Psalm 58
The Judge of Unjust Rulers
1 For the director. According to “Do not destroy.” A miktam of David.
2 O you rulers, do you render justice?
Do you judge your people impartially?
3 No! You devise wickedness in your hearts,
and your hands bring about violence on the earth.
4 The wicked have gone astray right from the womb;
from birth these liars have taken the wrong path.
5 Their venom is like that of a serpent;
they are as deaf as an asp that stops its ears
6 so as not to hear the voice of the charmer
no matter how skillful the spells he casts.
7 O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of these lions, O Lord.
8 Cause them to vanish like water that drains off;
make them wither like grass that is trampled.
9 Let them melt like a snail that oozes into slime
or like a stillborn child that will never see the sun.
10 Before they sprout thorns like brambles or thistles,
may your whirlwind sweep them away.
11 The righteous will rejoice
when he sees that justice has been done,
and he will bathe his feet
in the blood of the wicked.
12 Then the people will say,
“There is truly a reward for the righteous;
there is a God who dispenses justice on the earth.”
Footnotes
- Psalm 58:1
- Psalm 58:1
- Psalm 58:2
- Psalm 58:3
- Psalm 58:4
- Psalm 58:6
- Psalm 58:7
- Psalm 58:8
- Psalm 58:8
- Psalm 58:9
- Psalm 58:10
- Psalm 58:11
