1 I s righteousness indeed silent? Do ye speak it? Do ye judge with equity, ye sons of men?

Do you indeed in silence speak righteousness, O you mighty ones? Do you judge fairly and uprightly, O you sons of men?

2 Y ea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.

No, in your heart you devise wickedness; you deal out in the land the violence of your hands.

3 T he wicked go astray from the womb; they err as soon as they are born, speaking lies.

The ungodly are perverse and estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.

4 T heir poison is like the poison of a serpent: like the deaf adder which stoppeth her ear;

Their poison is like the venom of a serpent; they are like the deaf adder or asp that stops its ear,

5 W hich doth not hearken to the voice of enchanters, of one charming ever so wisely.

Which listens not to the voice of charmers or of the enchanter never casting spells so cunningly.

6 O God, break their teeth in their mouth; break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Jehovah.

Break their teeth, O God, in their mouths; break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord.

7 L et them melt away as waters that flow off; when he aimeth his arrows, let them be as blunted:

Let them melt away as water which runs on apace; when he aims his arrows, let them be as if they were headless or split apart.

8 L et them be as a snail that melteth as it passeth away; the untimely birth of a woman, let them not see the sun.

Let them be as a snail dissolving slime as it passes on or as a festering sore which wastes away, like a woman gives untimely birth that has not seen the sun.

9 B efore your pots feel the thorns, green or burning,—they shall be whirled away.

Before your pots can feel the thorns, He will take them away as with a whirlwind, the green and the burning ones alike.

10 T he righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance; he shall wash his footsteps in the blood of the wicked:

The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.

11 A nd men shall say, Verily there is fruit for the righteous; verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth.

Men will say, Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God Who judges on the earth.