Add parallel Print Page Options

Wicked Rulers and Prophets

And I said:
Listen, you heads of Jacob
    and rulers of the house of Israel!
Should you not know justice?—(A)

Read full chapter

Leaders and Prophets Rebuked

Then I said,

“Listen, you leaders(A) of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel.
Should you not embrace justice,

Read full chapter

Impending Judgment on Israel and Judah

Hear this, O priests!
    Give heed, O house of Israel!
Listen, O house of the king!
    For the judgment pertains to you,
for you have been a snare at Mizpah
    and a net spread upon Tabor(A)

Read full chapter

Judgment Against Israel

“Hear this, you priests!
    Pay attention, you Israelites!
Listen, royal house!
    This judgment(A) is against you:
You have been a snare(B) at Mizpah,
    a net(C) spread out on Tabor.

Read full chapter

Then I said, “These are only the poor;
    they have no sense,
for they do not know the way of the Lord,
    the law of their God.(A)
Let me go to the rich[a]
    and speak to them;
surely they know the way of the Lord,
    the law of their God.”
But they all alike had broken the yoke;
    they had burst the bonds.(B)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 5.5 Or the great

I thought, “These are only the poor;
    they are foolish,(A)
for they do not know(B) the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.
So I will go to the leaders(C)
    and speak to them;
surely they know the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.”
But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke
    and torn off the bonds.(D)

Read full chapter

10 Hear the word of the Lord,
    you rulers of Sodom!
Listen to the teaching of our God,
    you people of Gomorrah!(A)

Read full chapter

10 Hear the word of the Lord,(A)
    you rulers of Sodom;(B)
listen to the instruction(C) of our God,
    you people of Gomorrah!(D)

Read full chapter

Psalm 82

A Plea for Justice

A Psalm of Asaph.

God has taken his place in the divine council;
    in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:(A)
“How long will you judge unjustly
    and show partiality to the wicked? Selah(B)
Give justice to the weak and the orphan;
    maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.(C)
Rescue the weak and the needy;
    deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”(D)

They have neither knowledge nor understanding;
    they walk around in darkness;
    all the foundations of the earth are shaken.(E)

Read full chapter

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.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

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

I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one person wise enough to decide between brothers and sisters?

Read full chapter

I say this to shame you.(A) Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?(B)

Read full chapter

Hear this, you rulers of the house of Jacob
    and chiefs of the house of Israel,
who abhor justice
    and pervert all equity,(A)
10 who build Zion with blood
    and Jerusalem with wrong!(B)

Read full chapter

Hear this, you leaders of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel,
who despise justice
    and distort all that is right;(A)
10 who build(B) Zion with bloodshed,(C)
    and Jerusalem with wickedness.(D)

Read full chapter

Hear this word, you cows of Bashan
    who are on Mount Samaria,
who oppress the poor, who crush the needy,
    who say to their husbands, “Bring something to drink!”(A)

Read full chapter

Israel Has Not Returned to God

Hear this word, you cows of Bashan(A) on Mount Samaria,(B)
    you women who oppress the poor(C) and crush the needy(D)
    and say to your husbands,(E) “Bring us some drinks!(F)

Read full chapter

and say: Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah sitting on the throne of David—you, and your servants, and your people who enter these gates.(A) Thus says the Lord: Act with justice and righteousness and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place.(B)

Read full chapter

‘Hear(A) the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne(B)—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates.(C) This is what the Lord says: Do what is just(D) and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor(E) the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow,(F) and do not shed innocent blood(G) in this place.

Read full chapter

Exile Threatened

15 Hear and give ear; do not be haughty,
    for the Lord has spoken.(A)
16 Give glory to the Lord your God
    before he brings darkness
and before your feet stumble
    on the mountains at twilight;
while you look for light,
    he turns it into gloom
    and makes it deep darkness.(B)
17 But if you will not listen,
    my soul will weep in secret for your pride;
my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears
    because the Lord’s flock has been taken captive.(C)

18 Say to the king and the queen mother:
    “Take a lowly seat,
for your beautiful crown
    has come down from your head.”[a](D)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 13.18 Gk Syr Vg: Meaning of Heb uncertain

Threat of Captivity

15 Hear and pay attention,
    do not be arrogant,
    for the Lord has spoken.(A)
16 Give glory(B) to the Lord your God
    before he brings the darkness,
before your feet stumble(C)
    on the darkening hills.
You hope for light,
    but he will turn it to utter darkness
    and change it to deep gloom.(D)
17 If you do not listen,(E)
    I will weep in secret
    because of your pride;
my eyes will weep bitterly,
    overflowing with tears,(F)
    because the Lord’s flock(G) will be taken captive.(H)

18 Say to the king(I) and to the queen mother,(J)
    “Come down from your thrones,
for your glorious crowns(K)
    will fall from your heads.”

Read full chapter

Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
    who eat up my people as they eat bread
    and do not call upon the Lord?(A)

Read full chapter

Do all these evildoers know nothing?(A)

They devour my people(B) as though eating bread;
    they never call on the Lord.(C)

Read full chapter

He appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, and said to the judges, “Consider what you are doing, for you judge not on behalf of humans but on the Lord’s behalf; he is with you in giving judgment.(A) Now, let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take care what you do, for there is no perversion of justice with the Lord our God or partiality or taking of bribes.”(B)

Moreover, in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed certain Levites and priests and heads of families of Israel to give judgment for the Lord and to decide disputed cases. They had their seat at Jerusalem.(C) He charged them, “This is how you shall act: in the fear of the Lord, in faithfulness, and with your whole heart;(D) 10 whenever a case comes to you from your kindred who live in their cities concerning bloodshed, law or commandment, statutes or ordinances, then you shall instruct them, so that they may not incur guilt before the Lord and wrath may not come on you and your kindred. Do so, and you will not incur guilt.(E)

Read full chapter

He appointed judges(A) in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah. He told them, “Consider carefully what you do,(B) because you are not judging for mere mortals(C) but for the Lord, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. Now let the fear of the Lord be on you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice(D) or partiality(E) or bribery.”

In Jerusalem also, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites,(F) priests(G) and heads of Israelite families to administer(H) the law of the Lord and to settle disputes. And they lived in Jerusalem. He gave them these orders: “You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the Lord. 10 In every case that comes before you from your people who live in the cities—whether bloodshed or other concerns of the law, commands, decrees or regulations—you are to warn them not to sin against the Lord;(I) otherwise his wrath will come on you and your people. Do this, and you will not sin.

Read full chapter

Municipal Judges and Officers

18 “You shall appoint judges and officials throughout your tribes, in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall render just decisions for the people.(A)

Read full chapter

Judges

18 Appoint judges(A) and officials for each of your tribes in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly.(B)

Read full chapter