Psalmen 12

1 Voor muziekbegeleiding; met bassen. Een psalm van David. Help toch Jahweh; want de trouw is verdwenen, De waarheid is zoek onder de kinderen der mensen.

Yahweh, help us! [It seems that] people who are loyal to you have all vanished.

2 Men liegt elkander maar voor, Met valse harten, maar vleiende lippen.

Everyone tells lies to other people; they deceive others by (flattering them/saying good things about them that they know are not true).

3 Jahweh snijde al die vleiende lippen af, De verwaande tongen van allen die zeggen:

Yahweh, we wish that you would cut off their tongues so that they cannot continue to boast.

4 “Met onze tong zijn we sterk! We hebben onze lippen; wie kan ons aan!”

They say, “By telling lies we will get what we want; we control what we say [MTY], so no one can tell us what we should not do!”

5 Om de nood der verdrukten En het kermen der armen Ga Ik opstaan, zegt Jahweh, Om redding te brengen aan wie er naar smacht!

But Yahweh replies, “I have seen the violent things that they have done to helpless people; and I have heard those people groaning, so I will arise and rescue the people who are wanting me to help them.”

6 Het woord van Jahweh Is zuiver als zilver, In een aarden smeltkroes gelouterd, Gereinigd tot zevenmaal toe.

Yahweh, you always do what you have promised to do; what you have promised is [as precious and pure as] silver that has been heated seven times in a furnace [to get rid of all the] impure material.

7 Gij zult het gestand doen, o Jahweh, En ons altijd beschermen tegen dit ras:

Wicked people strut around [proudly], and people praise them for doing vile/wicked deeds, but Yahweh, [we know that] you will protect/rescue us from those wicked people.

8 Al zijn de bozen nog zo verwaand, En de mensen nog zo gemeen!