Psalms 58
1 For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A poem by David. Do you indeed speak righteousness, silent ones? Do you judge blamelessly, you sons of men?
To the Chief Musician. "Do not Destroy." A precious Psalm, of David. Are ye, indeed, silent [when] righteousness, ye should speak? When, with equity, ye should judge, O ye sons of men?
2 No, in your heart you plot injustice. You measure out the violence of your hands in the earth.
Aye! ye all do work, perversity, —Throughout the land, your hands, weigh out, violence!
3 The wicked go astray from the womb. They are wayward as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
Lawless men have been estranged from birth, They have gone astray from their nativity, speaking falsehood;
4 Their poison is like the poison of a snake, like a deaf cobra that stops its ear,
Their poison, is like unto the poison of a serpent, Like the deaf adder, that stoppeth his ear;
5 which does not listen to the voice of charmers, no matter how skillful the charmer may be.
That will not hearken to the voice of whisperers, Though the wise one try to bind him with spells.
6 Break their teeth, God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, LORD.
O God! break away their teeth in their mouth, The biters of the young lions, knock thou out, O Yahweh!
7 Let them vanish like water that flows away. When they draw the bow, let their arrows be made blunt.
Let such men flow away like waters that disperse themselves: He prepareth his arrow, Like [grass] let them be cut down:
8 Let them be like a snail which melts and passes away, like the stillborn child, who has not seen the sun.
Like a snail, which melteth away as it goeth, An untimely birth of a woman, which hath not seen the sun:
9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns, he will sweep away the green and the burning alike.
Before your kettles can perceive the [kindled] bramble, Be he green or be he withered, he shall be swept away.
10 The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,
The righteous man will rejoice when he hath seen an avenging, His feet, will he bathe in the blood of the lawless one: —
11 so that men shall say, “Most certainly there is a reward for the righteous. Most certainly there is a God who judges the earth.”
So that a son of earth may say—Surely there is fruit for the righteous man! Surely there are gods who judge in the earth!
