< 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?
Unto the end, destroy not, for David, for an inscription of a title. If in very deed you speak justice: judge right things, ye sons of men.
2 No, in your heart you plot injustice. You measure out the violence of your hands in the earth.
For in your heart you work iniquity: your hands forge injustice in the earth.
3 The wicked go astray from the womb. They are wayward as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
The wicked are alienated from the womb; they have gone astray from the womb: they have spoken false things.
4 Their poison is like the poison of a serpent; like a deaf viper that stops its ear,
Their madness is according to the likeness of a serpent: like the deaf asp that stoppeth her ears:
5 which doesn't listen to the voice of charmers, no matter how skillful the charmer may be.
Which will not hear the voice of the charmers; nor of the wizard that charmeth wisely.
6 Break their teeth, God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, Jehovah.
God shall break in pieces their teeth in their mouth: the Lord shall break the grinders of the lions.
7 Let them vanish as water that flows away. When they draw the bow, let their arrows be made blunt.
They shall come to nothing, like water running down; he hath bent his bow till they be weakened.
8 Let them be like a snail which melts and passes away, like the stillborn child, who has not seen the sun.
Like wax that melteth they shall be taken away: fire hath fallen on them, and they shall not see the sun.
9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns, he will sweep away the green and the burning alike.
Before your thorns could know the brier; he swalloweth them up, as alive, in his wrath.
10 The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked;
The just shall rejoice when he shall see the revenge: he shall wash his hands in the blood of the sinner.
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 man shall say: If indeed there be fruit to the just: there is indeed a God that judgeth them on the earth.

< Psalms 58 >