Psalm 58 [Douay 57]

Psalm 58 in modern numbering

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

² No, in your heart you plot injustice. You measure out the violence of your hands on the earth.

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

⁴ Their poison is like the poison of a snake, like a deaf cobra that stops its ear,

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

⁶ Break their teeth, God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, LORD.

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

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

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

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

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

¹ UUnto the end, destroy not, for David, for an inscription of a title.

² If in very deed ye speak justice: judge right things, ye sons of men.

³ For in your heart you work iniquity: your hands forge injustice in the earth.

⁴ The wicked are alienated from the womb; they have gone astray from the womb: they have spoken false things.

⁵ Their madness is according to the likeness of a serpent: like the deaf asp that stoppeth her ears:

⁶ Which will not hear the voice of the charmers; nor of the wizard that charmeth wisely.

⁷ God shall break in pieces their teeth in their mouth: the Lord shall break the grinders of the lions.

⁸ They shall come to nothing, like water running down; he hath bent his bow till they be weakened.

⁹ Like wax that melteth they shall be taken away: fire hath fallen on them, and they shall not see the sun.

¹⁰ Before your thorns could know the brier; he swalloweth them up, as alive, in his wrath.

¹¹ The just shall rejoice when he shall see the revenge: he shall wash his hands in the blood of the sinner.

¹² And man shall say: If indeed there be fruit to the just: there is indeed a God that judgeth them on the earth.