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A psalm by Asaph.

82 God takes his place in his own assembly.
He pronounces judgment among the gods:
“How long are you going to judge unfairly?
How long are you going to side with wicked people?” Selah

Defend weak people and orphans.
Protect the rights of the oppressed and the poor.
Rescue weak and needy people.
Help them escape the power of wicked people.

Wicked people do not know or understand anything.
As they walk around in the dark,
all the foundations of the earth shake.
I said, “You are gods.
You are all sons of the Most High.
You will certainly die like humans
and fall like any prince.”

Arise, O God!
Judge the earth, because all the nations belong to you.

Psalm 82

A psalm of Asaph.

God presides in the great assembly;
    he renders judgment(A) among the “gods”:(B)

“How long will you[a] defend the unjust
    and show partiality(C) to the wicked?[b](D)
Defend the weak and the fatherless;(E)
    uphold the cause of the poor(F) and the oppressed.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
    deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

“The ‘gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing.(G)
    They walk about in darkness;(H)
    all the foundations(I) of the earth are shaken.

“I said, ‘You are “gods”;(J)
    you are all sons of the Most High.’
But you will die(K) like mere mortals;
    you will fall like every other ruler.”

Rise up,(L) O God, judge(M) the earth,
    for all the nations are your inheritance.(N)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 82:2 The Hebrew is plural.
  2. Psalm 82:2 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.