< Psalms 58 >
1 To him that excelleth. Destroy not. A Psalme of David on Michtam. Is it true? O Congregation, speake ye iustly? O sonnes of men, iudge ye vprightly?
To the Overseer. — 'Destroy not.' — A secret treasure, by David. Is it true, O dumb one, righteously ye speak? Uprightly ye judge, O sons of men?
2 Yea, rather ye imagine mischiefe in your heart: your hands execute crueltie vpon the earth.
Even in heart ye work iniquities, In the land the violence of your hands ye ponder.
3 The wicked are strangers from ye wombe: euen from the belly haue they erred, and speake lyes.
The wicked have been estranged from the womb, They have erred from the belly, speaking lies.
4 Their poyson is euen like the poyson of a serpent: like ye deafe adder that stoppeth his eare.
Their poison [is] as poison of a serpent, As a deaf asp shutting its ear,
5 Which heareth not the voyce of the inchanter, though he be most expert in charming.
Which hearkeneth not to the voice of whisperers, A charmer of charms most skilful.
6 Breake their teeth, O God, in their mouthes: breake the iawes of the yong lions, O Lord.
O God, break their teeth in their mouth, The jaw-teeth of young lions break down, O Jehovah.
7 Let them melt like the waters, let them passe away: when hee shooteth his arrowes, let them be as broken.
They are melted as waters, They go up and down for themselves, His arrow proceedeth as they cut themselves off.
8 Let them consume like a snayle that melteth, and like the vntimely fruite of a woman, that hath not seene the sunne.
As a snail that melteth he goeth on, [As] an untimely birth of a woman, They have not seen the sun.
9 As raw flesh before your pots feele the fire of thornes: so let him cary them away as with a whirlewinde in his wrath.
Before your pots discern the bramble, As well the raw as the heated He whirleth away.
10 The righteous shall reioyce when he seeeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feete in the blood of the wicked.
The righteous rejoiceth that he hath seen vengeance, His steps he washeth in the blood of the wicked.
11 And men shall say, Verily there is fruite for the righteous: doutlesse there is a God that iudgeth in the earth.
And man saith: 'Surely fruit [is] for the righteous: Surely there is a God judging in the earth!'