(A special psalm by David for the music leader. To the tune “Don't Destroy.”)
A Prayer When All Goes Wrong
1Do you mighty people talk
only to oppose justice?
Don't you ever judge fairly?
2You are always planning evil,
and you are brutal.
3You have done wrong and lied
from the day you were born.
4Your words spread poison
like the bite of a cobra
5that refuses to listen
to the snake charmer.
6My enemies are fierce
as lions, Lord God!
Shatter their teeth.
Snatch out their fangs.
7Make them disappear
like leaking water,
and make their arrows miss.
8Let them dry up like snails
or be like a child that dies
before seeing the sun.
9Wipe them out quicker
than a pot can be heated
by setting thorns on fire.
10Good people will be glad
when they see the wicked
getting what they deserve,
and they will wash their feet
in their enemies' blood.
11Everyone will say, “It's true!
Good people are rewarded.
God does indeed rule the earth
with justice.”