Psalms
Chapter 82
This short psalm shows God standing up in a gathering of rulers and judging them. He charges them with judging unfairly and taking the side of wicked people, and he orders them to protect the poor, the fatherless, and anyone being crushed. He tells them that although they are called gods and children of the Most High, they will die like any other person. The psalm ends by asking God himself to rise up and judge the whole earth.
Plain reading written for preteens. Clear and complete, at about a fifth grade reading level.
God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
1God stands up in the gathering of the powerful ones. There, among the gods, he gives his judgment.
2How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
2He says, "How long will you judge in a crooked way? How long will you take the side of wicked people?" Selah
"Accept the persons of the wicked" in the King James Version means showing favoritism, giving wicked people special treatment in court.
3Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
3Stand up for poor people and for children who have no father. Treat the hurting and the needy fairly.
4Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
4Rescue people who are poor and have nothing. Pull them free from the grip of wicked people.
5They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
5These rulers do not know, and they will not understand. They keep walking in the dark. The whole earth shakes down to its base.
"Out of course" in the King James Version does not mean off a path. It means shaken loose, like the ground itself giving way.
6I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
6I said, "You are gods. Every one of you is a child of the Most High God."
7But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
7But you will die the way any human dies. You will fall like any other ruler.
8Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.
8Get up, God, and judge the earth. Every nation belongs to you.
← → to turn the page · P for plain English · click a verse to sit with it