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Psalm 12
New King James Version

Man’s Treachery and God’s Constancy

To the Chief Musician. (A)On [a]an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David.

12 Help,[b] Lord, for the godly man (B)ceases!
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
2 (C)They speak idly everyone with his neighbor;
With flattering lips and [c]a double heart they speak.

3 May the Lord [d]cut off all flattering lips,
And the tongue that speaks [e]proud things,
4 Who have said,
“With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are our own;
Who is lord over us?”

5 “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,
Now I will arise,” says the Lord;
“I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.”

6 The words of the Lord are (D)pure words,
Like silver tried in a furnace of earth,
Purified seven times.
7 You shall keep them, O Lord,
You shall preserve them from this generation forever.

8 The wicked prowl on every side,
When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 12:1 Heb. sheminith
  2. Psalm 12:1 Save
  3. Psalm 12:2 An inconsistent mind
  4. Psalm 12:3 destroy
  5. Psalm 12:3 great
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Psalm 12
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Psalm 12[a]

Prayer Against Evil Tongues

1 For the leader; “upon the eighth.” A psalm of David.

I

2 Help, Lord, for no one loyal remains;
    the faithful have vanished from the children of men.(A)
3 They tell lies to one another,
    speak with deceiving lips and a double heart.(B)

II

4 May the Lord cut off all deceiving lips,
    and every boastful tongue,
5 Those who say, “By our tongues we prevail;
    when our lips speak, who can lord it over us?”(C)

III

6 “Because they rob the weak, and the needy groan,
    I will now arise,” says the Lord;
    “I will grant safety to whoever longs for it.”(D)

IV

7 The promises of the Lord are sure,
    silver refined in a crucible,[b]
    silver purified seven times.(E)
8 You, O Lord, protect us always;
    preserve us from this generation.
9 On every side the wicked roam;
    the shameless are extolled by the children of men.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 12 A lament. The psalmist, thrown into a world where lying and violent people persecute the just (Ps 12:2–3), prays that the wicked be punished (Ps 12:4–5). The prayer is not simply for vengeance but arises from a desire to see God’s justice appear on earth. Ps 12:6 preserves the word of assurance spoken by the priest to the lamenter; it is not usually transmitted in such Psalms. In Ps 12:7–8 the psalmist affirms the intention to live by the word of assurance.
  2. 12:7 A crucible: lit., “in a crucible in the ground.” The crucible was placed in the ground for support.
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New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.