Psalm 58

Psalm 58

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.

^*Do you rulers indeed speak justly?^a

Do you judge people with equity?

No, in your heart you devise injustice,^b

and your hands mete out violence on the earth.^c

Even from birth the wicked go astray;

from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.

Their venom is like the venom of a snake,^d

like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,

that will not heed^e the tune of the charmer,^f

however skillful the enchanter may be.

Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;^g

Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions!^h

Let them vanish like water that flows away;ⁱ

when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.^j

May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,^k

like a stillborn child^l that never sees the sun.

Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns^m—

whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away.ⁿ

The righteous will be glad^o when they are avenged,^p

when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.^q

Then people will say,

“Surely the righteous still are rewarded;^r

surely there is a God who judges the earth.”^s