Psalms 58

1 TO THE OVERSEER. “DO NOT DESTROY.” A MIKTAM OF DAVID. Is it true, O silent one, that you speak righteously? Do you judge uprightly, O 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 Even in heart you work iniquities, In the land you ponder the violence of your hands.

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

3 The wicked have been estranged from the womb, They have erred from the belly, speaking lies.

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

4 Their poison [is] as poison of a serpent, As a deaf cobra shutting its ear,

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

5 Which does not listen to the voice of whisperers, A charmer of most skillful charms.

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

6 O God, break their teeth in their mouth, Break down the jaw-teeth of young lions, O YHWH.

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

7 They are melted as waters, They go up and down for themselves, His arrow proceeds as they cut themselves off.

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

8 He goes on as a snail that melts, [As] an untimely birth of a woman, They have not seen the sun.

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

9 Before your pots discern the bramble, As living, He whirls away in His burning anger.

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

10 The righteous rejoices that he has seen vengeance, He washes his steps 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 And man says: “Surely fruit [is] for the righteous: Surely there is a God judging 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.