Psalm 12-14

English Standard Version

The Faithful Have Vanished

To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith.^[a] A Psalm of David.

12 Save, O Lord, for ^(A)the godly one is gone;
for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
²Everyone ^(B)utters lies to his neighbor;
with ^(C)flattering lips and ^(D)a double heart they speak.

³May the Lord cut off all ^(E)flattering lips,
the tongue that makes ^(F)great boasts,
⁴those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,
our lips are with us; who is master over us?”

⁵“Because ^(G)the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
    ^(H)I will now arise,” says the Lord;
    “I will place him in the ^(I)safety for which he longs.”
⁶^(J)The words of the Lord are pure words,
    like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
    purified seven times.

⁷You, O Lord, will keep them;
you will guard us^[b] from this generation forever.
⁸On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

How Long, O Lord?

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

13 ^(K)How long, O Lord? Will you ^(L)forget me forever?
How long will you ^(M)hide your face from me?
²How long must I take ^(N)counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

³^(O)Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
^(P)light up my eyes, lest ^(Q)I sleep the sleep of death,
⁴^(R)lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am ^(S)shaken.

⁵But I have ^(T)trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall ^(U)rejoice in your salvation.
⁶I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.

The Fool Says, There Is No God

To the choirmaster. Of David.

14 ^(V)The ^(W)fool says in his heart, ^(X)“There is no God.”
They are ^(Y)corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
^(Z)there is none who does good.

²The Lord ^(AA)looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,^[c]
who ^(AB)seek after God.

³They have all turned aside; together they have become ^(AC)corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.

⁴Have they no ^(AD)knowledge, all the evildoers
who ^(AE)eat up my people as they eat bread
and ^(AF)do not call upon the Lord?

⁵There they are in great terror,
for God is with ^(AG)the generation of the righteous.
⁶You would shame the plans of the poor,
but^[d] the Lord is his ^(AH)refuge.