1 D o ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?

Do you speak what is right and good, O you powerful ones? Are you always right in how you judge, O sons of men?

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

No, in your heart you do what is wrong. You use your hands to hurt and destroy in the land.

3 T he wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

The sinful go wrong as soon as they are born. Those who speak lies go the wrong way from birth.

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

Their poison is like the poison of a snake. They are like a cobra that cannot or will not listen.

5 W hich will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.

It does not hear the voice of the man who has power over it, even if the man is very good in his work.

6 B reak their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord.

O God, break the teeth in their mouth. Break out the teeth of the young lions, O Lord.

7 L et them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.

Let them flow away like water that pours. When he uses his arrows, let them have no heads.

8 A s a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun.

Let them be like a snail that melts away as it goes. Like a baby born dead, may they never see the sun.

9 B efore your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath.

Before your pots can feel the fire of thorns, He will blow them away with a storm, both the green and the burning ones.

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

The one who is right and good will be full of joy when he sees the sinful punished. He will wash his feet in their blood.

11 S o that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.

And men will say, “For sure there is pay for those who are right and good. For sure there is a God Who says who is guilty or not on the earth.”