Psalm 73 :: New International Version (NIV)

Book Three: Psalms 73—89

Psa 73:1

Psa 73:1A psalm of Asaph. Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.

Psa 73:2

Psa 73:2But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.

Psa 73:3

Psa 73:3For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Psa 73:4

Psa 73:4They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.[fn]

Psa 73:5

Psa 73:5They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills.

Psa 73:6

Psa 73:6Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.

Psa 73:7

Psa 73:7From their callous hearts comes iniquity[fn]; their evil imaginations have no limits.

Psa 73:8

Psa 73:8They scoff, and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression.

Psa 73:9

Psa 73:9Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth.

Psa 73:10

Psa 73:10Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance.[fn]

Psa 73:11

Psa 73:11They say, “How would God know? Does the Most High know anything?”

Psa 73:12

Psa 73:12This is what the wicked are like— always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.

Psa 73:13

Psa 73:13Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence.

Psa 73:14

Psa 73:14All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments.

Psa 73:15

Psa 73:15If I had spoken out like that, I would have betrayed your children.

Psa 73:16

Psa 73:16When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply

Psa 73:17

Psa 73:17till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.

Psa 73:18

Psa 73:18Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin.

Psa 73:19

Psa 73:19How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!

Psa 73:20

Psa 73:20They are like a dream when one awakes; when you arise, Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.

Psa 73:21

Psa 73:21When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered,

Psa 73:22

Psa 73:22I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.

Psa 73:23

Psa 73:23Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.

Psa 73:24

Psa 73:24You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.

Psa 73:25

Psa 73:25Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

Psa 73:26

Psa 73:26My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psa 73:27

Psa 73:27Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

Psa 73:28

Psa 73:28But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

See the NIV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NIV Footnotes

(73:4)

With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text struggles at their death; / their bodies are healthy

(73:7)

Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew Their eyes bulge with fat

(73:10)

The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.

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