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.
Everyone (B)utters lies to his neighbor;
    with (C)flattering lips and (D)a double heart they speak.

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

“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.”
(J)The words of the Lord are pure words,
    like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
    purified seven times.

You, O Lord, will keep them;
    you will guard us[b] from this generation forever.
On 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?
How 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?

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

But I have (T)trusted in your steadfast love;
    my heart shall (U)rejoice in your salvation.
I 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.

The 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.

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

Have 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?

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

Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
    When the Lord (AI)restores the fortunes of his people,
    let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 12:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
  2. Psalm 12:7 Or guard him
  3. Psalm 14:2 Or that act wisely
  4. Psalm 14:6 Or for

Psalm 12[a]

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

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

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

“Because the poor are plundered(G) and the needy groan,(H)
    I will now arise,(I)” says the Lord.
    “I will protect them(J) from those who malign them.”
And the words of the Lord are flawless,(K)
    like silver purified(L) in a crucible,(M)
    like gold[c] refined seven times.

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

Psalm 13[d]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

How long,(Q) Lord? Will you forget me(R) forever?
    How long will you hide your face(S) from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts(T)
    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
    How long will my enemy triumph over me?(U)

Look on me(V) and answer,(W) Lord my God.
    Give light to my eyes,(X) or I will sleep in death,(Y)
and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,(Z)
    and my foes will rejoice when I fall.(AA)

But I trust in your unfailing love;(AB)
    my heart rejoices in your salvation.(AC)
I will sing(AD) the Lord’s praise,
    for he has been good to me.

Psalm 14(AE)

For the director of music. Of David.

The fool[e] says in his heart,
    “There is no God.”(AF)
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
    there is no one who does good.

The Lord looks down from heaven(AG)
    on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,(AH)
    any who seek God.(AI)
All have turned away,(AJ) all have become corrupt;(AK)
    there is no one who does good,(AL)
    not even one.(AM)

Do all these evildoers know nothing?(AN)

They devour my people(AO) as though eating bread;
    they never call on the Lord.(AP)
But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
    for God is present in the company of the righteous.
You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
    but the Lord is their refuge.(AQ)

Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!(AR)
    When the Lord restores(AS) his people,
    let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

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
  4. Psalm 13:1 In Hebrew texts 13:1-6 is numbered 13:2-6.
  5. Psalm 14:1 The Hebrew words rendered fool in Psalms denote one who is morally deficient.