Psalm 58^[a]

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

¹ Do you rulers indeed speak justly?Do you judge people with equity?² No, in your heart you devise injustice,and your hands mete out violence on the earth.

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,like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,⁵ that will not heed the tune of the charmer,however skillful the enchanter may be.

⁶ Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions!⁷ Let them vanish like water that flows away;when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.⁸ May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,like a stillborn child that never sees the sun.

⁹ Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns—whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away.^[c]10 The righteous will be glad when they are avenged,when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.¹¹ Then people will say,“Surely the righteous still are rewarded;surely there is a God who judges the earth.”