Psalm 12

To the chief Musician ||*upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David.

1  ||Help, Lord; for athe godly man ceaseth;

For the faithful fail from among the children of men.

2  They aaspeak vanity every one with his neighbour:

With bflattering lips and with †a double heart do they speak.

3  The Lord shall cut off all bflattering lips,

And the tongue that speaketh †proud things:

4  Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail;

Our lips †are our own: who is lord over us?

5  cFor the oppression of dthe poor, for the sighing of the needy,

eNow will I arise, saith the Lord;

I will set him in safety from him that ||fpuffeth at him.

6  gThe words of the Lord are pure words:

As silver gtried in a furnace of earth, hpurified iseven times.

7  Thou shalt keep them, O Lord,

Thou shalt preserve †them from this generation for ever.

8  The wicked walk on every side,

When †the vilest men are exalted.