Psalms 58
58
The Dethroning of Unjust Rulers
1For the leader. Do not destroy.#Do not destroy: probably the title of the melody to which the Psalm was to be sung. A miktam of David.
I
2Do you indeed pronounce justice, O gods;#Gods: the Bible sometimes understands pagan gods to be lesser divine beings who are assigned by Israel’s God to rule the foreign nations. Here they are accused of injustice, permitting the human judges under their patronage to abuse the righteous, cf. Ps 82.
do you judge fairly you children of Adam?#Ps 82:2; Dt 16:19.
3No, you freely engage in crime;
your hands dispense violence to the earth.
II
4The wicked have been corrupt since birth;
liars from the womb, they have gone astray.
5#The image is that of a poisonous snake that is controlled by the voice or piping of its trainer.Their venom is like the venom of a snake,
like that of a serpent stopping its ears,#Ps 64:4; 140:3; Rom 3:13.
6So as not to hear the voice of the charmer
or the enchanter with cunning spells.
III
7O God, smash the teeth in their mouths;
break the fangs of these lions, Lord!#Ps 3:7.
8Make them vanish like water flowing away;#Wis 16:29.
trodden down, let them wither like grass.#Ps 37:2.
9Let them dissolve like a snail that oozes away,#A snail that oozes away: empty shells suggested to ancients that snails melted away as they left a slimy trail.
like an untimely birth that never sees the sun.#Jb 3:16.
10Suddenly, like brambles or thistles,
have the whirlwind snatch them away.#Jb 21:18; Hos 13:3; Na 1:10.
11Then the just shall rejoice to see the vengeance
and bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.#Ps 68:24; Is 63:1–6.
12Then people will say:
“Truly there is a reward for the just;
there is a God who is judge on earth!”
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Psalms 58
58
Unfair Judges
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A miktam of David.
1Do you rulers really say what is right?
Do you judge people fairly?
2No, in your heart you plan evil;
you think up violent crimes in the land.
3From birth, evil people turn away from God;
they wander off and tell lies as soon as they are born.
4They are like poisonous snakes,
like deaf cobras that stop up their ears
5so they cannot hear the music of the snake charmer
no matter how well he plays.
6God, break the teeth in their mouths!
Tear out the fangs of those lions, Lord!
7Let them disappear like water that flows away.
Let them be cut short like a broken arrow.
8Let them be like snails that melt as they move.
Let them be like a child born dead who never saw the sun.
9His anger will blow them away alive
faster than burning thorns can heat a pot.
10Good people will be glad when they see him get even.
They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11Then people will say,
“There really are rewards for doing what is right.
There really is a God who judges the world.”
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.