Psalm 82
New International Version
Chapter overview
Psalm 82 indicts rulers who favor the wicked while the weak, orphaned, poor, and oppressed remain vulnerable. Their injustice shakes society's foundations, prompting an appeal for the true judge to restore right order.
JusticeVulnerableJudgmentLeadership
1God presides in the great assembly; he renders judgment among the “gods”:
2“How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?
3Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
4Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
5“The ‘gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6“I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’
7But you will die like mere mortals; you will fall like every other ruler.”
8Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance.
New International Version — Licensed through API.Bible, non-commercial use only, no derivatives. Where these translations come from.
Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Text unchanged, provided through API.Bible.