Psalms 58

1 For the Chief Musician; [set to] Al-tashheth. [A Psalm] of David: Michtam. Do ye indeed in silence speak righteousness? do ye judge uprightly, O ye 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 Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh 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 are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be 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 serpent: [they are] like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;

Woodnesse is to hem, bi the licnesse of a serpent; as of a deef snake, and stoppynge hise eeris.

5 Which hearkeneth not to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.

Which schal not here the vois of charmeris; and of a venym makere charmynge wiseli.

6 Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD.

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 melt away as water that runneth apace: when he aimeth his arrows, let them be as though they were cut off.

Thei schulen come to nouyt, as water rennynge awei; he bente his bouwe, til thei ben maad sijk.

8 [Let them be] as a snail which melteth and passeth away: [like] the untimely birth of a woman, that hath 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 thorns, he shall take them away with a whirlwind, 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 seeth 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, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth.

And a man schal seie treuli, For fruyt is to a iust man; treuli God is demynge hem in erthe.