The Eastern Cross/Bible/Psalms/Psalm 72

The Book of Psalms · the Psalter

Psalm 72

Psalm 73 in the KJV and most English Bibles

Tap Fathers under a verse to read what the saints said about it.

1

A Psalm for Asaph. How good is God to Israel, To the upright in heart!

Ψαλμὸς τῷ Ἀσάφ. Ὡς ἀγαθὸς ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, τοῖς εὐθέσι καρδίᾳ.

2

But my feet were almost overthrown; My goings very nearly slipped.

Ἐμοῦ δὲ παρὰ μικρὸν ἐσαλεύθησαν οἱ πόδες, παρʼ ὀλίγον ἐξεχύθη τὰ διαβήματά μου.

3

For I was jealous of the transgressors, Beholding the tranquility of sinners.

Ὅτι ἐζήλωσα ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀνόμοις, εἰρήνην ἁμαρτωλῶν θεωρῶν.

4

For there is no sign of reluctance in their death: And they have firmness under their affliction.

Ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνάνευσις ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ αὐτῶν, καὶ στερέωμα ἐν τῇ μάστιγι αὐτῶν.

5

They are not in the troubles of other men; And they shall not be scourged with other men.

Ἐν κόποις ἀνθρώπων οὐκ εἰσὶ, καὶ μετὰ ἀνθρώπων οὐ μαστιγωθήσονται.

6

Therefore pride has possessed them; They have clothed themselves with their injustice and ungodliness.

Διὰ τοῦτο ἐκράτησεν αὐτοὺς ἡ ὑπερηφανία, περιεβάλοντο ἀδικίαν καὶ ἀσέβειαν αὐτῶν.

7

Their injustice shall go forth as out of fatness: They have fulfilled their intention.

Ἐξελεύσεται ὡς ἐκ στέατος ἡ ἀδικία αὐτῶν· διῆλθον εἰς διάθεσιν καρδίας.

8

They have taken counsel and spoken in wickedness: They have uttered unrighteousness loftily.

Διενοήθησαν, καὶ ἐλάλησαν ἐν πονηρίᾳ, ἀδικίαν εἰς τὸ ὕψος ἐλάλησαν.

9

They have set their mouth against heaven, And their tongue has gone through upon the earth.

Ἔθεντο εἰς οὐρανὸν τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα αὐτῶν διῆλθεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.

10

Therefore shall my people return hither: And full days shall be found with them.

Διὰ τοῦτο ἐπιστρέψει ὁ λαός μου ἐνταῦθα, καὶ ἡμέραι πλήρεις εὑρεθήσονται ἐν αὐτοῖς.

11

And they said, How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?

Καὶ εἶπαν, πῶς ἔγνω ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ εἰ ἔστι γνῶσις ἐν τῷ ὑψίστῳ;

12

Behold, these are the sinners, and they that prosper always: They have possessed wealth.

Ἰδοὺ οὗτοι οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ καὶ εὐθηνοῦντες εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, κατέσχον πλούτου.

13

And I said, Verily in vain have I justified my heart, And washed my hands in innocency.

Καὶ εἶπα, ἄρα ματαίως ἐδικαίωσα τὴν καρδίαν μου, καὶ ἐνιψάμην ἐν ἀθώοις τὰς χεῖράς μου·

14

For I was plagued all the day, And my reproof was every morning.

Καὶ ἐγενόμην μεμαστιγωμένος ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, καὶ ὁ ἔλεγχός μου εἰς τὰς πρωΐας.

15

If I said, I will speak thus; Behold, I should have broken covenant with the generation of thy children.

Εἰ ἔλεγον, διηγήσομαι οὕτως, ἰδοὺ τῇ γενεᾷ τῶν υἱῶν σου ἠσυνθέτηκα.

16

And I undertook to understand this, But it is too hard for me,

Καὶ ὑπέλαβον τοῦ γνῶναι, τοῦτο κόπος ἐστὶν ἐναντίον μου,

17

Until I go into the sanctuary of God; And so understand the latter end.

ἕως εἰσέλθω εἰς τὸ ἁγιαστήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ, συνῶ εἰς τὰ ἔσχατα.

18

Surely thou hast appointed judgments to them because of their crafty dealings: Thou hast cast them down when they were lifted up.

Πλὴν διὰ τὰς δολιότητας ἔθου αὐτοῖς, κατέβαλες αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ ἐπαρθῆναι.

19

How have they become desolate! Suddenly they have failed: they have perished because of their iniquity.

Πῶς ἐγένοντο εἰς ἐρήμωσιν; ἐξάπινα ἐξέλιπον, ἀπώλοντο διὰ τὴν ἀνομίαν αὐτῶν.

20

As the dream of one awakening, O Lord, in thy city thou wilt despise their image.

Ὡσεὶ ἐνύπνιον ἐξεγειρομένου, Κύριε ἐν τῇ πόλει σου τὴν εἰκόνα αὐτῶν ἐξουδενώσεις.

About these notes

Every note is a real passage, quoted word for word from a published English translation, with its source. Nothing here is summarised or written by us. Some verses have many notes and some have none, because the Fathers wrote more on some passages than others.

  • Blessed Augustine, Expositions on the Book of Psalms, tr. A. Cleveland Coxe from the Oxford translation, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888).
  • Scripture: the Septuagint, in the translation of Sir Lancelot Brenton (1851), with spelling updated by Adam Boyd (2020); the Greek is Brenton's Septuagint text.

All of these translations are in the public domain. The passages were matched to their verses by the Historical Christian Commentaries project, which also hosts the full texts we link to. The Fathers are a treasury of the Church's mind, and they are best read alongside the life of the Church: if a passage raises a question, bring it to your priest.