Psalm 12

"Pure words"

Purpose: To pray for help amidst pervasive wickedness and to inspire hope in YHWH's promises.

Content: Help YHWH! No one is trustworthy. You alone can be trusted, and you have promised to help.

Message: YHWH's words are trustworthy, even when no one else can be trusted.

Author: David

Overview

Translation

Click 'Expand' to the right to see our Close-but-Clear translation of Psalm 12.

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1. For the director. On the eight-tone scale. A psalm by David.

2. Help, YHWH! For the loyal one has disappeared;

for faithful ones have vanished from among humanity.

3. They speak falsehood, each with his neighbour;

with flattering lips, with duplicity they speak.

4. May YHWH exterminate all flattering lips,

[every] tongue speaking great things,

5. [all] who have said, “We can speak boldly;

Our lips are under our control; who is our master?”

6. “Because afflicted ones are devastated, because poor ones groan,

now I will rise up,” says YHWH.

“I will place in safety the one for whom someone sets traps.”

7. YHWH’s words are pure words,

silver refined in a furnace on the ground,

purified seven times over.

8. You, YHWH, will guard them;

You will protect him from the generation which is forever.

9. Wicked ones roam around

when vileness is esteemed among humans.

The Close-but-clear translation (CBC) exists to provide a window into the Hebrew text according to how we understand its syntax and word-to-phrase-level semantics. It is not intended to be used as a stand-alone translation or base text, but as a supplement to Layer-by-Layer materials to help users make full use of these resources.

For links to other translations of Psalm 12, click here.

Verse-by-Verse

Click the link to view all of Psalm 12 Verse-by-Verse, or click on an individual verse below.

• v. 1
• v. 2
• v. 3
• v. 4
• v. 5
• v. 6
• v. 7
• v. 8
• v. 9

Layer-by-Layer

Psalm Overview

• Grammar
• Semantics
• Story behind the Psalm
• Discourse
• Poetics

Exegetical Issues

• The Grammar and Meaning of Ps. 12:6c
• The Meaning of the Phrase בַּעֲלִיל לָאָרֶץ in Ps 12:7b
• The Grammar of Ps. 12:8b