Psalm 12

Modern

Literal

The Godly Are No More

¹For the choirmaster. According to Sheminith.^a A Psalm of David.

Help, O LORD, for the godly are no more;

the faithful have vanished from among men.

¹For the one directing. According to Sheminith. A Psalm of David. Help, O YHWH! For the godly one ceases to be; for the faithful ones disappear from the sons of man.

²They lie to one another;

they speak with flattering lips and a double heart.

²Vanity they speak, each man with his neighbor; with lips of flattery with a double heart they speak.

³May the LORD cut off all flattering lips

and every boastful tongue.

³May YHWH cut off all lips of flattery, a tongue speaking great things—

⁴They say, “With our tongues we will prevail.

We own our lips—who can be our master?”

⁴those who have said, “By our tongues we will prevail; our lips are with us; who is lord over us?”

⁵“For the cause of the oppressed

and for the groaning of the needy,

I will now arise,” says the LORD.

“I will bring safety to him who yearns.”

⁵“From the oppression of the poor, from the groaning of the needy, now I shall arise,” says YHWH. “I will set in safety him who breathes for it.”

⁶The words of the LORD are flawless,

like silver refined in a furnace,

like gold purified sevenfold.^a

⁶The words of YHWH are pure words, silver refined in a furnace of earth, purified sevenfold.

⁷You, O LORD, will keep us;

You will forever guard us from this generation.

⁷You, O YHWH, shall keep them; You will guard them from this generation forever.

⁸The wicked wander freely,

and vileness is exalted among men.

⁸On every side the wicked walk, as vileness is exalted by the sons of man.