| 1 | Help, Lord! For principled
and
godly people are here no more; faithfulness
and
the faithful vanish from among the sons of men. |
| 2 | To his neighbor each one speaks words without use
or
worth
or
truth; with flattering lips and double heart [deceitfully] they speak. |
| 3 | May the Lord cut off all flattering lips
and
the tongues that speak proud boasting, |
| 4 | Those who say, With our tongues we prevail; our lips are our own [to command at our will]—who is lord
and
master over us? |
| 5 | Now will I arise, says the Lord, because the poor are oppressed, because of the groans of the needy; I will set him in safety
and
in the salvation for which he pants. |
| 6 | The words
and
promises of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times over. |
| 7 | You will keep them and preserve them, O Lord; You will guard
and
keep us from this [evil] generation forever. |
| 8 | The wicked walk
or
prowl about on every side, as vileness is exalted [and baseness is rated high] among the sons of men. |