Psalms 12

1 For the end, A Psalm of David, upon the eighth. Save me, O Lord; for the godly man has failed; for truth is diminished from among the children of men.

For the music director. To the Sheminith. A psalm of David. Help, Lord, for all the good people have gone! Those who trust in you have disappeared from among the people on earth.

2 Every one has spoken vanity to his neighbour: their lips are deceitful, they have spoken with a double heart.

Everyone lies to their neighbors. They flatter with nice talk, but they don't mean what they say.

3 Let the Lord destroy all the deceitful lips, and the tongue that speaks great words:

Stop their flattery, Lord, and silence their boasts—

4 who have said, We will magnify our tongue; our lips are our own: who is Lord of us?

these people who say, “We will succeed through what we say; our mouths belong to us. We don't take orders from anyone!”

5 Because of the misery of the poor, and because of the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord, I will set [them] in safety; I will speak [to them] thereof openly.

“Because of the violence the helpless have suffered, and because of the groans of the poor, I will rise up to defend them,” says the Lord. “I will give them the protection they have been longing for.”

6 The oracles of the Lord are pure oracles; as silver tried in the fire, proved [in] a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

What the Lord says is trustworthy, as pure as silver refined seven times in a furnace.

7 Thou, O Lord, shalt keep us, and shalt preserve us, from this generation, and for ever.

You, Lord will keep the oppressed safe; you will protect us from these kinds of people forever;

8 The ungodly walk around: according to thy greatness thou has greatly exalted the sons of men.

even though the wicked are all around us, and evil is being promoted everywhere.