Book Three
73
A psalm written by Asaph
1 God truly is good to us Israeli people,
to those who totally want to do all that God desires.
2 As for me, I almost stopped trusting in God;
it was as though my feet slipped and I stumbled [MET],
3 because I envied those who proudly said that they did not need God,
and I saw that they prospered even though they were wicked.
4 Those people do not have any pains;
they are always strong and healthy.
5 They do not have the troubles/difficulties that other people have;
they do not have problems like others do.
6 So they are proud, and their being proud is like a necklace that they show to others,
and they show off their violent actions like people show off their beautiful robes.
7 From their inner beings they ◄pour out/do► evil deeds,
and they are always thinking about more evil things to do.
8 They scoff at other people, and they talk about doing evil things to them;
they are proud while they plan to oppress others.
9 They say evil things about God who is in heaven [MTY],
and they talk boastfully/proudly about things that they have done here on the earth.
10 The result is that people listen to what they say and praise them
and do not think that they have done anything that is wrong.
11 Wicked people say to themselves, “God will certainly not [RHQ] know what we have done;
people say that he is greater than any other god, but he does not know everything.”
12 That is what wicked people are like;
they never worry about anything, and they are always becoming richer.
13 So, God, I think it is useless that I have [RHQ] always done what you want me to,
and that I have not sinned.
14 All day long I have problems,
and every morning you punish me.
15 If I had said the things that the wicked people say,
I would have been sinning against your people.
16 And when I tried to think about all this,
it was very difficult for me to understand it.
17 But when I went to your temple, you spoke to me,
and I understood what will happen to the wicked people after they die.
18 Now I know that you will surely put them in slippery places,
and they will fall down and die.
19 They will be destroyed instantly;
they will die in terrible ways.
20 They will disappear as quickly as a dream disappears when a person awakes in the morning;
Lord, when you arise, you will ◄cause them to disappear/forget all about them►.
21 When I felt sad/bitter,
and brokenhearted,
22 I was stupid and ignorant,
and I behaved like an animal toward you.
23 But I am always close to you,
and you hold my hand.
24 You guide me by teaching me,
and ◄at the end of my life/when I die►, you will receive me and honor me.
25 You are in heaven and I belong to you [RHQ],
and there is nothing on this earth that I desire more than that.
26 My body and my mind may become very weak,
but God, you continue to enable me to be strong;
I belong to you forever.
27 Those who remain far from you will be destroyed;
you will get rid of those who abandon you.
28 But as for me, it is wonderful to be near to God
and to be protected by Yahweh,
and to proclaim to others all that he has done for me.