Psalms 58

1 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?

For the end. Destroy not: by David, for a memorial. If ye do indeed speak righteousness, [then] do ye judge rightly, ye sons of men.

2 No, in your heart you plot injustice. You measure out the violence of your hands in the earth.

For ye work iniquities in [your] hearts in the earth: your hands plot unrighteousness.

3 The wicked go astray from the womb. They are wayward as soon as they are born, speaking lies.

Sinners have gone astray from the womb: they go astray from the belly: they speak lies.

4 Their poison is like the poison of a snake, like a deaf cobra that stops its ear,

Their venom is like [that] of a serpent; as [that] of a deaf asp, and that stops her ears;

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

which will not hear the voice of charmers, nor [heed] the charm prepared skillfully by the wise.

6 Break their teeth, God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, Yahweh.

God has crushed their teeth in their mouth: God has broken the cheek-teeth of the lions.

7 Let them vanish like water that flows away. When they draw the bow, let their arrows be made blunt.

They shall utterly pass away like water running through: he shall bend his bow till they shall fail.

8 Let them be like a snail which melts and passes away, like the stillborn child, who has not seen the sun.

They shall be destroyed as melted wax: the fire has fallen and they have not seen the sun.

9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns, he will sweep away the green and the burning alike.

Before your thorns feel the white thorn, he shall swallow you up as living, as in his wrath.

10 The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,

The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance of the ungodly: he shall wash his hands in the blood of the sinner.

11 so that men shall say, “Most certainly there is a reward for the righteous. Most certainly there is a God who judges the earth.”

And a man shall say, Verily then there is a reward for the righteous: verily there is a God that judges them in the earth.