Book Three

A Psalm of #See Ps. 50, titleAsaph.

1 Truly God is good to *John 1:47Israel,

to those who are *See Ps. 24:4pure in heart.

2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,

my steps had nearly slipped.

3 *See Job 21:7For I was *Ps. 37:1;Prov. 23:17envious of the arrogant

when I saw the *[Ps. 37:7;92:7;Jer. 12:1]prosperity of the wicked.

4 For they have no pangs until death;

their bodies are fat and sleek.

5 They are not in trouble as others are;

they are not *[Isa. 53:4]stricken like the rest of mankind.

6 Therefore pride is *[Judg. 8:26] their necklace;

violence covers them as *[Ps. 109:18]a garment.

7 Their *See Job 15:27eyes swell out through fatness;

their hearts overflow with follies.

8 They scoff and *[2 Pet. 2:18;Jude 16]speak with malice;

loftily they threaten oppression.

9 They set their mouths against the heavens,

and their tongue struts through the earth.

10 Therefore his people turn back to them,

and find *[Job 15:16]no fault in them.*73:10 Probable reading; Hebrew the waters of a full cup are drained by them

11 And they say, *See Job 22:13"How can God know?

Is there knowledge in the Most High?"

12 Behold, these are the wicked;

always at ease, they *[ver. 3]increase in riches.

13 All in vain have I *[ver. 1]; See Job 34:9kept my heart clean

and *See Ps. 26:6washed my hands in innocence.

14 For all the day long I have been *[See ver. 5above] stricken

and *Rev. 3:19rebuked *[Ps. 101:8]every morning.

15 If I had said, "I will speak thus,"

I would have betrayed *[Ps. 14:5]the generation of your children.

16 But when I thought how to understand this,

it seemed to me *Eccles. 8:17a wearisome task,

17 until I went into *Ps. 20:2the sanctuary of God;

then I discerned their *Ps. 37:38end.

18 Truly you set them in *Ps. 35:6slippery places;

you make them fall to ruin.

19 How they are destroyed *[Num. 16:21] in a moment,

swept away utterly by *See Job 18:11terrors!

20 Like *See Job 20:8a dream when one awakes,

O Lord, when *Ps. 78:65you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.

21 When my soul was embittered,

when I was pricked in heart,

22 I was *See Ps. 49:10brutish and ignorant;

I was like *Job 18:3;[Job 11:12]a beast toward you.

23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;

you *Ps. 63:8;[Ps. 41:12]hold my right hand.

24 You *Ps. 32:8guide me with your counsel,

and afterward you will *See Ps. 49:15receive me to glory.

25 *Ps. 16:2;[Phil. 3:8]Whom have I in heaven but you?

And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

26 *Ps. 40:12;See Ps. 84:2My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is *Ps. 18:2the strength*73:26 Hebrew rock of my heart and my *See Ps. 16:5portion *[Dan. 12:3]forever.

27 For behold, those who are *Ps. 119:155far from you shall perish;

you put an end to everyone who is *Ps. 106:39;Ex. 34:15;Num. 15:39;James 4:4unfaithful to you.

28 But for me it is good to *James 4:8;[Heb. 10:22] be near God;

I have made the Lord God my *See Ps. 14:6refuge,

that I may *See Ps. 118:17tell of all your works.