Psalms 58
1 To the Chief Musician. "Do not Destroy." A precious Psalm, of David. Are ye, indeed, silent [when] righteousness, ye should speak? When, with equity, ye should judge, O ye sons of men?
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?
2 Aye! ye all do work, perversity, —Throughout the land, your hands, weigh out, violence!
Even in heart you work iniquities, In the land you ponder the violence of your hands.
3 Lawless men have been estranged from birth, They have gone astray from their nativity, speaking falsehood;
The wicked have been estranged from the womb, They have erred from the belly, speaking lies.
4 Their poison, is like unto the poison of a serpent, Like the deaf adder, that stoppeth his ear;
Their poison [is] as poison of a serpent, As a deaf cobra shutting its ear,
5 That will not hearken to the voice of whisperers, Though the wise one try to bind him with spells.
Which does not listen to the voice of whisperers, A charmer of most skillful charms.
6 O God! break away their teeth in their mouth, The biters of the young lions, knock thou out, O Yahweh!
O God, break their teeth in their mouth, Break down the jaw-teeth of young lions, O YHWH.
7 Let such men flow away like waters that disperse themselves: He prepareth his arrow, Like [grass] let them be cut down:
They are melted as waters, They go up and down for themselves, His arrow proceeds as they cut themselves off.
8 Like a snail, which melteth away as it goeth, An untimely birth of a woman, which hath not seen the sun:
He goes on as a snail that melts, [As] an untimely birth of a woman, They have not seen the sun.
9 Before your kettles can perceive the [kindled] bramble, Be he green or be he withered, he shall be swept away.
Before your pots discern the bramble, As living, He whirls away in His burning anger.
10 The righteous man will rejoice when he hath seen an avenging, His feet, will he bathe in the blood of the lawless one: —
The righteous rejoices that he has seen vengeance, He washes his steps in the blood of the wicked.
11 So that a son of earth may say—Surely there is fruit for the righteous man! Surely there are gods who judge in the earth!
And man says: “Surely fruit [is] for the righteous: Surely there is a God judging in the earth!”
