God, a Helper against the Treacherous.
To the Chief Musician; 12:0 Or possibly on the eight-stringed lyre; meaning uncertain.set an octave below. A Psalm of David.
1 Save and help and rescue, Lord, for godly people cease to be,
For the faithful vanish from among the sons of men.
2 They speak deceitful and worthless words to one another;
With flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
The tongue that speaks great things [in boasting];
4 Who have said, "With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are our own; who is lord and master over us?"
5 "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."
6 The words and promises of the Lord are pure words,
Like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times.
7 You, O Lord, will preserve and keep them;
You will protect him from this [evil] generation forever.
8 The wicked strut about [in pompous self-importance] on every side,
As vileness is exalted and baseness is prized among the sons of men.