Psalm 58
Psalm 58a
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.b
1 Do you rulers indeed speak justly?c
Do you judge people with equity?
2 No, in your heart you devise injustice,d
and your hands mete out violence on the earth.e
3 Even from birth the wicked go astray;
from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.
4 Their venom is like the venom of a snake,f
like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,
5 that will not heedg the tune of the charmer,h
however skillful the enchanter may be.
6 Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;i
Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions!j
7 Let them vanish like water that flows away;k
when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.l
8 May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,m
like a stillborn childn that never sees the sun.
9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thornso—
whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away.c p
10 The righteous will be gladq when they are avenged,r
when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.s
“Surely the righteous still are rewarded;t
surely there is a God who judges the earth.”u