Psalm 12

Psalm 12

For the director of music. According to sheminith. A psalm of David.

Help, Lord! No one does what is right anymore.
    Those who are faithful have disappeared from the human race.
Everyone tells lies to their neighbors.
    With their lips they praise others, but they don’t really mean it.

May the Lord close all lips that don’t mean what they say.
    May he stop every tongue that brags.
They say, “What we speak with our tongues will win the battle.
    What we say with our lips will keep us safe. No one will have victory over us.”

The Lord says, “The poor are being robbed.
    Those who are in need groan.
So I will stand up to help them.
    I will keep them safe from those who tell lies about them.”
The words of the Lord are perfect.
    They are like silver made pure in a clay furnace.
    They are like gold made pure seven times over.

Lord, you will keep needy people safe.
    You will always keep sinners from hurting us.
Proud and sinful people walk around openly
    when the evil they do is praised by the human race.