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Psalm 11

Song of Trust in God

To the leader. Of David.

In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to me,
    “Flee like a bird to the mountains,[a](A)
for look, the wicked bend the bow,
    they have fitted their arrow to the string,
    to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart.(B)
If the foundations are destroyed,
    what can the righteous do?”(C)

The Lord is in his holy temple;
    the Lord’s throne is in heaven.
    His eyes behold; his gaze examines humankind.(D)
The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked,
    and his soul hates the lover of violence.(E)
On the wicked he will rain coals of fire and sulfur;
    a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.(F)
For the Lord is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
    the upright shall behold his face.(G)

Psalm 12

Plea for Help in Evil Times

To the leader: according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.

Help, O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly;
    the faithful have disappeared from humankind.(H)
They utter lies to each other;
    with flattering lips and a deceitful heart they speak.(I)

May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
    the tongue that makes great boasts,(J)
those who say, “With our tongues we will prevail;
    our lips are our own—who is our master?”

“Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan,
    I will now rise up,” says the Lord;
    “I will place them in the safety for which they long.”(K)
The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure,
    silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
    purified seven times.(L)

You, O Lord, will protect us;
    you will guard us from this generation forever.(M)
On every side the wicked prowl,
    as vileness is exalted among humankind.(N)

Footnotes

  1. 11.1 Gk Syr Jerome Tg: Heb flee to your mountain, O bird

Psalm 11

For the director of music. Of David.

In the Lord I take refuge.(A)
    How then can you say to me:
    “Flee(B) like a bird to your mountain.(C)
For look, the wicked bend their bows;(D)
    they set their arrows(E) against the strings
to shoot from the shadows(F)
    at the upright in heart.(G)
When the foundations(H) are being destroyed,
    what can the righteous do?”

The Lord is in his holy temple;(I)
    the Lord is on his heavenly throne.(J)
He observes everyone on earth;(K)
    his eyes examine(L) them.
The Lord examines the righteous,(M)
    but the wicked, those who love violence,
    he hates with a passion.(N)
On the wicked he will rain
    fiery coals and burning sulfur;(O)
    a scorching wind(P) will be their lot.

For the Lord is righteous,(Q)
    he loves justice;(R)
    the upright(S) will see his face.(T)

Psalm 12[a]

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

Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore;(U)
    those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.
Everyone lies(V) to their neighbor;
    they flatter with their lips
    but harbor deception in their hearts.(W)

May the Lord silence all flattering lips(X)
    and every boastful tongue—(Y)
those who say,
    “By our tongues we will prevail;(Z)
    our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”

“Because the poor are plundered(AA) and the needy groan,(AB)
    I will now arise,(AC)” says the Lord.
    “I will protect them(AD) from those who malign them.”
And the words of the Lord are flawless,(AE)
    like silver purified(AF) in a crucible,(AG)
    like gold[c] refined seven times.

You, Lord, will keep the needy safe(AH)
    and will protect us forever from the wicked,(AI)
who freely strut(AJ) about
    when what is vile is honored by the human race.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 12:1 In Hebrew texts 12:1-8 is numbered 12:2-9.
  2. Psalm 12:1 Title: Probably a musical term
  3. Psalm 12:6 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text earth