# Psalms 2.2
**Book:** [Psalms](/codex/psalms/) · NASB95
## Immediate context (±2 verses)
**ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/))
> 1. Why do the nations rage, And the peoples meditate a vain thing?
>
> **2. The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against Jehovah, and against his anointed, saying,**
>
> 3. Let us break their bonds asunder, And cast away their cords from us. 4. He that sitteth in the heavens will laugh: The Lord will have them in derision. (Psalms 2:1-4, ASV)
**WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/))
> 1. Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing?
>
> **2. The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take counsel together, against Yahweh, and against his Anointed, saying,**
>
> 3. “Let’s break their bonds apart, and cast their cords from us.” 4. He who sits in the heavens will laugh. The Lord will have them in derision. (Psalms 2:1-4, WEB)
**KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/))
> 1. Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? rage: or, tumultuously assemble imagine: Heb. meditate
>
> **2. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,**
>
> 3. Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 4. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. (Psalms 2:1-4, KJV)
**YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/))
> 1. Why have nations tumultuously assembled? And do peoples meditate vanity?
>
> **2. Station themselves do kings of the earth, And princes have been united together, Against Jehovah, and against His Messiah:**
>
> 3. 'Let us draw off Their cords, And cast from us Their thick bands.' 4. He who is sitting in the heavens doth laugh, The Lord doth mock at them. (Psalms 2:1-4, YLT)
## Setting
- **Speaker:** _TBD_
- **Audience:** _TBD_
- **Location:** _TBD_
- **Time period:** _TBD_
## Theological reading
_Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added._
## Key words
_Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap._
- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_
## Quoted in
**Concepts:**
- [Zeitgeist - Constructed Religion Claims](/codex/zeitgeist-constructed-religion-claims/)
**Lexicon:**
- [H4899 - mashiach](/codex/h4899-mashiach/)
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_Scripture quotations taken from the **New American Standard Bible®** (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by **The Lockman Foundation**. Used by permission. All rights reserved. [www.lockman.org](https://www.lockman.org)_
## Why these four translations
ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.
The four:
- **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.
See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.