Psalm 11–12

Confidence in the ^o

11 I trust in the Lord for safety.

How foolish of you to say to me,

“Fly away like a bird to the mountains,^p

²because the wicked have drawn their bows and aimed their arrows

to shoot from the shadows at good people.

³There is nothing a good person can do

when everything falls apart.”

⁴The Lord is in his holy temple;

he has his throne in heaven.

He watches people everywhere

and knows what they are doing.

⁵He examines the good and the wicked alike;

the lawless he hates with all his heart.

⁶He sends down flaming coals^q and burning sulphur on the wicked;

he punishes them with scorching winds.

⁷The Lord is righteous and loves good deeds;

those who do them will live in his presence.

A Prayer for Help^r

12 Help us, Lord!

There is not a good person left;

honest people can no longer be found.

²All of them lie to one another;

they deceive each other with flattery.

³Silence those flattering tongues, O Lord!

Close those boastful mouths that say,

⁴“With our words we get what we want.

We will say what we wish,

and no one can stop us.”

⁵“But now I will come,” says the Lord,

“because the needy are oppressed

and the persecuted groan in pain. I will give them the security they long for.”

⁶The promises of the Lord can be trusted;

they are as genuine as silver

refined seven times in the furnace.

^7–8The wicked are everywhere,

and everyone praises what is evil.

Keep us always safe, O Lord,

and preserve us from such people.