Psalm 58
Lexham English Bible
Judgment on the Wicked
For the music director, according to Do not Destroy.
Of David. A miktam.[a]
58 Do you really speak what is right when silent?[b]
Do you judge fairly the children of humankind?[c]
2 No, in your heart you plan injustices;
in the land[d] you weigh out the violence of your hands.
3 The wicked are estranged from the womb.
They go astray from the belly, speaking lies.
4 Their venom is like snake venom;
They are like a deaf viper that closes its ear
5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers
or the skilled caster of spells.
6 O God, break their teeth in their mouth.
Break off the fangs of the young lions, O Yahweh.
7 Let them run away like water that runs off.
When he bends the bow, let his arrows be as though they were cut off.[e]
8 Let them be like a snail that melts away as it goes;
like the stillborn of woman that do not see the sun.
9 Before your pots can feel the heat of a thornbush,
whether green or dry,[f] he will sweep it away.[g]
10 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 And people[h] will say, “Surely there is a reward[i] for the righteous.
Surely there is a God who judges in the land.”[j]
Footnotes
- Psalm 58:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
- Psalm 58:1 A slight emendation of the Hebrew text yields “what is right, O gods,” or “O mighty ones”
- Psalm 58:1 Or “Do you judge fairly, O sons of humankind?”
- Psalm 58:2 Or “on the earth”
- Psalm 58:7 Or “as though they were withered stalks”
- Psalm 58:9 Literally “burning”
- Psalm 58:9 The Hebrew of this verse is difficult to interpret
- Psalm 58:11 Hebrew “a person”
- Psalm 58:11 Literally “fruit”
- Psalm 58:11 Or “on the earth”
Psalm 58
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 58
A Cry against Injustice
For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.”[a] A Davidic Miktam.
1 Do you really speak righteously, you mighty ones?[b]
Do you judge people fairly?(A)
2 No, you practice injustice in your hearts;
with your hands you weigh out violence in the land.(B)
3 The wicked go astray from the womb;
liars err from birth.(C)
4 They have venom like the venom of a snake,
like the deaf cobra that stops up its ears,(D)
5 that does not listen to the sound of the charmers
who skillfully weave spells.(E)
6 God, knock the teeth out of their mouths;
Lord, tear out the young lions’ fangs.(F)
7 They will vanish like water that flows by;
they will aim their useless arrows.[c][d](G)
8 Like a slug that moves along in slime,
like a woman’s miscarried child,
they will not see the sun.(H)
9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns—
whether green or burning—
He will sweep them away.[e](I)
10 The righteous one will rejoice
when he sees the retribution;(J)
he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.(K)
11 Then people will say,
“Yes, there is a reward for the righteous!
There is a God who judges on earth!”(L)
Footnotes
- Psalm 58:1 Possibly a tune
- Psalm 58:1 Or Can you really speak righteousness in silence?
- Psalm 58:7 Or their arrows as if they were circumcised; Hb obscure
- Psalm 58:7 Or they wither like trampled grass
- Psalm 58:9 Or thorns, He will sweep it away, whether raw or cooking, or thorns, He will sweep him away alive in fury
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