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For the music director. According to “Do Not Destroy.” A psalm (miktam) of David.
1 You leaders,*The word in the Hebrew is unclear. One interpretation “gods” is surely incorrect. do you really say what is right? Do you judge people fairly?
2 No, for in your minds you plan evil. You cause violence everywhere!
3 The wicked are sinners from birth; from the moment they're born they tell lies.
4 They have venom like that of a poisonous snake, and just like a cobra they stop listening,
5 refusing to hear the voice of the snake charmers or the spellbinders.
6 God, break their teeth, and smash the jaws of these lions, Lord.
7 May they vanish like water that flows away; when they shoot their arrows may they miss their mark.†The meaning of the second part of this verse is unclear.
8 May they be like the slime of snails that dissolves away, like a stillborn child that never saw the light of day.
9 Before the cooking pot is hot from burning thorns, whether fresh or dry, God will blow them away.‡The meaning of this verse is unclear.
10 Those who live right will be happy when they see there is punishment; they will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 They will say, “There is definitely a reward for those who live right; there is certainly a God who judges fairly on earth.”