Psalm 12 - New American Standard Bible (NASB)

God, a Helper against the Treacherous.

For the music director; [a]upon an eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm of David.

12 Help, Lord, for (A)the godly person has come to an end,
For the faithful have disappeared from the sons of mankind.
2 They (B)speak [b]lies to one another;
They speak with [c](C)flattering lips and a double heart.
3 May the Lord cut off all [d]flattering lips,
The tongue that (D)speaks great things;
4 Who (E)have said, “With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are [e]our own; who is lord over us?”
5 “Because of the (F)devastation of the poor, because of the groaning of the needy,
Now (G)I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will (H)put him in the safety for which he longs.”

6 The (I)words of the Lord are pure words;
Like silver (J)refined in a furnace on the ground, filtered seven times.
7 You, Lord, will keep them;
You will (K)protect him from this generation forever.
8 The (L)wicked strut about on every side
When [f](M)vileness is exalted among the sons of mankind.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 12 Title Or according to a lower octave (Heb Sheminith)
  2. Psalm 12:2 Lit worthless speech
  3. Psalm 12:2 Lit a smooth lip
  4. Psalm 12:3 Lit a smooth lip
  5. Psalm 12:4 Lit with us
  6. Psalm 12:8 Or worthlessness

Cross references

  1. Psalm 12:1 : Is 57:1; Mic 7:2
  2. Psalm 12:2 : Ps 10:7; 41:6
  3. Psalm 12:2 : Ps 28:3; 55:21; Jer 9:8; Rom 16:18
  4. Psalm 12:3 : Dan 7:8; Rev 13:5
  5. Psalm 12:4 : Ps 73:8, 9
  6. Psalm 12:5 : Ps 9:9; 10:18
  7. Psalm 12:5 : Is 33:10
  8. Psalm 12:5 : Ps 34:6; 35:10
  9. Psalm 12:6 : 2 Sam 22:31; Ps 18:30; 19:8, 10; 119:140
  10. Psalm 12:6 : Prov 30:5
  11. Psalm 12:7 : Ps 37:28; 97:10
  12. Psalm 12:8 : Ps 55:10, 11
  13. Psalm 12:8 : Is 32:5