The Faithful Have Vanished

Psalm 12

¹ Help, O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly;
the faithful have disappeared from humankind.
² They utter lies to each other;
with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

³ May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
the tongue that makes great boasts,
⁴ those who say, "With our tongues we will prevail;
our lips are our own--who is our master?"

⁵ "Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan,
I will now rise up," says the Lord;
"I will place them in the safety for which they long."
⁶ The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure,
silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.

⁷ You, O Lord, will protect us;
you will guard us from this generation forever.
⁸ On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among humankind.