Psalm 12
New American Standard Bible
God, a Helper against the Treacherous.
For the music director; [a]upon an eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm of David.
12 Help, Lord, for (A)the godly person has come to an end,
For the faithful have disappeared from the sons of mankind.
2 They (B)speak [b]lies to one another;
They speak with [c](C)flattering lips and a double heart.
3 May the Lord cut off all [d]flattering lips,
The tongue that (D)speaks great things;
4 Who (E)have said, “With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are [e]our own; who is lord over us?”
5 “Because of the (F)devastation of the poor, because of the groaning of the needy,
Now (G)I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will (H)put him in the safety for which he longs.”
6 The (I)words of the Lord are pure words;
Like silver (J)refined in a furnace on the ground, filtered seven times.
7 You, Lord, will keep them;
You will (K)protect him from this generation forever.
8 The (L)wicked strut about on every side
When [f](M)vileness is exalted among the sons of mankind.
Footnotes
- Psalm 12 Title Or according to a lower octave (Heb Sheminith)
- Psalm 12:2 Lit worthless speech
- Psalm 12:2 Lit a smooth lip
- Psalm 12:3 Lit a smooth lip
- Psalm 12:4 Lit with us
- Psalm 12:8 Or worthlessness
Psalm 12
International Standard Version
To the Director: On an eight stringed harp.[a] A Davidic Psalm.
Human and Divine Words Contrasted
12 Help, Lord, for godly people no longer exist;
trustworthy people have disappeared from humanity.[b]
2 Everyone speaks lies to his neighbor;
they speak with flattering lips and hidden motives.[c]
3 The Lord will cut off all slippery lips,
and the tongue that boasts great things,
4 those who say,
“By our tongues we will prevail;
our lips belong to us.
Who is master[d] over us?”
5 “Because the poor are being oppressed,
because the needy are sighing,
I will now arise,” says the Lord,
“I will establish in safety those who yearn for it.”
6 The words of the Lord are pure,
like silver refined in an earthen furnace,
purified seven times over.
7 You, Lord, will keep them[e] safe,
you will guard them[f] from this generation forever.
8 The wicked, however,[g] keep walking around,
exalting the vileness of human beings.[h]
Footnotes
- Psalm 12:1 Or on a lower octave
- Psalm 12:1 Lit. from among the children of men
- Psalm 12:2 Lit. with slippery lips and a double heart
- Psalm 12:4 Or lord
- Psalm 12:7 So MT DSS 5/6HevPs 11QPsc; LXX reads us
- Psalm 12:7 So MT DSS 5/6HevPs 11QPsc; LXX reads us
- Psalm 12:8 The Heb. lacks however
- Psalm 12:8 Lit. of children of men
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