Psalms 58
1 `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.
For the Leader; Al-tashheth. A Psalm of David; Michtam. Do ye indeed speak as a righteous company? Do ye judge with equity the sons of men?
2 For in herte ye worchen wickidnesse in erthe; youre hondis maken redi vnriytfulnessis.
Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh out in the earth the violence of your hands.
3 Synneris weren maad aliens fro the wombe; thei erriden fro the wombe, thei spaken false thingis.
The wicked are estranged from the womb; the speakers of lies go astray as soon as they are born.
4 Woodnesse is to hem, bi the licnesse of a serpent; as of a deef snake, and stoppynge hise eeris.
Their venom is like the venom of a serpent; they are like the deaf asp that stoppeth her ear;
5 Which schal not here the vois of charmeris; and of a venym makere charmynge wiseli.
Which hearkeneth not to the voice of charmers, or of the most cunning binder of spells.
6 God schal al to-breke the teeth of hem in her mouth; the Lord schal breke togidere the greet teeth of liouns.
Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth; break out the cheek-teeth of the young lions, O LORD.
7 Thei schulen come to nouyt, as water rennynge awei; he bente his bouwe, til thei ben maad sijk.
Let them melt away as water that runneth apace; when he aimeth his arrows, let them be as though they were cut off.
8 As wexe that fletith awei, thei schulen be takun awei; fier felle aboue, and thei siyen not the sunne.
Let them be as a snail which melteth and passeth away; like the untimely births of a woman, that have not seen the sun.
9 Bifore that youre thornes vndurstoden the ramne; he swolewith hem so in ire, as lyuynge men.
Before your pots can feel the thorns, He will sweep it away with a whirlwind, the raw and the burning alike.
10 The iust man schal be glad, whanne he schal se veniaunce; he schal waische hise hondis in the blood of a synner.
The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance; he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 And a man schal seie treuli, For fruyt is to a iust man; treuli God is demynge hem in erthe.
And men shall say: 'Verily there is a reward for the righteous; verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth.'
