Psalms 58

1 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?

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?

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

Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.

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

The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

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

Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: [they are] like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Let them be] as a snail which melteth and passeth away: [like] the untimely birth of a woman, that hath not seen the sun.

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

Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away with a whirlwind, the green and the burning alike.

10 The righteous man will rejoice when he hath seen an avenging, His feet, will he bathe in the blood of the lawless one: —

The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.

11 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!

So that men shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth.