Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 82
A Plea for Righteous Judgment
A psalm of Asaph.(A)
1 God stands in the divine assembly;
he pronounces judgment among the gods:[a](B)
2 “How long will you judge unjustly
and show partiality to the wicked?(C)Selah
3 Provide justice for the needy and the fatherless;
uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.(D)
4 Rescue the poor and needy;
save them from the power of the wicked.”(E)
5 They do not know or understand;
they wander in darkness.(F)
All the foundations of the earth are shaken.(G)
6 I said, “You are gods;(H)
you are all sons of the Most High.(I)
7 However, you will die like humans
and fall like any other ruler.”(J)
8 Rise up, God, judge the earth,
for all the nations belong to you.(K)
12 But you made the Nazirites drink wine
and commanded the prophets,
“Do not prophesy.”(A)
13 Look, I am about to crush[a] you in your place(B)
as a wagon crushes when full of grain.
14 Escape will fail the swift,(C)
the strong one will not maintain his strength,(D)
and the warrior will not save his life.
15 The archer will not stand his ground,(E)
the one who is swift of foot
will not save himself,
and the one riding a horse will not save his life.(F)
16 Even the most courageous of the warriors
will flee naked on that day(G)—
this is the Lord’s declaration.
God’s Reasons for Punishing Israel
3 Listen to this message that the Lord has spoken against you, Israelites, against the entire clan that I brought from the land of Egypt:(H)
2 I have known only you(I)
out of all the clans of the earth;
therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities.(J)
3 Can two walk together(K)
without agreeing to meet?
4 Does a lion roar(L) in the forest
when it has no prey?
Does a young lion growl from its lair
unless it has captured something?
5 Does a bird land in a trap on the ground
if there is no bait for it?
Does a trap spring from the ground
when it has caught nothing?
6 If a ram’s horn(M) is blown in a city,
aren’t people afraid?(N)
If a disaster(O) occurs in a city,
hasn’t the Lord done it?(P)
7 Indeed, the Lord God does nothing
without revealing his counsel
to his servants the prophets.(Q)
8 A lion has roared;(R)
who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken;(S)
who will not prophesy?(T)
16 For God loved(A) the world in this way:[a] He gave[b] his one and only(B) Son,(C) so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.(D) 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn(E) the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned,(F) because he has not believed in the name(G) of the one and only Son(H) of God. 19 This is the judgment: The light(I) has come into the world,(J) and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates(K) the light and avoids it,[c] so that his deeds(L) may not be exposed. 21 But anyone who lives by[d] the truth comes to the light, so that his works(M) may be shown to be accomplished by God.”
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.