Psalm 12 Text

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Read along and listen to our audio recordings for Psalm 12. Choose between simple, unaffected audio recordings (in Hebrew or English), or a dramatized reading that takes into account our emotional, discourse, and poetic analyses. You can also choose between a text-only view, or a view overlaid with our summary At-a-Glance, Expanded Paraphrase, or Participant Analysis tracking.

Simple Reading (Hebrew)
Forthcoming. 		Simple Reading (English)
Forthcoming.
Dramatic Reading (Hebrew)
Forthcoming. 		Dramatic Reading (English)
Forthcoming.

Text Only (Hebrew and English) The text below is divided according to the psalm's poetic lines. For additional information, see our Poetic Structure layer.

Text (Hebrew) Verse Text (CBC)
לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ עַֽל־הַשְּׁמִינִ֗ית מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃ 1a For the director. On the eight-tone scale. A psalm by David.
הוֹשִׁ֣יעָה יְ֭הוָה 2a Help, YHWH!
כִּי־גָמַ֣ר חָסִ֑יד 2b For the loyal one has disappeared;
כִּי־פַ֥סּוּ אֱ֝מוּנִ֗ים מִבְּנֵ֥י אָדָֽם׃ 2c for faithful ones have vanished from among humanity.
שָׁ֤וְא ׀ יְֽדַבְּרוּ֮ אִ֤ישׁ אֶת־רֵ֫עֵ֥הוּ 3a They speak falsehood, each with his neighbor.
שְׂפַת חֲלָק֑וֹת בְּלֵ֖ב וָלֵ֣ב יְדַבֵּֽרוּ׃ 3b With flattering lips, with duplicity they speak.
יַכְרֵ֣ת יְ֭הוָה כָּל־שִׂפְתֵ֣י חֲלָק֑וֹת 4a May YHWH exterminate all flattering lips,
לָ֝שׁ֗וֹן מְדַבֶּ֥רֶת גְּדֹלֽוֹת׃ 4b [every] tongue speaking great things,
אֲשֶׁ֤ר אָֽמְר֨וּ ׀ 5a [all] who have said,
לִלְשֹׁנֵ֣נוּ נַ֭גְבִּיר 5b "We can speak boldly.
שְׂפָתֵ֣ינוּ אִתָּ֑נוּ 5c Our lips are under our control;
מִ֖י אָד֣וֹן לָֽנוּ׃ 5d who is our master?"
מִשֹּׁ֥ד עֲנִיִּים֮ מֵאַנְקַ֪ת אֶבְי֫וֹנִ֥ים 6a "Because afflicted ones are devastated, because poor ones groan,
עַתָּ֣ה אָ֭קוּם 6b now I will rise up,"
יֹאמַ֣ר יְהוָ֑ה 6c says YHWH.
אָשִׁ֥ית בְּ֝יֵ֗שַׁע יָפִ֥יחַֽ לֽוֹ׃ 6d "I will place in safety the one for whom someone sets traps."
אִֽמֲר֣וֹת יְהוָה֮ אֲמָר֪וֹת טְהֹ֫רוֹת 7a YHWH's words are pure words,
כֶּ֣סֶף צָ֭רוּף בַּעֲלִ֣יל לָאָ֑רֶץ 7b silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
מְ֝זֻקָּ֗ק שִׁבְעָתָֽיִם׃ 7c purified seven times over.
אַתָּֽה־יְהוָ֥ה תִּשְׁמְרֵ֑ם 8a You, YHWH, will guard them.
תִּצְּרֶ֓נּוּ ׀ מִן־הַדּ֖וֹר ז֣וּ לְעוֹלָֽם׃ 8b You will protect him from the generation which is forever.
סָבִ֗יב רְשָׁעִ֥ים יִתְהַלָּכ֑וּן 9a Wicked ones roam around
כְּרֻ֥ם זֻ֝לּ֗וּת לִבְנֵ֥י אָדָֽם׃ 9b when vileness is esteemed among humans.

Structure Overlay Below, the text has been overlaid with our summary structural analysis. For details on the structure, see the Structure At-a-Glance here.

