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Psalm 82-84
Easy-to-Read Version
Psalm 82-84
Easy-to-Read Version
One of Asaph’s songs of praise.
82 God stands in the assembly of the gods.[a]
He stands as judge among the judges.
2 He says, “How long will you judge unfairly
and show special favors to the wicked?” Selah
3 “Defend the poor and orphans.
Protect the rights of the poor.
4 Help those who are poor and helpless.
Save them from those who are evil.
5 “They[b] don’t know what is happening.
They don’t understand!
They don’t know what they are doing.
Their world is falling down around them!”
6 I, God Most High, say,
“You are gods,[c] my own sons.
7 But you will die as all people must die.
Your life will end like that of any ruler.”
8 Get up, God! You be the judge!
You be the leader over all the nations!
One of Asaph’s songs of praise.
83 God, don’t keep quiet!
Don’t close your ears!
Please say something, God.
2 Your enemies are getting ready to do something.
Those who hate you will soon attack.
3 They are making secret plans against your people.
Your enemies are discussing plans against the people you love.
4 They say, “Come, let us destroy them completely.
Then no one will ever again remember the name Israel.”
5 God, they have all joined together.
They have united against you.
6-7 Their army includes the Edomites, Ishmaelites, Moabites, and Hagar’s descendants,
the people of Byblos, Ammon, and Amalek,
the Philistines, and the people of Tyre.
8 Even the Assyrians have joined them.
They have made Lot’s descendants very powerful. Selah
9 God, defeat them just as you defeated Midian.
Do what you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River.
10 You destroyed the enemy at Endor,
and their bodies rotted on the ground.
11 Punish their leaders as you did Oreb and Zeeb.
Do what you did to Zebah and Zalmunna.
12 They said, “Let’s make this land our own—
these fields of grass that belong to God!”
13 Make them like weeds blown by the wind.
Scatter them the way wind scatters straw.
14 Be like a fire that destroys a forest
or like a flame that sets the hills on fire.
15 Chase them away with your blasts of wind;
frighten them with your storms.
16 Lord, cover them with shame
until they come to you for help.
17 May they be forever ashamed and afraid.
Disgrace and defeat them.
18 Then they will know that your name is Yahweh—
that you alone are the Lord.
They will know that you are God Most High,
ruler over all the earth!
To the director: On the gittith. A song of praise from the Korah family.
84 Lord All-Powerful, the place where you live is so beautiful!
2 Lord, I cannot wait to enter your Temple.
I am so excited!
Every part of me cries out to be with the Living God.
3 Lord All-Powerful, my King, my God,
even the birds have found a home in your Temple.
They make their nests near your altar,
and there they have their babies.
4 Great blessings belong to those who live at your Temple!
They continue to praise you. Selah
5 Great blessings belong to those who depend on you for strength!
Their heart’s desire is to make the trip to your Temple.
6 They travel through Baca Valley,
which God has made into a place of springs.
Autumn rains form pools of water there.
7 The people travel from town to town[d]
on their way to Zion, where they will meet with God.
8 Lord God All-Powerful, listen to my prayer.
God of Jacob, listen to me. Selah
9 God, watch over the king, our protector.[e]
Be kind to him, the one you have chosen.
10 One day in your Temple is better
than a thousand days anywhere else.
Serving as a guard at the gate of my God’s house is better
than living in the homes of the wicked.
11 The Lord God is our protector and glorious king.[f]
He blesses us with kindness and honor.
The Lord freely gives every good thing
to those who do what is right.
12 Lord All-Powerful,
great blessings belong to those who trust in you!
Footnotes
- Psalm 82:1 assembly of the gods Other nations taught that El (God) and the other gods met together to decide what to do with the people on earth. But many times kings and leaders were also called “gods.” So this psalm may be God’s warning to the leaders of Israel.
- Psalm 82:5 They This might mean that the poor don’t understand what is happening. Or it might mean that the “gods” or leaders don’t understand that they are ruining the world by not being fair and by not doing what is right.
