Psalm 12

New International Reader's Version

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

12 Help, Lord! No one does what is right anymore.
Those who are faithful have disappeared from the human race.
²Everyone tells lies to their neighbors.
With their lips they praise others, but they don’t really mean it.

³May the Lord close all lips that don’t mean what they say.
May he stop every tongue that brags.
⁴They say, “What we speak with our tongues will win the battle.
What we say with our lips will keep us safe. No one will have victory over us.”

⁵The Lord says, “The poor are being robbed.
    Those who are in need groan.
So I will stand up to help them.
    I will keep them safe from those who tell lies about them.”
⁶The words of the Lord are perfect.
    They are like silver made pure in a clay furnace.
    They are like gold made pure seven times over.

⁷Lord, you will keep needy people safe.
You will always keep sinners from hurting us.
⁸Proud and sinful people walk around openly
when the evil they do is praised by the human race.