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Human Faithlessness and God’s Faithfulness

For the music director; on the Sheminith.[a] A psalm of David.[b]

12 Save, O Yahweh, for the pious have ceased to be;
for the faithful have vanished
from among the children of humankind.
They speak falseness to each other.[c]
With flattering lips,
with a double heart[d] they speak.
May Yahweh cut off all flattering lips,
the tongue speaking great boasts—
those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail.
Our lips are on our side.
Who is master over us?”
“Because of the oppression of the afflicted,
because of the groaning of the poor,
now I will rise up,” Yahweh says.
“I shall put them in the safety for which they[e] long.”
The words of Yahweh are pure words
like silver refined in the crucible on the ground,
refined seven times.
You, O Yahweh, will protect them.
You will preserve him[f]
from this generation always.
The wicked prowl about
when vileness is exalted among the children of humankind.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 12:1 Meaning uncertain
  2. Psalm 12:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
  3. Psalm 12:2 Literally “each with his companion”
  4. Psalm 12:2 Literally “a heart and a heart”
  5. Psalm 12:5 Hebrew “he”
  6. Psalm 12:7 Or “us”

Psalm 12

Plea for Help in Evil Times

To the leader: according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.

Help, O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly;
    the faithful have disappeared from humankind.(A)
They utter lies to each other;
    with flattering lips and a deceitful heart they speak.(B)

May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
    the tongue that makes great boasts,(C)
those who say, “With our tongues we will prevail;
    our lips are our own—who is our master?”

“Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan,
    I will now rise up,” says the Lord;
    “I will place them in the safety for which they long.”(D)
The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure,
    silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
    purified seven times.(E)

You, O Lord, will protect us;
    you will guard us from this generation forever.(F)
On every side the wicked prowl,
    as vileness is exalted among humankind.(G)