Psalms 12

Psalm 12

Plea for Help in Evil Times

1Help, O Lord , for there is no longer anyone who is godly;[#Isa 57.1]

the faithful have disappeared from humankind.

2They utter lies to each other;[#1 Chr 12.33; Ps 41.6; 55.21]

with flattering lips and a deceitful heart they speak.

3May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,[#Ps 73.8, 9]

the tongue that makes great boasts,

4those who say, “With our tongues we will prevail;

our lips are our own—who is our master?”

5“Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan,[#Ps 3.7; 10.18; 34.6]

I will now rise up,” says the Lord ;

“I will place them in the safety for which they long.”

6The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure,[#Ps 18.30; Prov 30.5]

silver refined in a furnace on the ground,

purified seven times.

7You, O Lord , will protect us;[#Ps 37.28]

you will guard us from this generation forever.

8On every side the wicked prowl,[#Ps 55.10, 11]

as vileness is exalted among humankind.

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, copyright © 2021 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Published by: National Council of the Churches of Christ