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¹A psalm of Asaph. [1] God is indeed good to Israel, to the pure in heart.

²But as for me, my feet almost slipped; my steps nearly went astray.

³For I envied the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

⁴They have an easy time until they die, and their bodies are well fed.

⁵They are not in trouble like others; they are not afflicted like most people.

⁶Therefore, pride is their necklace, and violence covers them like a garment.

⁷Their eyes bulge out from fatness; the imaginations of their hearts run wild.

⁸They mock, and they speak maliciously; they arrogantly threaten oppression.

⁹They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues strut across the earth.

¹⁰Therefore his people turn to them and drink in their overflowing words.

¹¹The wicked say, “How can God know? Does the Most High know everything?”

¹²Look at them — the wicked! They are always at ease, and they increase their wealth.

¹³Did I purify my heart and wash my hands in innocence for nothing?

¹⁴For I am afflicted all day long and punished every morning.

¹⁵If I had decided to say these things aloud, I would have betrayed your people.

¹⁶When I tried to understand all this, it seemed hopeless

¹⁷until I entered God’s sanctuary. Then I understood their destiny.

¹⁸Indeed, you put them in slippery places; you make them fall into ruin.

¹⁹How suddenly they become a desolation! They come to an end, swept away by terrors.

²⁰Like one waking from a dream, Lord, when arising, you will despise their image.

²¹When I became embittered and my innermost being was wounded,

²²I was stupid and didn’t understand; I was an unthinking animal toward you.

²³Yet I am always with you; you hold my right hand.

²⁴You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me up in glory.

²⁵Who do I have in heaven but you? And I desire nothing on earth but you.

²⁶My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever.

²⁷Those far from you will certainly perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

²⁸But as for me, God’s presence is my good. I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, so I can tell about all you do.

¹A of Asaph. [1] Why have you rejected us forever, God? Why does your anger burn against the sheep of your pasture?

²Remember your congregation, which you purchased long ago and redeemed as the tribe for your own possession. Remember Mount Zion where you dwell.

³Make your way to the perpetual ruins, to all that the enemy has destroyed in the sanctuary.

⁴Your adversaries roared in the meeting place where you met with us. They set up their emblems as signs.

⁵It was like men in a thicket of trees, wielding axes,

⁶then smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks.

⁷They set your sanctuary on fire; they utterly desecrated the dwelling place of your name.

⁸They said in their hearts, “Let us oppress them relentlessly.” They burned every place throughout the land where God met with us.

⁹There are no signs for us to see. There is no longer a prophet. And none of us knows how long this will last.

¹⁰God, how long will the enemy mock? Will the foe insult your name forever?

¹¹Why do you hold back your hand? Stretch out your right hand and destroy them!

¹²God my King is from ancient times, performing saving acts on the earth.

¹³You divided the sea with your strength; you smashed the heads of the sea monsters in the water;

¹⁴you crushed the heads of Leviathan; you fed him to the creatures of the desert.

¹⁵You opened up springs and streams; you dried up ever-flowing rivers.

¹⁶The day is yours, also the night; you established the moon and the sun.

¹⁷You set all the boundaries of the earth; you made summer and winter.

¹⁸Remember this: the enemy has mocked the LORD, and a foolish people has insulted your name.

¹⁹Do not give to beasts the life of your dove; do not forget the lives of your poor people forever.

²⁰Consider the covenant, for the dark places of the land are full of violence.

²¹Do not let the oppressed turn away in shame; let the poor and needy praise your name.

²²Rise up, God, champion your cause! Remember the insults that fools bring against you all day long.

²³Do not forget the clamor of your adversaries, the tumult of your opponents that goes up constantly.

¹For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.” A psalm of Asaph. A song. [1] We give thanks to you, God; we give thanks to you, for your name is near. People tell about your wondrous works.

²“When I choose a time, I will judge fairly.

³When the earth and all its inhabitants shake, I am the one who steadies its pillars. Selah

⁴I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn.

⁵Do not lift up your horn against heaven or speak arrogantly.’”

⁶Exaltation does not come from the east, the west, or the desert,

⁷for God is the Judge: He brings down one and exalts another.

⁸For there is a cup in the LORD’s hand, full of wine blended with spices, and he pours from it. All the wicked of the earth will drink, draining it to the dregs.

⁹As for me, I will tell about him forever; I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.

¹⁰“I will cut off all the horns of the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”

¹For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song. [1] God is known in Judah; his name is great in Israel.

²His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion.

³There he shatters the bow’s flaming arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah

⁴You are resplendent and majestic coming down from the mountains of prey.

⁵The brave-hearted have been plundered; they have slipped into their final sleep. None of the warriors was able to lift a hand.

⁶At your rebuke, God of Jacob, both chariot and horse lay still.

⁷And you — you are to be feared. When you are angry, who can stand before you?

⁸From heaven you pronounced judgment. The earth feared and grew quiet

⁹when God rose up to judge and to save all the lowly of the earth. Selah

¹⁰Even human wrath will praise you; you will clothe yourself with the wrath that remains.

¹¹Make and keep your vows to the LORD your God; let all who are around him bring tribute to the awe-inspiring one.

¹²He humbles the spirit of leaders; he is feared by the kings of the earth.

¹For the choir director: according to Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm. [1] I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me.

²I sought the Lord in my day of trouble. My hands were continually lifted up all night long; I refused to be comforted.

³I think of God; I groan; I meditate; my spirit becomes weak. Selah

⁴You have kept me from closing my eyes; I am troubled and cannot speak.

⁵I consider days of old, years long past.

⁶At night I remember my music; I meditate in my heart, and my spirit ponders.

⁷“Will the Lord reject forever and never again show favor?

⁸Has his faithful love ceased forever? Is his promise at an end for all generations?

⁹Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” Selah

¹⁰So I say, “I am grieved that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”

¹¹I will remember the LORD’s works; yes, I will remember your ancient wonders.

¹²I will reflect on all you have done and meditate on your actions.

¹³God, your way is holy. What god is great like God?

¹⁴You are the God who works wonders; you revealed your strength among the peoples.

¹⁵With power you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

¹⁶The water saw you, God. The water saw you; it trembled. Even the depths shook.

¹⁷The clouds poured down water. The storm clouds thundered; your arrows flashed back and forth.

¹⁸The sound of your thunder was in the whirlwind; lightning lit up the world. The earth shook and quaked.

¹⁹Your way went through the sea and your path through the vast water, but your footprints were unseen.

²⁰You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.