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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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.

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

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

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