Psalm 12

English Standard Version

The Faithful Have Vanished

To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith.^[a] A Psalm of David.

12 Save, O Lord, for ^(A)the godly one is gone;
for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
²Everyone ^(B)utters lies to his neighbor;
with ^(C)flattering lips and ^(D)a double heart they speak.

³May the Lord cut off all ^(E)flattering lips,
the tongue that makes ^(F)great boasts,
⁴those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,
our lips are with us; who is master over us?”

⁵“Because ^(G)the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
    ^(H)I will now arise,” says the Lord;
    “I will place him in the ^(I)safety for which he longs.”
⁶^(J)The words of the Lord are pure words,
    like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
    purified seven times.

⁷You, O Lord, will keep them;
you will guard us^[b] from this generation forever.
⁸On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

Footnotes

Psalm 12:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
Psalm 12:7 Or guard him

Psalm 12

New Century Version

A Prayer Against Liars

For the director of music. Upon the sheminith. A psalm of David.

12 Save me, Lord, because the good people are all gone;
no true believers are left on earth.
²Everyone lies to his neighbors;
they say one thing and mean another.

³The Lord will stop those flattering lips
and cut off those bragging tongues.
⁴They say, “Our tongues will help us win.
We can say what we wish; no one is our master.”

⁵But the Lord says,
“I will now rise up,
    because the poor are being hurt.
Because of the moans of the helpless,
    I will give them the help they want.”
⁶The Lord’s words are pure,
    like silver purified by fire,
    like silver purified seven times over.

⁷Lord, you will keep us safe;
you will always protect us from such people.
⁸But the wicked are all around us;
everyone loves what is wrong.

English Standard Version (ESV)

New Century Version (NCV)

Psalm 12 English Standard Version