Psalm 58

A Cry against Injustice

For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.”[a] A Davidic Miktam.

Do you really speak righteously, you mighty ones?[b]
Do you judge people fairly?(A)
No, you practice injustice in your hearts;
with your hands you weigh out violence in the land.(B)

The wicked go astray from the womb;
liars err from birth.(C)
They have venom like the venom of a snake,
like the deaf cobra that stops up its ears,(D)
that does not listen to the sound of the charmers
who skillfully weave spells.(E)

God, knock the teeth out of their mouths;
Lord, tear out the young lions’ fangs.(F)
They will vanish like water that flows by;
they will aim their useless arrows.[c][d](G)
Like a slug that moves along in slime,
like a woman’s miscarried child,
they will not see the sun.(H)

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

  1. Psalm 58:1 Possibly a tune
  2. Psalm 58:1 Or Can you really speak righteousness in silence?
  3. Psalm 58:7 Or their arrows as if they were circumcised; Hb obscure
  4. Psalm 58:7 Or they wither like trampled grass
  5. Psalm 58:9 Or thorns, He will sweep it away, whether raw or cooking, or thorns, He will sweep him away alive in fury

To the Director: A special Davidic psalm[a] to the tune of[b] “Do Not Destroy”.

A Prayer for Justice

58 How is it that by remaining silent you can speak righteously?
    How can you judge people fairly?
As a matter of fact, in your heart you plan iniquities!
    In the land your hands are violent!

The wicked go astray from the womb;
    they go astray, telling lies even from birth.
Their venom is like a poisonous snake;
    even like a deaf serpent that shuts its ears,
refusing to hear the voice of the snake charmer,
    the cunning enchanter.

God, shatter their teeth in their mouths;
    Lord, break the fangs of the young lions!
May they flow away like rain water that runs off,
    may they become like someone who shoots broken arrows.
May they be like a snail that dries up as it crawls;
    like a woman’s stillborn baby, who never saw the sun.
Before your clay pots are placed on a fire of burning[c] thorns—
    whether green or ablaze—
        wrath will sweep them away like a storm.

10 The righteous person will rejoice when he sees your[d] vengeance;
    when he washes his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 A person will say,
    “Certainly, the righteous are rewarded;
        certainly there is a God who judges the earth.”

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 58:1 The Heb. reads miktam
  2. Psalm 58:1 Lit. David according to
  3. Psalm 58:9 The Heb. lacks a fire of burning
  4. Psalm 58:10 The Heb. lacks your