BOOK 3
73
The End of the Wicked Contrasted with That of the Righteous.
A Psalm of Asaph.
1 Surely God is
Agood to Israel,
To those who are
Bpure in heart!
2 But as for me,
Amy feet came close to stumbling,
My steps
1had almost slipped.
3 For I was
Aenvious of the
1arrogant
As I saw the
Bprosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are no pains in their death,
5 They are
Anot
1in trouble
as other 2men,
Nor are they
Bplagued
3like mankind.
6 Therefore pride is
Atheir necklace;
The
Bgarment of violence covers them.
7 Their eye
1bulges from
Afatness;
The imaginations of
their heart
2run riot.
8 They
Amock and
1wickedly speak of oppression;
They
Bspeak from on high.
9 They have
Aset their mouth
1against the heavens,
And their tongue
2parades through the earth.
10 Therefore
1his people return to this place,
And waters of
Aabundance are
2drunk by them.
11 They say, “
AHow does God know?
And is there knowledge
1with the Most High?”
12 Behold,
Athese are the wicked;
And always
Bat ease, they have increased
in wealth.
13 Surely
Ain vain I have
1kept my heart pure
And
Bwashed my hands in innocence;
14 For I have been stricken
Aall day long
And
1Bchastened every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
Behold, I would have betrayed the
Ageneration of Your children.
16 When I
Apondered to understand this,
It was
1troublesome in my sight
17 Until I came into the
1Asanctuary of God;
Then I perceived their
Bend.
18 Surely You set them in
Aslippery places;
You cast them down to
1Bdestruction.
19 How they are
1Adestroyed in a moment!
They are utterly swept away by
Bsudden terrors!
20 Like a
Adream when one awakes,
O Lord, when
Baroused, You will
Cdespise their
1form.
21 When my
Aheart was embittered
And I was
Bpierced
1within,
22 Then I was
Asenseless and ignorant;
I was
like 1a
Bbeast
2before You.
23 Nevertheless
AI am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
24 With Your counsel You will
Aguide me,
And afterward
Breceive me
1to glory.
25 AWhom have I in heaven
but You? And
1besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
26 My
Aflesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the
1strength of my heart and my
Bportion forever.
27 For, behold,
Athose who are far from You will
Bperish;
You have
1destroyed all those who
2Care unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me,
Athe nearness of God is my good;
I have made the Lord
1Goᴅ my
Brefuge,
That I may
Ctell of all Your works.