Psalm 82

A psalm of Asaph.

God presides in the great assembly;
    he renders judgment among the ‘gods’:

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

‘The “gods” know nothing, they understand nothing.
    They walk about in darkness;
    all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

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

Rise up, O God, judge the earth,
    for all the nations are your inheritance.

Footnotes

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