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.
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?
2 For in herte ye worchen wickidnesse in erthe; youre hondis maken redi vnriytfulnessis.
Aye! ye all do work, perversity, —Throughout the land, your hands, weigh out, violence!
3 Synneris weren maad aliens fro the wombe; thei erriden fro the wombe, thei spaken false thingis.
Lawless men have been estranged from birth, They have gone astray from their nativity, speaking falsehood;
4 Woodnesse is to hem, bi the licnesse of a serpent; as of a deef snake, and stoppynge hise eeris.
Their poison, is like unto the poison of a serpent, Like the deaf adder, that stoppeth his ear;
5 Which schal not here the vois of charmeris; and of a venym makere charmynge wiseli.
That will not hearken to the voice of whisperers, Though the wise one try to bind him with spells.
6 God schal al to-breke the teeth of hem in her mouth; the Lord schal breke togidere the greet teeth of liouns.
O God! break away their teeth in their mouth, The biters of the young lions, knock thou out, O Yahweh!
7 Thei schulen come to nouyt, as water rennynge awei; he bente his bouwe, til thei ben maad sijk.
Let such men flow away like waters that disperse themselves: He prepareth his arrow, Like [grass] let them be cut down:
8 As wexe that fletith awei, thei schulen be takun awei; fier felle aboue, and thei siyen not the sunne.
Like a snail, which melteth away as it goeth, An untimely birth of a woman, which hath not seen the sun:
9 Bifore that youre thornes vndurstoden the ramne; he swolewith hem so in ire, as lyuynge men.
Before your kettles can perceive the [kindled] bramble, Be he green or be he withered, he shall be swept away.
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 man will rejoice when he hath seen an avenging, His feet, will he bathe in the blood of the lawless one: —
11 And a man schal seie treuli, For fruyt is to a iust man; treuli God is demynge hem in erthe.
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!
