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

Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones? Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men?

2 N o, in your heart you do what is wrong. You use your hands to hurt and destroy in the land.

No, in heart you work wickedness; You weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.

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

The wicked are 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 snake. They are like a cobra that cannot or will not listen.

Their poison is like the poison of a serpent; They are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear,

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

Which will not heed the voice of charmers, Charming ever so skillfully.

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

Break their teeth in their mouth, O God! Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!

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

Let them flow away as waters which run continually; When he bends his bow, Let his arrows be as if cut in pieces.

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

Let them be like a snail which melts away as it goes, Like a stillborn child of a woman, that they may not see the sun.

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

Before your pots can feel the burning thorns, He shall take them away as with a whirlwind, As in His living and burning wrath.

10 T he 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.

The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,

11 A nd 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.”

So that men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely He is God who judges in the earth.”