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God, a Helper against the Treacherous.

To the Chief Musician; [a]set an octave below. A Psalm of David.

12 Save and help and rescue, Lord, for godly people cease to be,
For the faithful vanish from among the sons of men.

They speak deceitful and worthless words to one another;
With flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
The tongue that speaks great things [in boasting];

Who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are our own; who is lord and master over us?”

“Because of the devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy,
Now I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”


The words and promises of the Lord are pure words,
Like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times.

You, O Lord, will preserve and keep them;
You will protect him from this [evil] generation forever.

The wicked strut about [in pompous self-importance] on every side,
As vileness is exalted and baseness is prized among the sons of men.

Prayer for Help in Trouble.

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

13 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?

How long must I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart day after day?
How long will my enemy exalt himself and triumph over me?


Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
Give light (life) to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,

And my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.


But I have trusted and relied on and been confident in Your lovingkindness and faithfulness;
My heart shall rejoice and delight in Your salvation.

I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

Folly and Wickedness of Men.

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

14 The [spiritually ignorant] fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they have committed repulsive and unspeakable deeds;
There is no one who does good.(A)

The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the children of men
To see if there are any who understand (act wisely),
Who [truly] seek after God, [longing for His wisdom and guidance].

They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt;
There is no one who does good, not even one.(B)


Have all the workers of wickedness and injustice no knowledge,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And do not call upon the Lord?

There they tremble with great fear,
For God is with the [consistently] righteous generation.

You [evildoers] shamefully plan against the poor,
But the Lord is his safe refuge.


Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord restores His captive people,
Then Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad.(C)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 12:1 Or possibly on the eight-stringed lyre; meaning uncertain.

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