Psalms 58
1 [For the Chief Musician. To the tune of "Do Not Destroy." A poem by David.] Do you rulers indeed speak righteousness? Do you judge blamelessly, you descendants of Adam?
`In Ebreu thus, To victorie; `lese thou not the swete song, ether the semely salm, of Dauid. `In Jeroms translacioun thus, To the ouercomere, that thou lese not Dauid, meke and simple. Forsothe if ye speken riytfulnesse verili; ye sones of men, deme riytfuli.
2 No, in your heart you plot injustice. You measure out the violence of your hands in the earth.
For in herte ye worchen wickidnesse in erthe; youre hondis maken redi vnriytfulnessis.
3 The wicked go astray from the womb. They are wayward as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
Synneris weren maad aliens fro the wombe; thei erriden fro the wombe, thei spaken false thingis.
4 Their poison is like the poison of a serpent; like a deaf viper that stops its ear,
Woodnesse is to hem, bi the licnesse of a serpent; as of a deef snake, and stoppynge hise eeris.
5 which doesn't listen to the voice of charmers, no matter how skillful the charmer may be.
Which schal not here the vois of charmeris; and of a venym makere charmynge wiseli.
6 Break their teeth, God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, LORD.
God schal al to-breke the teeth of hem in her mouth; the Lord schal breke togidere the greet teeth of liouns.
7 Let them vanish as water that flows away. When they draw the bow, let their arrows be made blunt.
Thei schulen come to nouyt, as water rennynge awei; he bente his bouwe, til thei ben maad sijk.
8 Let them be like a snail which melts and passes away, like the stillborn child, who has not seen the sun.
As wexe that fletith awei, thei schulen be takun awei; fier felle aboue, and thei siyen not the sunne.
9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns, he will sweep away the green and the burning alike.
Bifore that youre thornes vndurstoden the ramne; he swolewith hem so in ire, as lyuynge men.
10 The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked;
The iust man schal be glad, whanne he schal se veniaunce; he schal waische hise hondis in the blood of a synner.
11 so that men shall say, "Most certainly there is a reward for the righteous. Most certainly there is a God who judges the earth."
And a man schal seie treuli, For fruyt is to a iust man; treuli God is demynge hem in erthe.
