Psalm 11–12

Confidence in Yahweh’s Righteousness

11For the music director. Of David.^a

¹In Yahweh I have taken refuge;

how can you say to my soul,

“Flee to your mountain like a bird”?

²For look: The wicked string the bow.^b

They have fitted their arrow to the string,

to shoot from the darkness

at the upright of heart.

³When the foundations are destroyed

what can the righteous do?^c

⁴Yahweh is in his holy temple;

Yahweh is in the heavens on his throne.

His eyelids see;

they test the children of humankind.

⁵Yahweh tests the righteous,

but the wicked and the lover of violence

his soul hates.

⁶He will rain coals^d on the wicked.

Burning sulfur and scorching wind

will be the portion of their cup.

⁷For Yahweh is righteous;

he loves righteous deeds.

The upright shall see his face.

Human Faithlessness and God’s Faithfulness

12For the music director; on the Sheminith.^a A psalm of David.^b

¹Save, O Yahweh, for the pious have ceased to be;

for the faithful have vanished

from among the children of humankind.

²They speak falseness to each other.^c

With flattering lips,

with a double heart^d they speak.

³May Yahweh cut off all flattering lips,

the tongue speaking great boasts—

⁴those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail.

Our lips are on our side.

Who is master over us?”

⁵“Because of the oppression of the afflicted,

because of the groaning of the poor,

now I will rise up,” Yahweh says.

“I shall put them in the safety for which they^e long.”

⁶The words of Yahweh are pure words

like silver refined in the crucible on the ground,

refined seven times.

⁷You, O Yahweh, will protect them.

You will preserve him^f

from this generation always.

⁸The wicked prowl about

when vileness is exalted among the children of humankind.