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 Overseer. — 'Destroy not.' — A secret treasure, by David. Is it true, O dumb one, righteously ye speak? Uprightly ye judge, O sons of men?
2 For in herte ye worchen wickidnesse in erthe; youre hondis maken redi vnriytfulnessis.
Even in heart ye work iniquities, In the land the violence of your hands ye ponder.
3 Synneris weren maad aliens fro the wombe; thei erriden fro the wombe, thei spaken false thingis.
The wicked have been estranged from the womb, They have erred from the belly, speaking lies.
4 Woodnesse is to hem, bi the licnesse of a serpent; as of a deef snake, and stoppynge hise eeris.
Their poison [is] as poison of a serpent, As a deaf asp shutting its ear,
5 Which schal not here the vois of charmeris; and of a venym makere charmynge wiseli.
Which hearkeneth not to the voice of whisperers, A charmer of charms most skilful.
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 their teeth in their mouth, The jaw-teeth of young lions break down, O Jehovah.
7 Thei schulen come to nouyt, as water rennynge awei; he bente his bouwe, til thei ben maad sijk.
They are melted as waters, They go up and down for themselves, His arrow proceedeth as they cut themselves off.
8 As wexe that fletith awei, thei schulen be takun awei; fier felle aboue, and thei siyen not the sunne.
As a snail that melteth he goeth on, [As] an untimely birth of a woman, They 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 discern the bramble, As well the raw as the heated He whirleth 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 rejoiceth that he hath seen vengeance, His steps he washeth 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 man saith: 'Surely fruit [is] for the righteous: Surely there is a God judging in the earth!'
