1You leaders, ¹⁷⁶do you really say what is right? Do you judge people fairly?

2No, for in your minds you plan evil. You cause violence everywhere!

3The wicked are sinners from birth; from the moment they're born they tell lies.

4They have venom like that of a poisonous snake, and just like a cobra they stop listening,

5refusing to hear the voice of the snake charmers or the spellbinders.

6God, break their teeth, and smash the jaws of these lions, Lord.

7May they vanish like water that flows away; when they shoot their arrows may they miss their mark. ¹⁷⁷

8May they be like the slime of snails that dissolves away, like a stillborn child that never saw the light of day.

9Before the cooking pot is hot from burning thorns, whether fresh or dry, God will blow them away. ¹⁷⁸

10Those who live right will be happy when they see there is punishment; they will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.

11They will say, “There is definitely a reward for those who live right; there is certainly a God who judges fairly on earth.”