Psalms 58

1 For the Leader; Al-tashheth. A Psalm of David; Michtam. Do ye indeed speak as a righteous company? Do ye judge with equity the sons of men?

For the chief musician; set to Al Tashheth. A psalm of David. A michtam. Do you rulers speak righteousness? Do you judge uprightly, you people?

2 Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh out in the earth the violence of your hands.

No, you commit wickedness in your heart; you distribute violence throughout the land with your hands.

3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; the speakers of lies go astray as soon as they are born.

The wicked go astray even when they are in the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies.

4 Their venom is like the venom of a serpent; they are like the deaf asp that stoppeth her ear;

Their poison is like a snake's poison; they are like a deaf adder that stops up its ears,

5 Which hearkeneth not to the voice of charmers, or of the most cunning binder of spells.

that pays no attention to the voice of charmers, no matter how skillful they are.

6 Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth; break out the cheek-teeth of the young lions, O LORD.

Break their teeth in their mouths, God; break out the great teeth of the young lions, Yahweh.

7 Let them melt away as water that runneth apace; when he aimeth his arrows, let them be as though they were cut off.

Let them melt away as water that runs off; when they shoot their arrows, let them be as though they had no points.

8 Let them be as a snail which melteth and passeth away; like the untimely births of a woman, that have not seen the sun.

Let them be like a snail that melts and passes away, like the untimely-born child of a woman that never sees the sunlight.

9 Before your pots can feel the thorns, He will sweep it away with a whirlwind, the raw and the burning alike.

Before your pots can feel the thorn's burning heat, he will take them away with a whirlwind, the green thorns and the burning thorns alike.

10 The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance; he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.

The righteous will rejoice when he sees God's vengeance; he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,

11 And men shall say: 'Verily there is a reward for the righteous; verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth.'

so that men will say, “Truly, there is a reward for the righteous person; truly there is a God who judges the earth.”