Psalms 58
1 For the end. Destroy not: by David, for a memorial. If you do indeed speak righteousness, [then] do you judge rightly, you sons of men.
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?
2 For you work iniquities in [your] hearts in the earth: your hands plot unrighteousness.
No, in your heart you plot injustice. You measure out the violence of your hands in the earth.
3 Sinners have gone astray from the womb: they go astray from the belly: they speak lies.
The wicked go astray from the womb. They are wayward as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
4 Their venom is like [that] of a serpent; as [that] of a deaf asp, and that stops her ears;
Their poison is like the poison of a snake, like a deaf cobra that stops its ear,
5 which will not hear the voice of charmers, nor [heed] the charm prepared skilfully by the wise.
which doesn’t listen to the voice of charmers, no matter how skillful the charmer may be.
6 God has crushed their teeth in their mouth: God has broken the cheek-teeth of the lions.
Break their teeth, God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, Yahweh.
7 They shall utterly pass away like water running through: he shall bend his bow till they shall fail.
Let them vanish like water that flows away. When they draw the bow, let their arrows be made blunt.
8 They shall be destroyed as melted wax: the fire has fallen and they have not seen the sun.
Let them be like a snail which melts and passes away, like the stillborn child, who has not seen the sun.
9 Before your thorns feel the white thorn, he shall swallow you up as living, as in his wrath.
Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns, he will sweep away the green and the burning alike.
10 The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance of the ungodly: he shall wash his hands in the blood of the sinner.
The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,
11 And a man shall say, Verily then there is a reward for the righteous: verily there is a God that judges them in the earth.
so that men shall say, “Most certainly there is a reward for the righteous. Most certainly there is a God who judges the earth.”
