Psalm 73:1-28

God Is My Strength and Portion Forever

Book Three

A Psalm of Asaph.

1
Truly God is good to c Israel,
to those who are d pure in heart.
 2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
 3 e For I was f envious of the arrogant
when I saw the g 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 h stricken like the rest of mankind.
 6 Therefore pride is i their necklace;
violence covers them as j a garment.
 7 Their k eyes swell out through fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
 8 They scoff and l 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 m no fault in them. 1
11 And they say, n "How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?"
 12 Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they o increase in riches.
 13 All in vain have I p kept my heart clean
and q washed my hands in innocence.
 14 For all the day long I have been h stricken
and r rebuked s every morning.
 15 If I had said, "I will speak thus,"
I would have betrayed t the generation of your children.

16 But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me u a wearisome task,
 17 until I went into v the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their w end.

18 Truly you set them in x slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
 19 How they are destroyed y in a moment,
swept away utterly by z terrors!
 20 Like a a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when b you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
 21 When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
 22 I was c brutish and ignorant;
I was like d a beast toward you.

23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you e hold my right hand.
 24 You f guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will g receive me to glory.
 25 h Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
 26 i My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is j the strength 2 of my heart and my k portion l forever.

27 For behold, those who are m far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is n unfaithful to you.
 28 But for me it is good to o be near God;
I have made the Lord God my p refuge,
that I may q tell of all your works.

  1. Cross References
    Psalms 50:1
    The Mighty One, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
  2. Cross References
    John 1:47
    Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!
  3. Cross References
    Psalms 24:4
    He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.
  4. Cross References
    Job 21:7
    Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power?
  5. Cross References
    Psalms 37:1
    Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!
    Proverbs 23:17
    Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.
  6. Cross References
    Psalms 37:7
    Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
    Psalms 92:7
    That though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever.
    Jeremiah 12:1
    Righteous are you, O Lord, when I complain to you; yet I would plead my case before you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?
  7. Cross References
    Isaiah 53:4
    Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
  8. Cross References
    Judges 8:26
    And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and besides the collars that were around the necks of their camels.
  9. Cross References
    Psalms 109:18
    He clothed himself with cursing as his coat; may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones!
  10. Cross References
    Job 15:27
    Because he has covered his face with his fat and gathered fat upon his waist
  11. Cross References
    2 Peter 2:18
    For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error.
    Jude 1:16
    These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.
  12. Cross References
    Job 15:16
    How much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks injustice like water!
  13. Cross References
    Job 22:13
    But you say, 'What does God know? Can he judge through the deep darkness?
  14. Cross References
    Psalms 73:3
    For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
  15. Cross References
    Psalms 73:1
    Book Three Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
    Job 34:9
    For he has said, 'It profits a man nothing that he should take delight in God.
  16. Cross References
    Psalms 26:6
    I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O Lord.
  17. Cross References
    Psalms 73:5
    They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
  18. Cross References
    Revelation 3:19
    Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.
  19. Cross References
    Psalms 101:8
    Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord.
  20. Cross References
    Psalms 14:5
    There they are in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous.
  21. Cross References
    Ecclesiastes 8:17
    Then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out.
  22. Cross References
    Psalms 20:2
    May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion!
  23. Cross References
    Psalms 37:38
    But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
  24. Cross References
    Psalms 35:6
    Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them!
  25. Cross References
    Numbers 16:21
    "Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment."
  26. Cross References
    Job 18:11
    Terrors frighten him on every side, and chase him at his heels.
  27. Cross References
    Job 20:8
    He will fly away like a dream and not be found; he will be chased away like a vision of the night.
  28. Cross References
    Psalms 78:65
    Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a strong man shouting because of wine.
  29. Cross References
    Psalms 49:10
    For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others.
  30. Cross References
    Job 18:3
    Why are we counted as cattle? Why are we stupid in your sight?
    Job 11:12
    But a stupid man will get understanding when a wild donkey's colt is born a man!
  31. Cross References
    Psalms 63:8
    My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
    Psalms 41:12
    But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever.
  32. Cross References
    Psalms 32:8
    I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
  33. Cross References
    Psalms 49:15
    But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah
  34. Cross References
    Psalms 16:2
    I say to the Lord, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.
    Philippians 3:8
    Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
  35. Cross References
    Psalms 40:12
    For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.
    Psalms 84:2
    My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord ; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
  36. Cross References
    Psalms 18:2
    The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
  37. Cross References
    Psalms 16:5
    The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
  38. Cross References
    Daniel 12:3
    And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
  39. Cross References
    Psalms 119:155
    Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your statutes.
  40. Cross References
    Psalms 106:39
    Thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the whore in their deeds.
    Exodus 34:15
    Lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice.
    Numbers 15:39
    And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after.
    James 4:4
    You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
  41. Cross References
    James 4:8
    Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
    Hebrews 10:22
    Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
  42. Cross References
    Psalms 14:6
    You would shame the plans of the poor, but the Lord is his refuge.
  43. Cross References
    Psalms 118:17
    I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.