Psalm 58

Easy-to-Read Version

To the director: To the tune “Don’t Destroy.” A miktam of David.

58 You judges are not being fair in your decisions.
    You are not judging people fairly.
²No, you only think of evil things to do.
    You do violent crimes in this country.
³Those wicked people started doing wrong as soon as they were born.
    They have been liars from birth.
⁴Their anger is as deadly as the poison of a snake.^[a]
    They shut their ears like a deaf cobra
⁵that does not listen to the music of the snake charmers,
    no matter how well they play.

⁶God, they are like lions.
    So, Lord, break their teeth.
⁷May they disappear like water down a drain.
    May they be crushed like weeds on a path.^[b]
⁸May they be like snails melting away as they move.
    May they be like a baby born dead, who never saw the light of day.
⁹May they be destroyed suddenly,
    like the thorns that are burned to quickly heat a pot.

¹⁰Good people will be happy
    when they see the wicked getting the punishment they deserve.
They will feel like soldiers
    walking through the blood of their enemies!^[c]
¹¹Then people will say, “Good people really are rewarded.
    Yes, there is a God judging the world!”^[d]

Footnotes

Psalm 58:4 anger … snake A wordplay in Hebrew. The word meaning “anger” can also mean “venom” (poison).
Psalm 58:7 Or “May he shoot his arrows, cutting them down as if they were withering grass.”
Psalm 58:10 They … enemies Literally, “They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.”
Psalm 58:11 Yes … world Or “There really are judges in this land doing their job.”