New Living Translation NLT
Young's Literal Translation YLT
1 Justice—do you rulers know the meaning of the word? Do you judge the people fairly?
1
To the Overseer. -- `Destroy not.' -- A secret treasure, by David. Is it true, O dumb one, righteously ye speak? Uprightly ye judge, O sons of men?
2 No! You plot injustice in your hearts. You spread violence throughout the land.
2
Even in heart ye work iniquities, In the land the violence of your hands ye ponder.
3 These wicked people are born sinners; even from birth they have lied and gone their own way.
3
The wicked have been estranged from the womb, They have erred from the belly, speaking lies.
4 They spit venom like deadly snakes; they are like cobras that refuse to listen,
4
Their poison [is] as poison of a serpent, As a deaf asp shutting its ear,
5 ignoring the tunes of the snake charmers, no matter how skillfully they play.
5
Which hearkeneth not to the voice of whisperers, A charmer of charms most skilful.
6 Break off their fangs, O God! Smash the jaws of these lions, O LORD !
6
O God, break their teeth in their mouth, The jaw-teeth of young lions break down, O Jehovah.
7 May they disappear like water into thirsty ground. Make their weapons useless in their hands.
7
They are melted as waters, They go up and down for themselves, His arrow proceedeth as they cut themselves off.
8 May they be like snails that dissolve into slime, like a stillborn child who will never see the sun.
8
As a snail that melteth he goeth on, [As] an untimely birth of a woman, They have not seen the sun.
9 God will sweep them away, both young and old, faster than a pot heats over burning thorns.
9
Before your pots discern the bramble, As well the raw as the heated He whirleth away.
10 The godly will rejoice when they see injustice avenged. They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.
10
The righteous rejoiceth that he hath seen vengeance, His steps he washeth in the blood of the wicked.
11 Then at last everyone will say, “There truly is a reward for those who live for God; surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth.”
11
And man saith: `Surely fruit [is] for the righteous: Surely there is a God judging in the earth!'