1 D o you indeed speak righteousness, silent ones? Do you judge blamelessly, you sons of men?

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

2 N o, in your heart you plot injustice. You measure out the violence of your hands in the earth.

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

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

The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth.

4 T heir poison is like the poison of a snake; like a deaf cobra that stops its ear,

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

5 w hich doesn’t listen to the voice of charmers, no matter how skillful the charmer may be.

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

6 B reak their teeth, God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, Yahweh.

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

7 L et them vanish like water that flows away. When they draw the bow, let their arrows be made blunt.

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

8 L et them be like a snail which melts and passes away, like the stillborn child, who has not seen the sun.

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

9 B efore your pots can feel the heat of the thorns, he will sweep away the green and the burning alike.

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

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

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

11 s o that men shall say, “Most certainly there is a reward for the righteous. Most certainly there is a God who judges the earth.”

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