Psalm 73:1-28 NIrV

[1] God is truly good to Israel. He is good to those who have pure hearts. [2] But my feet had almost slipped. I had almost tripped and fallen. [3] I saw that proud and sinful people were doing well. And I began to long for what they had. [4] They don’t have any troubles. Their bodies are healthy and strong. [5] They don’t have the problems most people have. They don’t suffer as other people do. [6] Their pride is like a necklace. They put on meanness as if it were their clothes. [7] Many sins come out of their hard and stubborn hearts. There is no limit to the evil things they can think up. [8] They laugh at others and speak words of hatred. They are proud. They warn others about the harm they can do to them. [9] They brag as if they owned heaven itself. They talk as if they controlled the earth. [10] So people listen to them. They lap up their words like water. [11] They say, “How would God know what we’re doing? Does the Most High God know anything?” [12] Here is what sinful people are like. They don’t have a care in the world. They keep getting richer and richer. [13] It seems as if I have kept my heart pure for no reason. It didn’t do me any good to wash my hands to show that I wasn’t guilty of doing anything wrong. [14] Day after day I’ve been in pain. God has punished me in a new way every morning. [15] What if I had talked like that? Then I wouldn’t have been faithful to God’s children. [16] I tried to understand it all. But it was more than I could handle. [17] It troubled me until I entered God’s temple. Then I understood what will finally happen to bad people. [18] God, I’m sure you will make them slip and fall. You will throw them down and destroy them. [19] It will happen very suddenly. A terrible death will take them away completely. [20] A dream goes away when a person wakes up. Lord, it will be like that when you rise up. It will be as if those people were only a dream. [21] At one time my heart was sad and my spirit was bitter. [22] I didn’t have any sense. I didn’t know anything. I acted like a wild animal toward you. [23] But I am always with you. You hold me by my right hand. [24] You give me wise advice to guide me. And when I die, you will take me away into the glory of heaven. [25] I don’t have anyone in heaven but you. I don’t want anything on earth besides you. [26] My body and my heart may grow weak. God, you give strength to my heart. You are everything I will ever need. [27] Those who don’t want anything to do with you will die. You destroy all those who aren’t faithful to you. [28] But I am close to you. And that’s good. LORD and King, I have made you my place of safety. I will talk about everything you have done.