Text (Hebrew) Verse Text (CBC)
לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ עַֽל־הַשְּׁמִינִ֗ית מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃ 1a For the director. On the eight-tone scale. A psalm by David.
הוֹשִׁ֣יעָה יְ֭הוָה 2a Help, YHWH!
כִּי־גָמַ֣ר חָסִ֑יד 2b For the loyal one has disappeared;
כִּי־פַ֥סּוּ אֱ֝מוּנִ֗ים מִבְּנֵ֥י אָדָֽם׃ 2c for faithful ones have vanished from among humanity.
שָׁ֤וְא ׀ יְֽדַבְּרוּ֮ אִ֤ישׁ אֶת־רֵ֫עֵ֥הוּ 3a They speak falsehood, each with his neighbor.
שְׂפַת חֲלָק֑וֹת בְּלֵ֖ב וָלֵ֣ב יְדַבֵּֽרוּ׃ 3b With flattering lips, with duplicity they speak.
יַכְרֵ֣ת יְ֭הוָה כָּל־שִׂפְתֵ֣י חֲלָק֑וֹת 4a May YHWH exterminate all flattering lips,
לָ֝שׁ֗וֹן מְדַבֶּ֥רֶת גְּדֹלֽוֹת׃ 4b [every] tongue speaking great things,
אֲשֶׁ֤ר אָֽמְר֨וּ ׀ 5a [all] who have said,
לִלְשֹׁנֵ֣נוּ נַ֭גְבִּיר 5b "We can speak boldly.
שְׂפָתֵ֣ינוּ אִתָּ֑נוּ 5c Our lips are under our control;
מִ֖י אָד֣וֹן לָֽנוּ׃ 5d who is our master?"
מִשֹּׁ֥ד עֲנִיִּים֮ מֵאַנְקַ֪ת אֶבְי֫וֹנִ֥ים 6a "Because afflicted ones are devastated, because poor ones groan,
עַתָּ֣ה אָ֭קוּם 6b now I will rise up,"
יֹאמַ֣ר יְהוָ֑ה 6c says YHWH.
אָשִׁ֥ית בְּ֝יֵ֗שַׁע יָפִ֥יחַֽ לֽוֹ׃ 6d "I will place in safety the one for whom someone sets traps."
אִֽמֲר֣וֹת יְהוָה֮ אֲמָר֪וֹת טְהֹ֫רוֹת 7a YHWH's words are pure words,
כֶּ֣סֶף צָ֭רוּף בַּעֲלִ֣יל לָאָ֑רֶץ 7b silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
מְ֝זֻקָּ֗ק שִׁבְעָתָֽיִם׃ 7c purified seven times over.
אַתָּֽה־יְהוָ֥ה תִּשְׁמְרֵ֑ם 8a You, YHWH, will guard them.
תִּצְּרֶ֓נּוּ ׀ מִן־הַדּ֖וֹר ז֣וּ לְעוֹלָֽם׃ 8b You will protect him from the generation which is forever.
סָבִ֗יב רְשָׁעִ֥ים יִתְהַלָּכ֑וּן 9a Wicked ones roam around
כְּרֻ֥ם זֻ֝לּ֗וּת לִבְנֵ֥י אָדָֽם׃ 9b when vileness is esteemed among humans.

Expanded paraphrase The expanded paraphrase seeks to capture the implicit information within the text and make it explicit for readers today. It is based on the CBC translation and uses italic text to provide the most salient background information, presuppositions, entailments, and inferences.

