BOOK III

Psalms 73–89

Psalm 73

A psalm of Asaph.

1 Surely God is good to Israel,

to those who are pure in heart.y

2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;z

I had nearly lost my foothold.a

3 For I enviedb the arrogant

when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.c

4 They have no struggles;

their bodies are healthy and strong.a

5 They are freed from common human burdens;

they are not plagued by human ills.

6 Therefore pridee is their necklace;f

they clothe themselves with violence.g

7 From their callous heartsh comes iniquityb;

their evil imaginations have no limits.

8 They scoff, and speak with malice;i

with arrogancej they threaten oppression.k

9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,

and their tongues take possession of the earth.

10 Therefore their people turn to them

and drink up waters in abundance.c

11 They say, “How would God know?

Does the Most High know anything?”

12 This is what the wicked are like—

always free of care,l they go on amassing wealth.m

13 Surely in vainn I have kept my heart pure

and have washed my hands in innocence.o

14 All day long I have been afflicted,p

and every morning brings new punishments.

15 If I had spoken out like that,

I would have betrayed your children.

16 When I tried to understandq all this,

it troubled me deeply

17 till I entered the sanctuaryr of God;

then I understood their final destiny.s

18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;t

you cast them down to ruin.u

19 How suddenlyv are they destroyed,

completely swept awayw by terrors!

20 They are like a dreamx when one awakes;y

when you arise, Lord,

you will despise them as fantasies.z

21 When my heart was grieved

and my spirit embittered,

22 I was senselessa and ignorant;

I was a brute beastb before you.

23 Yet I am always with you;

you hold me by my right hand.c

24 You guided me with your counsel,e

and afterward you will take me into glory.

25 Whom have I in heaven but you?f

And earth has nothing I desire besides you.g

26 My flesh and my hearth may fail,i

but God is the strengthj of my heart

and my portionk forever.

27 Those who are far from you will perish;l

you destroy all who are unfaithfulm to you.

28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.n

I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;o

I will tell of all your deeds.p

Psalm 74

A maskila of Asaph.

1 O God, why have you rejectedq us forever?r

Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?s

2 Remember the nation you purchasedt long ago,u

the people of your inheritance,v whom you redeemedw—

Mount Zion,x where you dwelt.y

3 Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins,z

all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.

4 Your foes roareda in the place where you met with us;

they set up their standardsb as signs.

5 They behaved like men wielding axes

to cut through a thicket of trees.c

6 They smashed all the carvedd paneling

with their axes and hatchets.

7 They burned your sanctuary to the ground;

they defilede the dwelling placef of your Name.g

8 They said in their hearts, “We will crushh them completely!”

They burnedi every place where God was worshiped in the land.

9 We are given no signs from God;j

no prophetsk are left,

and none of us knows how long this will be.

10 How longl will the enemy mockm you, God?

Will the foe revilen your name forever?

11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?o

Take it from the folds of your garmentp and destroy them!

12 But God is my Kingq from long ago;

he brings salvationr on the earth.

13 It was you who split open the seas by your power;

you broke the heads of the monstert in the waters.

14 It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathanu

and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.v

15 It was you who opened up springsw and streams;

you dried upx the ever-flowing rivers.

16 The day is yours, and yours also the night;

you established the sun and moon.y

17 It was you who set all the boundariesz of the earth;

you made both summer and winter.a

18 Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord,

how foolish peopleb have reviled your name.

19 Do not hand over the life of your dovec to wild beasts;

do not forget the lives of your afflictedd people forever.

20 Have regard for your covenant,e

because haunts of violence fill the dark placesf of the land.

21 Do not let the oppressedg retreat in disgrace;

may the poor and needyh praise your name.

22 Rise up,i O God, and defend your cause;

remember how foolsj mock you all day long.

23 Do not ignore the clamork of your adversaries,l

the uproarm of your enemies,n which rises continually.