Psalms 58

1 To the chief Musician, Al-taschith, Michtam of David. Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?

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.

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

For you work iniquities in [your] hearts in the earth: your hands plot unrighteousness.

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

Sinners have gone astray from the womb: they go astray from the belly: they speak lies.

4 Their poison [is] like the poison of a serpent: [they are] like the deaf adder [that] stoppeth her ear;

Their venom is like [that] of a serpent; as [that] of a deaf asp, and that stops her ears;

5 Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.

which will not hear the voice of charmers, nor [heed] the charm prepared skilfully by the wise.

6 Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD.

God has crushed their teeth in their mouth: God has broken the cheek-teeth of the lions.

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.

They shall utterly pass away like water running through: he shall bend his bow till they shall fail.

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.

They shall be destroyed as melted wax: the fire has fallen and they have not seen the sun.

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 thorns feel the white thorn, he shall swallow you up as living, as in his wrath.

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

The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance of the ungodly: he shall wash his hands in the blood of the sinner.

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.

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.