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73:1  [A psalm by Asaph.] 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.