- Psalm 82:6 gods Or “judges.”
- Psalm 84:7 town to town Or “wall to wall.”
- Psalm 84:9 the king, our protector Literally, “our shield.” This line could also mean “God, our Shield, look!”
- Psalm 84:11 protector and glorious king Literally, “sun and shield.”
Psalm 82-84
New International Version
Psalm 82-84
New International Version
Psalm 82
A psalm of Asaph.
2 “How long will you[a] defend the unjust
and show partiality(C) to the wicked?[b](D)
3 Defend the weak and the fatherless;(E)
uphold the cause of the poor(F) and the oppressed.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
5 “The ‘gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing.(G)
They walk about in darkness;(H)
all the foundations(I) of the earth are shaken.
6 “I said, ‘You are “gods”;(J)
you are all sons of the Most High.’
7 But you will die(K) like mere mortals;
you will fall like every other ruler.”
Psalm 83[c]
A song. A psalm of Asaph.
1 O God, do not remain silent;(O)
do not turn a deaf ear,
do not stand aloof, O God.
2 See how your enemies growl,(P)
how your foes rear their heads.(Q)
3 With cunning they conspire(R) against your people;
they plot against those you cherish.(S)
4 “Come,” they say, “let us destroy(T) them as a nation,(U)
so that Israel’s name is remembered(V) no more.”
5 With one mind they plot together;(W)
they form an alliance against you—
6 the tents of Edom(X) and the Ishmaelites,
of Moab(Y) and the Hagrites,(Z)
7 Byblos,(AA) Ammon(AB) and Amalek,(AC)
Philistia,(AD) with the people of Tyre.(AE)
8 Even Assyria(AF) has joined them
to reinforce Lot’s descendants.[d](AG)
9 Do to them as you did to Midian,(AH)
as you did to Sisera(AI) and Jabin(AJ) at the river Kishon,(AK)
10 who perished at Endor(AL)
and became like dung(AM) on the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,(AN)
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,(AO)
12 who said, “Let us take possession(AP)
of the pasturelands of God.”
13 Make them like tumbleweed, my God,
like chaff(AQ) before the wind.
14 As fire consumes the forest
or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,(AR)
15 so pursue them with your tempest(AS)
and terrify them with your storm.(AT)
16 Cover their faces with shame,(AU) Lord,
so that they will seek your name.
17 May they ever be ashamed and dismayed;(AV)
may they perish in disgrace.(AW)
18 Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord(AX)—
that you alone are the Most High(AY) over all the earth.(AZ)
Psalm 84[e]
For the director of music. According to gittith.[f] Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 How lovely is your dwelling place,(BA)
Lord Almighty!
2 My soul yearns,(BB) even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.(BC)
3 Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,(BD)
Lord Almighty,(BE) my King(BF) and my God.(BG)
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.[g]
5 Blessed are those whose strength(BH) is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.(BI)
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;(BJ)
the autumn(BK) rains also cover it with pools.[h]
7 They go from strength to strength,(BL)
till each appears(BM) before God in Zion.(BN)
8 Hear my prayer,(BO) Lord God Almighty;
listen to me, God of Jacob.
9 Look on our shield,[i](BP) O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.(BQ)
10 Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper(BR) in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the Lord God is a sun(BS) and shield;(BT)
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold(BU)
from those whose walk is blameless.
12 Lord Almighty,
blessed(BV) is the one who trusts in you.
Footnotes
- Psalm 82:2 The Hebrew is plural.
- Psalm 82:2 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
- Psalm 83:1 In Hebrew texts 83:1-18 is numbered 83:2-19.
- Psalm 83:8 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
- Psalm 84:1 In Hebrew texts 84:1-12 is numbered 84:2-13.
- Psalm 84:1 Title: Probably a musical term
- Psalm 84:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 8.
- Psalm 84:6 Or blessings
- Psalm 84:9 Or sovereign
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.