1
You leaders,* 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.*
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.*
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.”