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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!”