Psalms 58

1 To him that excelleth. Destroy not. A Psalme of David on Michtam. Is it true? O Congregation, speake ye iustly? O sonnes of men, iudge ye vprightly?

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 Yea, rather ye imagine mischiefe in your heart: your hands execute crueltie vpon the earth.

Aye! ye all do work, perversity, —Throughout the land, your hands, weigh out, violence!

3 The wicked are strangers from ye wombe: euen from the belly haue they erred, and speake lyes.

Lawless men have been estranged from birth, They have gone astray from their nativity, speaking falsehood;

4 Their poyson is euen like the poyson of a serpent: like ye deafe adder that stoppeth his eare.

Their poison, is like unto the poison of a serpent, Like the deaf adder, that stoppeth his ear;

5 Which heareth not the voyce of the inchanter, though he be most expert in charming.

That will not hearken to the voice of whisperers, Though the wise one try to bind him with spells.

6 Breake their teeth, O God, in their mouthes: breake the iawes of the yong lions, O Lord.

O God! break away their teeth in their mouth, The biters of the young lions, knock thou out, O Yahweh!

7 Let them melt like the waters, let them passe away: when hee shooteth his arrowes, let them be as broken.

Let such men flow away like waters that disperse themselves: He prepareth his arrow, Like [grass] let them be cut down:

8 Let them consume like a snayle that melteth, and like the vntimely fruite of a woman, that hath not seene the sunne.

Like a snail, which melteth away as it goeth, An untimely birth of a woman, which hath not seen the sun:

9 As raw flesh before your pots feele the fire of thornes: so let him cary them away as with a whirlewinde in his wrath.

Before your kettles can perceive the [kindled] bramble, Be he green or be he withered, he shall be swept away.

10 The righteous shall reioyce when he seeeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feete in the blood of the wicked.

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 men shall say, Verily there is fruite for the righteous: doutlesse there is a God that iudgeth in the earth.

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!