Psalm 12

Man’s Treachery and God’s Constancy

To the Chief Musician. aOn 1An Eight-Stringed Harp. A Psalm of David.

1 Help, 2Lord, for the godly man bceases!

For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.

2 cThey speak idly everyone with his neighbor;

With flattering lips and 3a double heart they speak.

3 May the Lord 4cut off all flattering lips,

And the tongue that speaks 5proud things,

4 Who have said,

“With our tongue we will prevail;

Our lips are our own;

Who is lord over us?”

5 “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,

Now I will arise,” says the Lord;

“I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.”

6 The words of the Lord are dpure words,

Like silver tried in a furnace of earth,

Purified seven times.

7 You shall keep them, O Lord,

You shall preserve them from this generation forever.

8 The wicked prowl on every side,

When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

Psalm 13

Trust in the Salvation of the Lord

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?

aHow long will You hide Your face from me?

2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,

Having sorrow in my heart daily?

How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;

bEnlighten my eyes,

cLest I sleep the sleep of death;

4 Lest my enemy say,

“I have prevailed against him”;

Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

5 But I have trusted in Your mercy;

My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

6 I will sing to the Lord,

Because He has dealt bountifully with me.