Leaders and Prophets Rebuked

Then I said,

“Listen, you leaders(A) of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel.
Should you not embrace justice,

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Judgment Against Israel

“Hear this, you priests!
    Pay attention, you Israelites!
Listen, royal house!
    This judgment(A) is against you:
You have been a snare(B) at Mizpah,
    a net(C) spread out on Tabor.

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I thought, “These are only the poor;
    they are foolish,(A)
for they do not know(B) the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.
So I will go to the leaders(C)
    and speak to them;
surely they know the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.”
But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke
    and torn off the bonds.(D)

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10 Hear the word of the Lord,(A)
    you rulers of Sodom;(B)
listen to the instruction(C) of our God,
    you people of Gomorrah!(D)

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Psalm 82

A psalm of Asaph.

God presides in the great assembly;
    he renders judgment(A) among the “gods”:(B)

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

“The ‘gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing.(G)
    They walk about in darkness;(H)
    all the foundations(I) of the earth are shaken.

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Footnotes

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

I say this to shame you.(A) Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?(B)

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Hear this, you leaders of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel,
who despise justice
    and distort all that is right;(A)
10 who build(B) Zion with bloodshed,(C)
    and Jerusalem with wickedness.(D)

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Israel Has Not Returned to God

Hear this word, you cows of Bashan(A) on Mount Samaria,(B)
    you women who oppress the poor(C) and crush the needy(D)
    and say to your husbands,(E) “Bring us some drinks!(F)

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‘Hear(A) the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne(B)—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates.(C) This is what the Lord says: Do what is just(D) and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor(E) the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow,(F) and do not shed innocent blood(G) in this place.

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Threat of Captivity

15 Hear and pay attention,
    do not be arrogant,
    for the Lord has spoken.(A)
16 Give glory(B) to the Lord your God
    before he brings the darkness,
before your feet stumble(C)
    on the darkening hills.
You hope for light,
    but he will turn it to utter darkness
    and change it to deep gloom.(D)
17 If you do not listen,(E)
    I will weep in secret
    because of your pride;
my eyes will weep bitterly,
    overflowing with tears,(F)
    because the Lord’s flock(G) will be taken captive.(H)

18 Say to the king(I) and to the queen mother,(J)
    “Come down from your thrones,
for your glorious crowns(K)
    will fall from your heads.”

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Do all these evildoers know nothing?(A)

They devour my people(B) as though eating bread;
    they never call on the Lord.(C)

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He appointed judges(A) in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah. He told them, “Consider carefully what you do,(B) because you are not judging for mere mortals(C) but for the Lord, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. Now let the fear of the Lord be on you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice(D) or partiality(E) or bribery.”

In Jerusalem also, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites,(F) priests(G) and heads of Israelite families to administer(H) the law of the Lord and to settle disputes. And they lived in Jerusalem. He gave them these orders: “You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the Lord. 10 In every case that comes before you from your people who live in the cities—whether bloodshed or other concerns of the law, commands, decrees or regulations—you are to warn them not to sin against the Lord;(I) otherwise his wrath will come on you and your people. Do this, and you will not sin.

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Judges

18 Appoint judges(A) and officials for each of your tribes in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly.(B)

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13 Choose some wise, understanding and respected men(A) from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you.”

14 You answered me, “What you propose to do is good.”

15 So I took(B) the leading men of your tribes,(C) wise and respected men,(D) and appointed them to have authority over you—as commanders(E) of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials.(F) 16 And I charged your judges at that time, “Hear the disputes between your people and judge(G) fairly,(H) whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you.(I) 17 Do not show partiality(J) in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone,(K) for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.”(L)

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