BOOK 3

The End of the Wicked Contrasted with That of the Righteous.

A Psalm of Asaph.

73 God certainly is (A)good to Israel,
To those who are (B)pure in heart!
But as for me, (C)my feet came close to stumbling,
My steps [a]had almost slipped.
For I was (D)envious of the [b]arrogant
As I saw the (E)prosperity of the wicked.
For there are no pains in their death,
And their belly is fat.
They are (F)not [c]in trouble like other people,
Nor are they (G)tormented together with the rest of mankind.
Therefore arrogance is (H)their necklace;
The (I)garment of violence covers them.
Their eye [d]bulges from (J)fatness;
The imaginations of their heart overflow.
They (K)mock and [e]wickedly speak of oppression;
They (L)speak from on high.
They have (M)set their mouth [f]against the heavens,
And their tongue [g]parades through the earth.

10 Therefore [h]his people return here,
And (N)abundant waters are drunk by them.
11 They say, “(O)How does God know?
And is there knowledge [i]with the Most High?”
12 Behold, (P)these are the wicked;
And always (Q)at ease, they have increased in wealth.
13 Surely (R)in vain I have [j]kept my heart pure
And (S)washed my hands in innocence;
14 For I have been stricken (T)all day long,
And [k](U)punished every morning.

15 If I had said, “I will speak this way,”
Behold, I would have betrayed the (V)generation of Your children.
16 When I (W)thought of understanding this,
It was [l]troublesome in my sight
17 Until I entered the [m](X)sanctuary of God;
Then I perceived their (Y)end.
18 You indeed put them on (Z)slippery ground;
You dropped them into [n](AA)ruin.
19 How they are [o](AB)destroyed in a moment!
They are utterly swept away by (AC)sudden terrors!
20 Like a (AD)dream when one awakes,
Lord, when (AE)stirred, You will (AF)despise their image.

21 When my (AG)heart was embittered
And I was (AH)pierced [p]within,
22 Then I was (AI)stupid and ignorant;
I was like an (AJ)animal [q]before You.
23 Nevertheless (AK)I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
24 You will (AL)guide me with Your plan,
And afterward (AM)receive me [r]to glory.

25 (AN)Whom do I have in heaven but You?
And with You, I desire nothing on earth.
26 My (AO)flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the [s]strength of my heart and my (AP)portion forever.
27 For, behold, (AQ)those who are far from You will (AR)perish;
You have destroyed all those who [t](AS)are unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me, (AT)the nearness of God is good for me;
I have made the Lord [u]God my (AU)refuge,
So that I may (AV)tell of all Your works.

An Appeal against the Devastation of the Land by the Enemy.

A [v]Maskil of Asaph.

74 God, why have You (AW)rejected us forever?
Why does Your anger (AX)smoke against the (AY)sheep of Your [w]pasture?
Remember Your congregation, which You (AZ)purchased of old,
Which You have (BA)redeemed to be the (BB)tribe of Your inheritance;
And this Mount (BC)Zion, where You have dwelt.
[x]Step toward the [y](BD)irreparable ruins;
The enemy (BE)has damaged everything in the sanctuary.
Your adversaries have (BF)roared in the midst of Your meeting place;
They have set up their (BG)own signs as (BH)signs.
It [z]seems like one bringing up
His (BI)axe into a [aa]forest of trees.
And now they break down [ab]all its (BJ)carved work
With axe and hammers.
They have [ac](BK)burned Your sanctuary [ad]to the ground;
They have (BL)defiled the dwelling place of Your name.
They (BM)said in their heart, “Let’s [ae]completely [af]subdue them.”
They have burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
We do not see our (BN)signs;
There is (BO)no longer any prophet,
Nor is there anyone among us who knows (BP)how long.
10 How long, God, will the enemy (BQ)taunt You?
Shall the enemy (BR)treat Your name disrespectfully forever?
11 Why (BS)do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand?
Extend it from Your chest and (BT)destroy them!

12 Yet God is (BU)my King from long ago,
Who performs acts of salvation in the midst of the earth.
13 [ag]You (BV)divided the sea by Your strength;
[ah]You (BW)broke the heads of the (BX)sea monsters [ai]in the waters.
14 [aj]You crushed the heads of [ak](BY)Leviathan;
You gave him as food for the [al]creatures (BZ)of the wilderness.
15 [am]You (CA)broke open springs and torrents;
[an]You (CB)dried up ever-flowing streams.
16 Yours is the day, Yours also is the night;
[ao]You have (CC)prepared the [ap]light and the sun.
17 [aq]You have (CD)established all the boundaries of the earth;
[ar]You have [as]created (CE)summer and winter.

