Chapter 58

God Judges the Earth

For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam^a of David.

¹Do you indeed speak justly, O rulers?

Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men?

²No, in your hearts you devise injustice;

with your hands you mete out violence on the earth.

³The wicked are estranged from the womb;

the liars go astray from birth.

⁴Their venom is like the venom of a snake,

like a cobra that shuts its ears,

⁵refusing to hear the tune of the charmer

who skillfully weaves his spell.

⁶O God, shatter their teeth in their mouths;

O LORD, tear out the fangs of the lions.

⁷May they vanish

like water that runs off;

when they draw the bow,

may their arrows be blunted.^b

⁸Like a slug that dissolves in its slime,

like a woman’s stillborn child,

may they never see the sun.

⁹Before your pots can feel the burning thorns—

whether green or dry—

He will sweep them away.

¹⁰The righteous will rejoice

when they see they are avenged;

they will wash their feet

in the blood of the wicked.

¹¹Then men will say,

“There is surely a reward for the righteous!

There is surely a God who judges the earth!”