< Psalms 12 >

1 [For the Chief Musician; upon an eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm of David.] Help, YHWH; for the faithful ceases. For the loyal have vanished from among the descendants of Adam.
Yahweh, help us! [It seems that] people who are loyal to you have all vanished.
2 Everyone lies to his neighbor. They speak with flattering lips, and 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 May YHWH cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that boasts,
Yahweh, we wish that you would cut off their tongues so that they cannot continue to boast.
4 who have said, "With our tongue we will prevail. Our lips are our own. Who is lord over 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 oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy, I will now arise," says YHWH; "I will place in safety the one who longs for it."
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 words of YHWH are flawless words, as silver refined in a clay furnace, 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 You, YHWH, will protect us. You will guard us from this generation forever.
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 wicked walk on every side, when what is vile is exalted among the descendants of Adam.

< Psalms 12 >