1 S urely God is good to Israel, To those who are pure in heart!

2 B ut as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, My steps had almost slipped.

3 F or I was envious of the arrogant As I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4 F or there are no pains in their death, And their body is fat.

5 T hey are not in trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued like mankind.

6 T herefore pride is their necklace; The garment of violence covers them.

7 T heir eye bulges from fatness; The imaginations of their heart run riot.

8 T hey mock and wickedly speak of oppression; They speak from on high.

9 T hey have set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue parades through the earth.

10 T herefore his people return to this place, And waters of abundance are drunk by them.

11 T hey say, “ How does God know? And is there knowledge with the Most High?”

12 B ehold, these are the wicked; And always at ease, they have increased in wealth.

13 S urely in vain I have kept my heart pure And washed my hands in innocence;

14 F or I have been stricken all day long And chastened every morning.

15 I f I had said, “I will speak thus,” Behold, I would have betrayed the generation of Your children.

16 W hen I pondered to understand this, It was troublesome in my sight

17 U ntil I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end.

18 S urely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction.

19 H ow they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors!

20 L ike a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, You will despise their form.

21 W hen my heart was embittered And I was pierced within,

22 T hen I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You.

23 N evertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand.

24 W ith Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory.

25 W hom have I in heaven but You ? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.

26 M y flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

27 F or, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.

28 B ut as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.