[1] Justice-do you rulers know the meaning of the word? Do you judge the people fairly? [2] No! You plot injustice in your hearts. You spread violence throughout the land. [3] These wicked people are born sinners; even from birth they have lied and gone their own way. [4] They spit venom like deadly snakes; they are like cobras that refuse to listen, [5] ignoring the tunes of the snake charmers, no matter how skillfully they play. [6] Break off their fangs, O God! Smash the jaws of these lions, O LORD! [7] May they disappear like water into thirsty ground. Make their weapons useless in their hands. [8] May they be like snails that dissolve into slime, like a stillborn child who will never see the sun. [9] God will sweep them away, both young and old, faster than a pot heats over burning thorns. [10] The godly will rejoice when they see injustice avenged. They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked. [11] Then at last everyone will say, "There truly is a reward for those who live for God; surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth."
