[1] Justice—do you rulers know the meaning of the word? Do you judge the people fairly?
[2] No! You plot injustice in your hearts. You spread violence throughout the land.
[3] These wicked people are born sinners; even from birth they have lied and gone their own way.
[4] They spit venom like deadly snakes; they are like cobras that refuse to listen,
[5] ignoring the tunes of the snake charmers, no matter how skillfully they play.
[6] Break off their fangs, O God! Smash the jaws of these lions, O Lord!
[7] May they disappear like water into thirsty ground. Make their weapons useless in their hands.
[8] May they be like snails that dissolve into slime, like a stillborn child who will never see the sun.
[9] God will sweep them away, both young and old, faster than a pot heats over burning thorns.
[10] The godly will rejoice when they see injustice avenged. They will wash their feet 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.”