Psalm 58 Catholic: A Cry for Justice Against Unjust Judges

Psalm 58 is a fierce cry against corrupt rulers and judges: “If in very deed you speak justice: judge right things, ye sons of men. For in your heart you work iniquity.” Its images of God breaking the teeth of the wicked are among the harshest in the Psalter. It ends with a confession of faith: “there is indeed a God that judgeth them on the earth.” In the Douay-Rheims it is numbered Psalm 57. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.

Psalm 58 in the Douay-Rheims Bible

Unto the end, destroy not, for David, for an inscription of a title.
If in very deed you speak justice: judge right things, ye sons of men.
For in your heart you work iniquity: your hands forge injustice in the earth.
The wicked are alienated from the womb; they have gone astray from the womb: they have spoken false things.
Their madness is according to the likeness of a serpent: like the deaf asp that stoppeth her ears:
Which will not hear the voice of the charmers; nor of the wizard that charmeth wisely.
God shall break in pieces their teeth in their mouth: the Lord shall break the grinders of the lions.
They shall come to nothing, like water running down; he hath bent his bow till they be weakened.
Like wax that melteth they shall be taken away: fire hath fallen on them, and they shall not see the sun.
Before your thorns could know the brier; he swalloweth them up, as alive, in his wrath.
The just shall rejoice when he shall see the revenge: he shall wash his hands in the blood of the sinner.
And man shall say: If indeed there be fruit to the just: there is indeed a God that judgeth them on the earth.

Psalm 58 or Psalm 57?

The Douay-Rheims Bible follows the numbering of the Latin Vulgate and the Greek Septuagint, while most modern Bibles follow the Hebrew. So the Douay’s Psalm 57 is Psalm 58 in the New American Bible and other modern translations. In Latin the psalm begins Si vere utique iustitiam loquimini. See how many psalms are there?

How should Christians pray a psalm like this?

Psalm 58 is one of only three psalms (with Psalms 83 and 109) that the Church leaves out of the four-week Liturgy of the Hours, because of its curses. It remains part of inspired Scripture, and it teaches several things. It takes injustice seriously: God is not indifferent when the powerful oppress the weak. It hands vengeance over to God instead of taking it ourselves (Romans 12:19). And it expresses the longing of victims for justice, a longing God will satisfy.

Christians read it in the light of Christ, who commands us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). We can pray it against injustice and evil, never against people, asking God to defeat the power of sin and to convert the unjust.

What the psalm means

Corrupt judges: those who should defend justice “forge injustice in the earth.”
Deaf to the truth: like a snake that stops its ears.
God will act: the wicked will melt away like wax and vanish like water.
Justice exists: “there is indeed a God that judgeth them on the earth.”

How the Church uses Psalm 58

Left out of the Liturgy of the Hours because of its curses, along with Psalms 83 and 109.
For victims of injustice, as a prayer that hands judgment over to God. See the Catholic prayer for forgiveness.

A prayer with Psalm 58

Written for this page:

Lord, you see the injustice of those who should defend the weak.
I hand over to you my anger and my longing for justice.
Break the power of evil, convert the hearts of the unjust,
and let the world know that there is a God who judges with truth and mercy. Amen.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Psalm 58 not in the Liturgy of the Hours?

Because of its curses. The Church omits Psalms 58, 83 and 109 from the four-week psalter, though they remain part of Scripture.

Can Christians pray Psalm 58?

Yes, as a cry for justice against evil, handing vengeance to God and praying for the conversion of the unjust.

More psalms and prayers

Texts and sources

Scripture: Psalm 57 (58); Romans 12:19; Matthew 5:44, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
The prayer was written for this page.