Psalm 12

OPPRESSION BY THE WICKED

For the choir director: according to Sheminith.h A psalm of David.

1 Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains;

the loyal have disappeared from the human race.* i

2 They lie to one another;

they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts.j

3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips

and the tongue that speaks boastfully.k

4 They say, “Through our tongues we have power;

our lips are our own—who can be our master?”l

5 “Because of the devastation of the needy

and the groaning of the poor,

I will now rise up,” says the Lord.

“I will provide safety for the one who longs for it.”m

6 The words of the Lord are pure words,

like silver refined in an earthen furnace,

purified seven times.n

7 You, Lord, will guard us;F

you will protect usG from this generation forever.o

8 The wicked prowlH all around,

and what is worthless is exalted by the human race.p

Psalm 13

A PLEA FOR DELIVERANCE

For the choir director. A psalm of David.

1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me

forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?q

2 How long will I store up anxious concernsI within me,

agony in my mind every day?

How long will my enemy dominate me?r

3 Consider me and answer, Lord my God.

Restore brightness to my eyes;s

otherwise, I will sleep in death.

4 My enemy will say, “I have triumphed over him,”

and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.t

5 But I have trusted in your faithful love;u

my heart will rejoice in your deliverance.v

6 I will sing to the Lord

because he has treated me generously.w