Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 82[a]
A psalm of Asaph.
82 God stands in[b] the assembly of El;[c]
in the midst of the gods[d] he renders judgment.[e]
2 He says,[f] “How long will you make unjust legal decisions
and show favoritism to the wicked?[g] (Selah)
3 Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless.[h]
Vindicate the oppressed and suffering.
4 Rescue the poor and needy.
Deliver them from the power[i] of the wicked.
5 They[j] neither know nor understand.
They stumble around[k] in the dark,
while all the foundations of the earth crumble.[l]
6 I thought,[m] ‘You are gods;
all of you are sons of the Most High.’[n]
7 Yet you will die like mortals;[o]
you will fall like all the other rulers.”[p]
8 Rise up, O God, and execute judgment on the earth!
For you own[q] all the nations.
4 This is what the Lord says:
“Because Judah has committed three covenant transgressions[a]—
make that four[b]—I will not revoke my decree of judgment.[c]
They rejected the Lord’s law;[d]
they did not obey his commands.
Their false gods,[e]
to which their fathers were loyal,[f]
led them astray.
5 So I will set Judah on fire,
and it will consume Jerusalem’s fortresses.”
God Will Judge Israel
6 This is what the Lord says:
“Because Israel has committed three covenant transgressions[g]—
make that four[h]—I will not revoke my decree of judgment.[i]
They sold the innocent[j] for silver,
the needy for a pair of sandals.[k]
7 They trample[l] on the dirt-covered heads of the poor;[m]
they push the destitute away.[n]
A man and his father go to the same girl;[o]
in this way they show disrespect for[p] my moral purity.[q]
8 They stretch out on clothing seized as collateral;
they do so right[r] beside every altar!
They drink wine bought with the fines they have levied;
they do so right in the temple[s] of their God![t]
9 For Israel’s sake I destroyed the Amorites.[u]
They were as tall as cedars[v]
and as strong as oaks,
but I destroyed the fruit on their branches[w]
and their roots in the ground.[x]
10 I brought you up from the land of Egypt;
I led you through the wilderness for forty years
so you could take the Amorites’ land as your own.
11 I made some of your sons prophets
and some of your young men Nazirites.[y]
Is this not true, you Israelites?”
The Lord is speaking.
9 The[a] patriarchs, because they were jealous of Joseph, sold[b] him into Egypt. But[c] God was with him, 10 and rescued him from all his troubles, and granted him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made[d] him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. 11 Then a famine occurred throughout[e] Egypt and Canaan, causing[f] great suffering, and our[g] ancestors[h] could not find food. 12 So when Jacob heard that there was grain[i] in Egypt, he sent our ancestors[j] there[k] the first time. 13 On their second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers again, and Joseph’s family[l] became known to Pharaoh. 14 So Joseph sent a message[m] and invited[n] his father Jacob and all his relatives to come, seventy-five people[o] in all. 15 So Jacob went down to Egypt and died there,[p] along with our ancestors,[q] 16 and their bones[r] were later moved to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a certain sum of money[s] from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
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