< Psalms 12 >
1 Yahweh, help us! [It seems that] people who are loyal to you have all vanished.
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.
2 Everyone tells lies to other people; they deceive others by (flattering them/saying good things about them that they know are not true).
Every one has spoken vanity to his neighbor: their lips are deceitful, they have spoken with a double heart.
3 Yahweh, we wish that you would cut off their tongues so that they cannot continue to boast.
Let the Lord destroy all the deceitful lips, and the tongue that speaks great words:
4 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!”
who have said, We will magnify our tongue; our lips are our own: who is Lord of us?
5 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.”
Because of the misery of the poor, and because of the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, says the Lord, I will set [them] in safety; I will speak [to them] thereof openly.
6 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.
The oracles of the Lord are pure oracles; as silver tried in the fire, proved [in] a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
7 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.
You, O Lord, shall keep us, and shall preserve us, from this generation, and for ever.
The ungodly walk around: according to your greatness you has greatly exalted the sons of men.