Psalm 82

A Plea for Righteous Judgment

A psalm of Asaph.(A)

God stands in the divine assembly;
he pronounces judgment among the gods:[a](B)
“How long will you judge unjustly
and show partiality to the wicked?(C)Selah
Provide justice for the needy and the fatherless;
uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.(D)
Rescue the poor and needy;
save them from the power of the wicked.”(E)

They do not know or understand;
they wander in darkness.(F)
All the foundations of the earth are shaken.(G)

I said, “You are gods;(H)
you are all sons of the Most High.(I)
However, you will die like humans
and fall like any other ruler.”(J)

Rise up, God, judge the earth,
for all the nations belong to you.(K)

Footnotes

  1. 82:1 Or the heavenly beings, or the earthly rulers; Hb elohim

The words of Amos, who was one of the sheep breeders[a](A) from Tekoa(B)—what he saw regarding Israel in the days of King Uzziah(C) of Judah and Jeroboam(D) son of Jehoash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.(E)

He said:

The Lord roars(F) from Zion
and makes his voice heard from Jerusalem;
the pastures of the shepherds mourn,[b](G)
and the summit of Carmel(H) withers.

Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors

The Lord says:

I will not relent from punishing Damascus(I)
for three crimes, even four,(J)
because they threshed Gilead with iron sledges.
Therefore, I will send fire against Hazael’s palace,
and it will consume Ben-hadad’s(K) citadels.
I will break down the gates[c](L) of Damascus.
I will cut off the ruler from the Valley of Aven,
and the one who wields the scepter from Beth-eden.
The people of Aram will be exiled to Kir.(M)
The Lord has spoken.

The Lord says:

I will not relent from punishing Gaza(N)
for three crimes, even four,
because they exiled a whole community,
handing them over to Edom.
Therefore, I will send fire against the walls of Gaza,
and it will consume its citadels.
I will cut off the ruler from Ashdod,(O)
and the one who wields the scepter from Ashkelon.(P)
I will also turn my hand against Ekron,
and the remainder of the Philistines(Q) will perish.
The Lord God has spoken.

The Lord says:

I will not relent from punishing Tyre(R)
for three crimes, even four,
because they handed over
a whole community of exiles to Edom
and broke[d] a treaty of brotherhood.(S)
10 Therefore, I will send fire(T) against the walls of Tyre,
and it will consume its citadels.

11 The Lord says:

I will not relent from punishing Edom(U)
for three crimes, even four,
because he pursued his brother with the sword.(V)
He stifled his compassion,
his anger tore at him(W) continually,
and he harbored his rage incessantly.
12 Therefore, I will send fire against Teman,(X)
and it will consume the citadels of Bozrah.

13 The Lord says:

I will not relent from punishing the Ammonites(Y)
for three crimes, even four,
because they ripped open
the pregnant women of Gilead(Z)
in order to enlarge their territory.(AA)
14 Therefore, I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah,(AB)
and it will consume its citadels.
There will be shouting on the day of battle(AC)
and a violent wind on the day of the storm.(AD)
15 Their king and his princes
will go into exile together.(AE)
The Lord has spoken.

The Lord says:

I will not relent from punishing Moab(AF)
for three crimes, even four,
because he burned the bones
of the king of Edom to lime.(AG)
Therefore, I will send fire against Moab,
and it will consume the citadels of Kerioth.(AH)
Moab will die with a tumult,(AI)
with shouting and the sound of the ram’s horn.
I will cut off the judge(AJ) from the land
and kill all its officials(AK) with him.
The Lord has spoken.

Footnotes

  1. 1:1 Or the shepherds
  2. 1:2 Or dry up
  3. 1:5 Lit gate bars
  4. 1:9 Lit and did not remember

Faith and Works

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?(A) 17 In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.”[a] Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works.(B) 19 You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe—and they shudder.(C)

20 Senseless person! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? 21 Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works in offering Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was made complete,(D) 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,[b](E) and he was called God’s friend.(F) 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works in receiving the messengers and sending them out by a different route?(G) 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

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Footnotes

  1. 2:18 The quotation may end here or after v. 18b or v. 19.
  2. 2:23 Gn 15:6

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