³ Even from birth the wicked go astray;
    from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.
⁴ Their venom is like the venom of a snake,^(D)
    like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,
⁵ that will not heed^(E) the tune of the charmer,^(F)
    however skillful the enchanter may be.

⁶ Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;^(G)
    Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions!^(H)
7 Let them vanish like water that flows away;^(I)
    when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.^(J)
8 May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,^(K)
    like a stillborn child^(L) that never sees the sun.

⁹ Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns^(M)—
    whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away.^[c](N)
10 The righteous will be glad^(O) when they are avenged,^(P)
    when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.^(Q)
11 Then people will say,
    “Surely the righteous still are rewarded;^(R)
    surely there is a God who judges the earth.”^(S)

³ What will he do to you,
    and what more besides,
    you deceitful tongue?
⁴ He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows,^(E)
    with burning coals of the broom bush.

⁵ Woe to me that I dwell in Meshek,
    that I live among the tents of Kedar!^(F)
6 Too long have I lived
    among those who hate peace.
⁷ I am for peace;
    but when I speak, they are for war.