Text (Hebrew) Verse Expanded Paraphrase
לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ עַֽל־הַשְּׁמִינִ֗ית מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃ 1 For the director. On the eight-toned scale. A psalm by David who is both king and prophet.
הוֹשִׁ֣יעָה יְ֭הוָה כִּי־גָמַ֣ר חָסִ֑יד כִּי־פַ֥סּוּ אֱ֝מוּנִ֗ים מִבְּנֵ֥י אָדָֽם׃ 2 Help, YHWH! We are in need of rescue. For your law, which requires loyalty and faithfulness, has been disregarded, and the loyal one has disappeared so that there no longer seems to be anyone who is loyal. We are in need of rescue For faithful ones have vanished from among humanity. No one keeps their relational obligations. No one is trustworthy.
שָׁ֤וְא ׀ יְֽדַבְּרוּ֮ אִ֤ישׁ אֶת־רֵ֫עֵ֥הוּ שְׂפַת חֲלָק֑וֹת בְּלֵ֖ב וָלֵ֣ב יְדַבֵּֽרוּ׃ 3 Instead, They that is, all people speak falsehood the opposite of loyalty and faithfulness, each with his neighbour. With flattering lips, with duplicity they speak and thereby break your law.
יַכְרֵ֣ת יְ֭הוָה כָּל־שִׂפְתֵ֣י חֲלָק֑וֹת לָ֝שׁ֗וֹן מְדַבֶּ֥רֶת גְּדֹלֽוֹת׃ 4 YHWH loves loyalty and faithfulness, and he despises those who boast and lie. May YHWH exterminate just as the faithful seem to have been exterminated all people who have flattering lips, (every) person who has a tongue speaking great things,
אֲשֶׁ֤ר אָֽמְר֨וּ ׀ לִלְשֹׁנֵ֣נוּ נַ֭גְבִּיר שְׂפָתֵ֣ינוּ אִתָּ֑נוּ מִ֖י אָד֣וֹן לָֽנוּ׃ 5 who have said, “We can speak boldly.We can say whatever we want; we can lie without consequences. The reason we can do this is because Our lips are under our control. There is no one to tell us what to say or to hold us accountable for our lies. Who is our master? We have none, not even YHWH.” But YHWH is the lord and master of all, and he will hold them to account.
מִשֹּׁ֥ד עֲנִיִּים֮ מֵאַנְקַ֪ת אֶבְי֫וֹנִ֥ים עַתָּ֣ה אָ֭קוּם יֹאמַ֣ר יְהוָ֑ה אָשִׁ֥ית בְּ֝יֵ֗שַׁע יָפִ֥יחַֽ לֽוֹ׃ 6 Deceit brings devastation and suffering, especially to those who are most vulnerable. Because virtually everyone is deceitful, afflicted ones are devastated and poor people groan. Groaning is an expression of severe suffering. Although the situation looks hopeless, I who am a prophet (have received a prophetic oracle from YHWH, who will hold the wicked to account. This is what YHWH says, “Because my law is disregarded such that afflicted ones are devastated, because poor ones groan, and because I care for those who are poor and afflicted now I will rise up to take action,” says YHWH. “I will place in safety the one who is sneered atand thereby answer your prayer for help [v. 2] ."
אִֽמֲר֣וֹת יְהוָה֮ אֲמָר֪וֹת טְהֹ֫רוֹת כֶּ֣סֶף צָ֭רוּף בַּעֲלִ֣יל לָאָ֑רֶץ מְ֝זֻקָּ֗ק שִׁבְעָתָֽיִם׃ 7 YHWH has spoken [v. 6] and, unlike all of the people around us who speak with duplicity we can trust what YHWH says because YHWH's words are pure words which contain no mixture of falsehood. The purity of someone's words may be compared to the purity of a precious metal. For example, silver is impure at the time of its mining because it is mixed with other minerals. If it is not properly refined and purified, then it may corrode or break. Therefore, it must be refined and purified through intense heat to be both strong and beautiful. It is placed in a crucible which is then placed in the furnace which is built into the ground. When silver emerges from this process, it is pure, since any impurities have been burned away. YHWH's words are as pure as silver that has been refined in a crucible in the ground, purified seven times over. The number seven symbolises perfection, and so silver purified seven times is perfectly pure, without the slightest trace of impurity.
אַתָּֽה־יְהוָ֥ה תִּשְׁמְרֵ֑ם תִּצְּרֶ֓נּוּ ׀ מִן־הַדּ֖וֹר ז֣וּ לְעוֹלָֽם׃ 8 You, YHWH, are abounding in loyalty and faithfulness, and you will keep your promises and guard them who are afflicted and poor from the devastation they experience at the hands of the deceitful and proud. You will protect him who is sneered at from the generation which is so it seems forever.
סָבִ֗יב רְשָׁעִ֥ים יִתְהַלָּכ֑וּן כְּרֻ֥ם זֻ֝לּ֗וּת לִבְנֵ֥י אָדָֽם׃ 9 In this never-ending generation, Wicked ones roam around without any hinderance and engage in activity that is deceitful and destructive whenever loyalty and faithfulness are denigrated, and instead, vileness is esteemed among humanity. Yet even in a situation like this, you will keep your promise and preserve your people.

Participant Tracking Text Participant Analysis focuses on the characters in the psalm and asks, “Who are the main participants (or characters) in this psalm, and what are they saying or doing? Our full analysis can be found in the Participant Analysis layer.

This resource is forthcoming.