Psalms 73

• 1. Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure.
• 2. But as for me, I came so close to the edge of the cliff! My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.
• 3. For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.
• 4. They seem to live such a painless life; their bodies are so healthy and strong.
• 5. They aren't troubled like other people or plagued with problems like everyone else.
• 6. They wear pride like a jeweled necklace, and their clothing is woven of cruelty.
• 7. These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for!
• 8. They scoff and speak only evil; in their pride they seek to crush others.
• 9. They boast against the very heavens, and their words strut throughout the earth.
• 10. And so the people are dismayed and confused, drinking in all their words.
• 11. "Does God realize what is going on?" they ask. "Is the Most High even aware of what is happening?"
• 12. Look at these arrogant people--enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply.
• 13. Was it for nothing that I kept my heart pure and kept myself from doing wrong?
• 14. All I get is trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain.
• 15. If I had really spoken this way, I would have been a traitor to your people.
• 16. So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is!
• 17. Then one day I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I thought about the destiny of the wicked.
• 18. Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.
• 19. In an instant they are destroyed, swept away by terrors.
• 20. Their present life is only a dream that is gone when they awake. When you arise, O Lord, you will make them vanish from this life.
• 21. Then I realized how bitter I had become, how pained I had been by all I had seen.
• 22. I was so foolish and ignorant--I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
• 23. Yet I still belong to you; you are holding my right hand.
• 24. You will keep on guiding me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.
• 25. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth.
• 26. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.
• 27. But those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you.
• 28. But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign LORD my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.

Psalms 74

• 1. O God, why have you rejected us forever? Why is your anger so intense against the sheep of your own pasture?
• 2. Remember that we are the people you chose in ancient times, the tribe you redeemed as your own special possession! And remember Jerusalem, your home here on earth.
• 3. Walk through the awful ruins of the city; see how the enemy has destroyed your sanctuary.
• 4. There your enemies shouted their victorious battle cries; there they set up their battle standards.
• 5. They chopped down the entrance like woodcutters in a forest.
• 6. With axes and picks, they smashed the carved paneling.
• 7. They set the sanctuary on fire, burning it to the ground. They utterly defiled the place that bears your holy name.
• 8. Then they thought, "Let's destroy everything!" So they burned down all the places where God was worshiped.
• 9. We see no miraculous signs as evidence that you will save us. All the prophets are gone; no one can tell us when it will end.
• 10. How long, O God, will you allow our enemies to mock you? Will you let them dishonor your name forever?
• 11. Why do you hold back your strong right hand? Unleash your powerful fist and deliver a deathblow.
• 12. You, O God, are my king from ages past, bringing salvation to the earth.
• 13. You split the sea by your strength and smashed the sea monster's heads.
• 14. You crushed the heads of Leviathan and let the desert animals eat him.
• 15. You caused the springs and streams to gush forth, and you dried up rivers that never run dry.
• 16. Both day and night belong to you; you made the starlight and the sun.
• 17. You set the boundaries of the earth, and you make both summer and winter.
• 18. See how these enemies scoff at you, LORD. A foolish nation has dishonored your name.
• 19. Don't let these wild beasts destroy your doves. Don't forget your afflicted people forever.
• 20. Remember your covenant promises, for the land is full of darkness and violence!
• 21. Don't let the downtrodden be constantly disgraced! Instead, let these poor and needy ones give praise to your name.
• 22. Arise, O God, and defend your cause. Remember how these fools insult you all day long.
• 23. Don't overlook these things your enemies have said. Their uproar of rebellion grows ever louder.

Psalms 75

• 1. We thank you, O God! We give thanks because you are near. People everywhere tell of your mighty miracles.
• 2. God says, "At the time I have planned, I will bring justice against the wicked.
• 3. When the earth quakes and its people live in turmoil, I am the one who keeps its foundations firm.
• 4. "I warned the proud, `Stop your boasting!' I told the wicked, `Don't raise your fists!
• 5. Don't lift your fists in defiance at the heavens or speak with rebellious arrogance.'"
• 6. For no one on earth--from east or west, or even from the wilderness--can raise another person up.
• 7. It is God alone who judges; he decides who will rise and who will fall.
• 8. For the LORD holds a cup in his hand; it is full of foaming wine mixed with spices. He pours the wine out in judgment, and all the wicked must drink it, draining it to the dregs.
• 9. But as for me, I will always proclaim what God has done; I will sing praises to the God of Israel.
• 10. For God says, "I will cut off the strength of the wicked, but I will increase the power of the godly."

New Living Translation: 191 of 324 days.