
    insulting you?
¹¹ Why don't you punish them?
    Why are you holding back?

¹² Our God and King,
you have ruled
    since ancient times;
you have won victories
    everywhere on this earth.
^13 (A) By your power you made a path
    through the sea,
and you smashed the heads
    of sea monsters.
^14 (B) You crushed the heads
    of the monster Leviathan,^[f]
then fed him to wild creatures
    in the desert.
¹⁵ You opened the ground
for streams and springs
    and dried up mighty rivers.
¹⁶ You rule the day and the night,
and you put the moon
    and the sun in place.
¹⁷ You made summer and winter
    and gave them to the earth.^[g]

¹⁸ Remember your enemies, Lord!
They foolishly sneer
    and won't respect you.
¹⁹ You treat us like pet doves,
    but they mistreat us.
Don't keep forgetting us
and letting us be fed
    to those wild animals.
²⁰ Remember the agreement
    you made with us.
Violent enemies are hiding
in every dark corner
    of the earth.
²¹ Don't disappoint those in need
    or make them turn from you,
but help the poor and homeless
    to shout your praises.
²² Do something, God!
    Defend yourself.
Remember how those fools
    sneer at you all day long.
²³ Don't forget the loud shouts
    of your enemies.

² You have set a time
    to judge with fairness.
³ The earth trembles,
    and its people shake;
you alone keep
    its foundations firm.
⁴ You tell every bragger,
    “Stop bragging!”
And to the wicked you say,
    “Don't boast of your power!
⁵ Stop bragging! Quit telling me
    how great you are.”

⁶ Our Lord and our God,
    victory doesn't come
from the east or the west
    or from the desert.
⁷ You are the one who judges.
You can take away power
    and give it to others.
⁸ You hold in your hand
a cup filled with wine,^[i]
    strong and foaming.
You will pour out some
for every sinful person
    on this earth,
and they will have to drink
    until it is gone.
⁹ But I will always tell about
you, the God of Jacob,
    and I will sing your praise.

¹⁰ Our Lord, you will destroy
    the power of evil people,
but you will give strength
    to those who are good.