Psalms 58

1 Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye 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 the violence of your hands in the earth.

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

3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

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

4 Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder 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 will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.

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 great teeth of the young lions, O Yhwh.

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

7 Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.

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

8 As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see 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 shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath.

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 So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he 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.”