1 D o you indeed speak righteousness, O gods? Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men?

Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?

2 N o, in heart you work unrighteousness; On earth you weigh out the violence of your hands.

Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.

3 T he wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth.

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

4 T hey have venom like the venom of a serpent; Like a deaf cobra that stops up its ear,

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

5 S o that it does not hear the voice of charmers, Or a skillful caster of spells.

Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.

6 O God, shatter their teeth in their mouth; Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord.

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

7 L et them flow away like water that runs off; When he aims his arrows, let them be as headless shafts.

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

8 L et them be as a snail which melts away as it goes along, Like the miscarriages of a woman which never see the sun.

As 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.

9 B efore your pots can feel the fire of thorns He will sweep them away with a whirlwind, the green and the burning alike.

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

10 T he righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.

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

11 A nd men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely there is a God who judges on earth!”

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