Psalms 12

1 For the chief musician; set to the Sheminith. A psalm of David. Help, Yahweh, for the godly have disappeared; the faithful have vanished.

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

2 Everyone says empty words to his neighbor; everyone speaks with flattering lips and 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 Yahweh, cut off all flattering lips, every tongue declaring great things.

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

4 These are those who have said, “With our tongues will we prevail. When our lips speak, who can be master 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 violence against the poor, because of the groans of the needy, I will arise,” says Yahweh. “I will provide the safety for which they long.”

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 Yahweh are pure words, like silver purified in a furnace on the earth, refined 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 are Yahweh! You keep them. You preserve the godly people from this wicked generation and 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 evil is exalted among the children of mankind.