¹ Justice—do you rulers^[b] 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.^[c]
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.”