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. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A poem by David. Do you indeed speak righteousness, silent ones? Do you judge blamelessly, you sons of men?

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

No, in your heart you plot injustice. You measure 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 go astray from the womb. They are wayward as soon as they are 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 snake, like a deaf cobra that stops its ear,

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

which doesn’t listen to the voice of charmers, no matter how skilful the charmer may be.

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

Break their teeth, God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, 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 vanish like water that flows away. When they draw the bow, let their arrows be made blunt.

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 like a snail which melts and passes away, like the stillborn child, who has 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 heat of the thorns, he will sweep away 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 sees 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, “Most certainly there is a reward for the righteous. Most certainly there is a God who judges the earth.”