Psalms 58
1 For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A poem by David. Do you indeed speak righteousness, silent ones? Do you judge blamelessly, you sons of men?
`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 snake, like a deaf cobra 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, Yahweh.
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 like 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.
