Psalm 58

Prayer for the Punishment of the Wicked.

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Do you indeed speak righteousness, O gods (heavenly beings)?

Do you judge fairly, O sons of men?^(A)
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No, in your heart you devise wrongdoing;
On earth you deal out the violence of your hands.

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The wicked are estranged from the womb;
These go astray from birth, speaking lies [even twisted partial truths].

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Their poison is like the venom of a serpent;
They are like the deaf horned viper that stops up its ear,

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So that it does not listen to the voice of charmers,
Or of the skillful enchanter casting [cunning] spells.

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

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

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Let them be as a snail which melts away (secretes slime) as it goes along,
Like the miscarriage of a woman which never sees the sun.

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Before your cooking pots can feel the fire of thorns [burning under them as fuel],
He will sweep them away with a whirlwind, the green and the burning ones alike.

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

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Men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
Surely there is a God who judges on the earth.”

Cross references:

A. Psalm 58:1: Psalm 82:1; Psalm 82:2