58
To the chief Musician, Al-taschith, Michtam of David.
1 Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?*†
2 Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.
3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.‡
4 Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;§**
5 Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.††
6 Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD.
7 Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.
8 As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun.
9 Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath.‡‡
10 The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.§§
* 58:1 Al-taschith…: or, Destroy not † 58:1 Michtam: or, A golden Psalm ‡ 58:3 as soon…: Heb. from the belly § 58:4 like the poison: Heb. according to the likeness, etc ** 58:4 adder: or, asp †† 58:5 charming…: or, be the charmer never so cunning ‡‡ 58:9 both…: Heb. as living as wrath §§ 58:11 a reward…: Heb. fruit of the, etc