¹ For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam¹ of David. Do you indeed speak justly, O rulers? Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men?

1. Miktam is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 16 and 56–60.

² No, in your hearts you devise injustice; with your hands you mete out violence on the earth.

³ The wicked are estranged from the womb; the liars go astray from birth.

⁴ Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like a cobra that shuts its ears,

⁵ refusing to hear the tune of the charmer who skillfully weaves his spell.

⁶ O God, shatter their teeth in their mouths; O LORD, tear out the fangs of the lions.

⁷ May they vanish like water that runs off; when they draw the bow, may their arrows be blunted.¹

1. Or when they are trodden down, may they wither like grass

⁸ Like a slug that dissolves in its slime, like a woman’s stillborn child, may they never see the sun.

⁹ Before your pots can feel the burning thorns— whether green or dry— He will sweep them away.

¹⁰ The righteous will rejoice when they see they are avenged; they will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.

¹¹ Then men will say, “There is surely a reward for the righteous! There is surely a God who judges the earth!”