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

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.

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!”