Psalm 73 :: New King James Version (NKJV)

Book Three: Psalms 73—89

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

Psa 73:1

Psa 73:1A Psalm of Asaph.

Truly God is good to Israel,
To such as are pure in heart.

Psa 73:2

Psa 73:2But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
My steps had nearly slipped.

Psa 73:3

Psa 73:3For I was envious of the boastful,
When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Psa 73:4

Psa 73:4For there are no pangs in their death,
But their strength is firm.

Psa 73:5

Psa 73:5They are not in trouble as other men,
Nor are they plagued like other men.

Psa 73:6

Psa 73:6Therefore pride serves as their necklace;
Violence covers them like a garment.

Psa 73:7

Psa 73:7Their eyes bulge[fn] with abundance;
They have more than heart could wish.

Psa 73:8

Psa 73:8They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression;
They speak loftily.

Psa 73:9

Psa 73:9They set their mouth against the heavens,
And their tongue walks through the earth.

Psa 73:10

Psa 73:10Therefore his people return here,
And waters of a full cup are drained by them.

Psa 73:11

Psa 73:11And they say, “How does God know?
And is there knowledge in the Most High?”

Psa 73:12

Psa 73:12Behold, these are the ungodly,
Who are always at ease;
They increase in riches.

Psa 73:13

Psa 73:13Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain,
And washed my hands in innocence.

Psa 73:14

Psa 73:14For all day long I have been plagued,
And chastened every morning.

Psa 73:15

Psa 73:15If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.

Psa 73:16

Psa 73:16When I thought how to understand this,
It was too painful for me—

Psa 73:17

Psa 73:17Until I went into the sanctuary of God;
Then I understood their end.

Psa 73:18

Psa 73:18Surely You set them in slippery places;
You cast them down to destruction.

Psa 73:19

Psa 73:19Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment!
They are utterly consumed with terrors.

Psa 73:20

Psa 73:20As a dream when one awakes,
So, Lord, when You awake,
You shall despise their image.

Psa 73:21

Psa 73:21Thus my heart was grieved,
And I was vexed in my mind.

Psa 73:22

Psa 73:22I was so foolish and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.

Psa 73:23

Psa 73:23Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.

Psa 73:24

Psa 73:24You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory.

Psa 73:25

Psa 73:25Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.

Psa 73:26

Psa 73:26My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psa 73:27

Psa 73:27For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.

Psa 73:28

Psa 73:28But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
That I may declare all Your works.

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

NKJV Footnotes

(73:7)

Targum reads face bulges; Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate read iniquity bulges.

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