God, a Helper against the Treacherous.

To the Chief Musician; [a]set an octave below. A Psalm of David.

1Save and help and rescue, LORD, for godly people cease to be,

For the faithful vanish from among the sons of men.

2They speak deceitful and worthless words to one another;

With flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

3May the LORD cut off all flattering lips,

The tongue that speaks great things [in boasting];

4Who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail;

Our lips are our own; who is lord and master over us?”

5“Because of the devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy,

Now I will arise,” says the LORD; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”

6The words and promises of the LORD are pure words,

Like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times.

7You, O LORD, will preserve and keep them;

You will protect him from this [evil] generation forever.

8The wicked strut about [in pompous self-importance] on every side,

As vileness is exalted and baseness is prized among the sons of men.