Psalms 12

1 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.

Help, YHWH; for the righteous man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.

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

They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.

3 Stop their flattery, Lord, and silence their boasts—

YHWH shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things:

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

Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is master over us?

5 “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.”

For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith YHWH; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.

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

The words of YHWH are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

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

Thou shalt keep them, O YHWH, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

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

The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.