Psalm 73

New King James Version

BOOK THREE

Psalms 73–89

The Tragedy of the Wicked, and the Blessedness of Trust in God

A Psalm of ^(A)Asaph.

73 Truly God is good to Israel,
To such as are pure in heart.
²But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
My steps had nearly ^(B)slipped.
³^(C)For I was envious of the boastful,
When I saw the prosperity of the ^(D)wicked.

⁴For there are no ^[a]pangs in their death,
But their strength is firm.
⁵^(E)They are not in trouble as other men,
Nor are they plagued like other men.
⁶Therefore pride serves as their necklace;
Violence covers them ^(F)like a garment.
⁷^(G)Their ^[b]eyes bulge with abundance;
They have more than heart could wish.
⁸^(H)They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression;
They ^(I)speak ^[c]loftily.
⁹They set their mouth ^(J)against the heavens,
And their tongue walks through the earth.

¹⁰Therefore his people return here,
^(K)And waters of a full cup are drained by them.
¹¹And they say, ^(L)“How does God know?
And is there knowledge in the Most High?”
¹²Behold, these are the ungodly,
Who are always at ease;
They increase in riches.
¹³Surely I have ^[d]cleansed my heart in ^(M)vain,
And washed my hands in innocence.
¹⁴For all day long I have been plagued,
And chastened every morning.

¹⁵If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.
¹⁶When I thought how to understand this,
It was ^[e]too painful for me—
¹⁷Until I went into the sanctuary of God;
Then I understood their ^(N)end.

¹⁸Surely ^(O)You set them in slippery places;
You cast them down to destruction.
¹⁹Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment!
They are utterly consumed with terrors.
²⁰As a dream when one awakes,
So, Lord, when You awake,
You shall despise their image.

²¹Thus my heart was grieved,
And I was ^[f]vexed in my mind.
²²^(P)I was so foolish and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.
²³Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
²⁴^(Q)You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory.

²⁵^(R)Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
²⁶^(S)My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the ^[g]strength of my heart and my ^(T)portion forever.

²⁷For indeed, ^(U)those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who ^[h]desert You for harlotry.
²⁸But it is good for me to ^(V)draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord God,
That I may ^(W)declare all Your works.

Footnotes

Psalm 73:4 pains
Psalm 73:7 Tg. face bulges; LXX, Syr., Vg. iniquity bulges
Psalm 73:8 Proudly
Psalm 73:13 kept my heart pure in vain
Psalm 73:16 troublesome in my eyes
Psalm 73:21 Lit. pierced in my kidneys
Psalm 73:26 Lit. rock
Psalm 73:27 Are unfaithful to You

2 Thessalonians 3

New King James Version

Pray for Us

3 Finally, brethren, ^(A)pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, ²and ^(B)that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; ^(C)for not all have faith.

³But ^(D)the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and ^(E)guard you from the evil one. ⁴And ^(F)we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you.

⁵Now may ^(G)the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.

Warning Against Idleness

⁶But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ^(H)that you withdraw ^(I)from every brother who walks ^(J)disorderly and not according to the tradition which ^[a]he received from us. ⁷For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; ⁸nor did we eat anyone’s bread ^[b]free of charge, but worked with ^(K)labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, ⁹not because we do not have ^(L)authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.

¹⁰For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. ¹¹For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are ^(M)busybodies. ¹²Now those who are such we command and ^[c]exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ ^(N)that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.

¹³But as for you, brethren, ^(O)do not grow weary in doing good. ¹⁴And if anyone does not obey our word in this ^[d]epistle, note that person and ^(P)do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. ¹⁵^(Q)Yet do not count him as an enemy, ^(R)but ^[e]admonish him as a brother.