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Psalms Chapter 58 (ASV)

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Psalm 58: A Rebuke of Unjust Judges
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1 Do ye indeed in silence speak righteousness? Do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?

2 Nay, in heart ye work wickedness; Ye weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.

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

4 Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: `They are' like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear,

5 Which hearkeneth not to the voice of charmers, Charming never so wisely.

6 Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: Break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Jehovah.

7 Let them melt away as water that runneth apace: When he aimeth his arrows, let them be as though they were cut off.

8 `Let them be' as a snail which melteth and passeth away, `Like' the untimely birth of a woman, that hath not seen the sun.

9 Before your pots can feel the thorns, He will take them away with a whirlwind, the green and the burning alike.

10 The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked;

11 So that men shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: Verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth. Psalm 59 For the Chief Musician; `set to' Al-tashheth. `A Psalm' of David. Michtam; when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Psalm 58 accuse?
Psalm 58 accuses corrupt judges of injustice from birth -- 'The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies' (v.3) -- and calls for God to break their power, ending with confidence that 'there is a reward for the righteous' (v.11).
What vivid images does the psalm use for the wicked?
It compares them to a deaf snake that won't listen to charmers (vv.4-5) and asks God to make them melt away 'as waters which run continually' or vanish 'like the untimely birth of a woman' (vv.7-8).
How does the psalm conclude?
It concludes that watching justice done will prove 'there is a reward for the righteous... a God that judgeth in the earth' (v.11), a confidence in God's righteous judgment shared with Psalms 67:4.

Today's Verse

then `wrote' Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions, the Dinaites, and the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Shushanchites, the Dehaites, the Elamites,

Ezra 4:9 | ASV

Verse Of The Day

David asks God to break their strength like teeth in a lion's mouth so the righteous can say 'there is a reward for the righteous,' a vindication echoed at Psalms 67:4. The prayer for justice continues in Psalms 59.