GodsWord - Psalms - 73

73:1  God is truly good to Israel, to those whose lives are pure.

73:2  But my feet had almost stumbled. They had almost slipped

73:3  because I was envious of arrogant people when I saw the prosperity that wicked people enjoy.

73:4  They suffer no pain. Their bodies are healthy.

73:5  They have no drudgery in their lives like ordinary people. They are not plagued with problems like others.

73:6  That is why they wear arrogance like a necklace and acts of violence like clothing.

73:7  Their eyes peer out from their fat faces, and their imaginations run wild.

73:8  They ridicule. They speak maliciously. They speak arrogantly about oppression.

73:9  They verbally attack heaven, and they order people around on earth.

73:10  That is why God's people turn to wickedness and swallow their words.

73:11  Then wicked people ask, "What does God know?" "Does the Most High know anything?"

73:12  Look how wicked they are! They never have a worry. They grow more and more wealthy.

73:13  I've received no reward for keeping my life pure and washing my hands of any blame.

73:14  I'm plagued with problems all day long, and every morning my punishment begins again.

73:15  If I had said, "I will continue to talk like that," I would have betrayed God's people.

73:16  But when I tried to understand this, it was too difficult for me.

73:17  Only when I came into God's holy place did I finally understand what would happen to them.

73:18  You put them in slippery places and make them fall into ruin.

73:19  They are suddenly destroyed. They are completely swept away by terror!

73:20  As someone gets rid of a dream when he wakes up, so you, O Lord, get rid of the thought of them when you wake up.

73:21  When my heart was filled with bitterness and my mind was seized with envy,

73:22  I was stupid, and I did not understand. I was like a dumb animal in your presence.

73:23  Yet, I am always with you. You hold on to my right hand.

73:24  With your advice you guide me, and in the end you will take me to glory.

73:25  As long as I have you, I don't need anyone else in heaven or on earth.

73:26  My body and mind may waste away, but God remains the foundation of my life and my inheritance forever.

73:27  Without a doubt, those who are far from you will die. You destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

73:28  Being united with God is my highest good. I have made the Almighty LORD my refuge so that I may report everything that he has done.