[1] For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David. Do you indeed speak justly, O rulers? Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men? [2] No, in your hearts you devise injustice; with your hands you mete out violence on the earth. [3] The wicked are estranged from the womb; the liars go astray from birth. [4] Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like a cobra that shuts its ears, [5] refusing to hear the tune of the charmer who skillfully weaves his spell. [6] O God, shatter their teeth in their mouths; O LORD, tear out the fangs of the lions. [7] May they vanish like water that runs off; when they draw the bow, may their arrows be blunted. [8] Like a slug that dissolves in its slime, like a woman’s stillborn child, may they never see the sun. [9] Before your pots can feel the burning thorns—whether green or dry—He will sweep them away. [10] The righteous will rejoice when they see they are avenged; they will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked. [11] Then men will say, “There is surely a reward for the righteous! There is surely a God who judges the earth!”