18 Remember this, [at]Lord, that the enemy has (CF)taunted You,
And a (CG)foolish people has treated Your name disrespectfully.
19 Do not give the soul of Your (CH)turtledove to the wild animal;
(CI)Do not forget the life of Your afflicted forever.
20 Consider the (CJ)covenant;
For the (CK)dark places of the land are full of the places of violence.
21 May the (CL)oppressed person not return dishonored;
May the (CM)afflicted and the needy praise Your name.

22 Arise, God, and (CN)plead Your own cause;
Remember [au]how the (CO)foolish person taunts You all day long.
23 Do not forget the voice of Your (CP)adversaries,
The (CQ)uproar of those who rise against You, which ascends continually.

God Humbles the Proud, but Exalts the Righteous.

For the music director; set to [av]Al-tashheth. A Psalm of Asaph, a Song.

75 We (CR)give thanks to You, God, we give thanks,
For Your name is (CS)near;
People declare (CT)Your wondrous works.
“When I select an (CU)appointed time,
It is I who (CV)judge fairly.
The (CW)earth and all who inhabit it [aw]are unsteady;
It is I who have firmly set its (CX)pillars. Selah
I said to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
And to the wicked, ‘(CY)Do not lift up the horn;
Do not lift up your horn on high,
(CZ)Do not speak with insolent [ax]pride.’”

For not from the east, nor from the west,
Nor from the [ay](DA)desert comes exaltation;
But (DB)God is the Judge;
He (DC)puts down one and exalts another.
For a (DD)cup is in the hand of the Lord, and the wine foams;
It is [az](DE)well mixed, and He pours out of this;
Certainly all the wicked of the earth must drain and (DF)drink its dregs.

But as for me, I will (DG)declare it forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 And [ba]He will cut off all the (DH)horns of the wicked,
But (DI)the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 73:2 Lit were caused to slip
  2. Psalm 73:3 Or boasters
  3. Psalm 73:5 Lit in the trouble of people
  4. Psalm 73:7 Lit goes forth
  5. Psalm 73:8 Or they speak in wickedness; From on high they speak of oppression
  6. Psalm 73:9 Or in
  7. Psalm 73:9 Lit walks
  8. Psalm 73:10 Or His
  9. Psalm 73:11 Lit in
  10. Psalm 73:13 Or cleansed my heart
  11. Psalm 73:14 Lit my punishment
  12. Psalm 73:16 Lit labor, trouble
  13. Psalm 73:17 Lit sanctuaries
  14. Psalm 73:18 Or deception
  15. Psalm 73:19 Lit become a desolation
  16. Psalm 73:21 Lit in my kidneys
  17. Psalm 73:22 Lit with You
  18. Psalm 73:24 Or with honor
  19. Psalm 73:26 Lit rock
  20. Psalm 73:27 Lit go to a whoring from
  21. Psalm 73:28 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  22. Psalm 74 Title Possibly, Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
  23. Psalm 74:1 Or pasturing
  24. Psalm 74:3 Lit Lift Your footsteps
  25. Psalm 74:3 Lit ruins ruined for all time
  26. Psalm 74:5 Lit is known as
  27. Psalm 74:5 Lit thicket
  28. Psalm 74:6 Lit altogether
  29. Psalm 74:7 Lit set on fire
  30. Psalm 74:7 Or To the ground they...
  31. Psalm 74:8 Lit altogether
  32. Psalm 74:8 Or oppress
  33. Psalm 74:13 Or You Yourself
  34. Psalm 74:13 Or You Yourself
  35. Psalm 74:13 Lit on
  36. Psalm 74:14 Or You Yourself
  37. Psalm 74:14 Or sea monster
  38. Psalm 74:14 Lit people
  39. Psalm 74:15 Or You Yourself
  40. Psalm 74:15 Or You Yourself
  41. Psalm 74:16 Or You Yourself
  42. Psalm 74:16 Or luminary
  43. Psalm 74:17 Or You Yourself
  44. Psalm 74:17 Or You Yourself
  45. Psalm 74:17 Or formed
  46. Psalm 74:18 Or that the enemy has taunted the Lord
  47. Psalm 74:22 Lit Your reproach from the foolish man
  48. Psalm 75 Title Lit Do Not Destroy
  49. Psalm 75:3 Lit totter
  50. Psalm 75:5 Lit neck
  51. Psalm 75:6 Or mountainous desert
  52. Psalm 75:8 Lit full of mixture
  53. Psalm 75:10 Heb I

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