For the director of music. According to sheminith. A psalm of David.
1Help, Lord, for no-one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.[1]2Everyone lies to their neighbour; they flatter with their lips but harbour deception in their hearts.3May the Lord silence all flattering lips and every boastful tongue –4those who say, ‘By our tongues we will prevail; our own lips will defend us – who is lord over us?’5‘Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise,’ says the Lord. ‘I will protect them from those who malign them.’6And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold[2] refined seven times.7You, Lord, will keep the needy safe and will protect us for ever from the wicked,8who freely strut about when what is vile is honoured by the human race.
For the director of music. According to sheminith. A psalm of David.
1Help, LORD! No one does what is right anymore. Those who are faithful have disappeared from the human race.2Everyone tells lies to their neighbours. With their lips they praise others, but they don’t really mean it.3May the LORD close all lips that don’t mean what they say. May he stop every tongue that boasts.4They say, ‘What we speak with our tongues will win the battle. What we say with our lips will keep us safe. No one will have victory over us.’5The LORD says, ‘The poor are being robbed. Those who are in need groan. So I will stand up to help them. I will keep them safe from those who tell lies about them.’6The words of the LORD are perfect. They are like silver made pure in a clay furnace. They are like gold made pure seven times over.7LORD, you will keep needy people safe. You will always keep sinners from hurting us.8Proud and sinful people walk around openly when the evil they do is praised by the human race.