① 1God presides in the divine council;
he gives judgment among the gods:
2“How long will you judge unjustly
and show partiality to the wicked?
3Give justice to the weak and the orphan;
defend the poor and the oppressed.
4Rescue the helpless and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
5Without knowledge and understanding,
they walk about in darkness;
all the earth’s foundations are shaken.
6“You are gods,” I said,
“you are all sons of the Most High.”
7But now you will die like the others;
you will all fall like any mortal.
8Rise, O God, judge the earth,
you who guide all the nations.
- God assembles the gods of the world, those who, at the head of the nations share the task of supreme judge. God reminds them of the sacred rights of the people. The rulers are also mortals and will have to render an account.
All the earth’s foundations are shaken. The Bible does not separate the physical from the moral world. The evil of humans destroys the order of nature and brings about disasters.
Sons of the Most High (v. 6). In many places the biblical text mentions the “sons of God.” This hebraic expression could be translated “divine beings” and most of the time refers to angels. The rulers have been called to share the dignity of those heavenly spirits but God’s judgment may deprive them of it.
