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