A little time with Scripture.
SCRIPTURE READER

Psalms 12

World English Bible · Public domain

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Psalms 12

1For the Chief Musician; upon an eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm of David. Help, LORD; for the godly man ceases. For the faithful fail from among the children of men.

2Everyone lies to his neighbor. They speak with flattering lips, and with a double heart.

3May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that boasts,

4who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail. Our lips are our own. Who is lord over us?”

5“Because of the oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD; “I will set him in safety from those who malign him.”

6The LORD’s words are flawless words, as silver refined in a clay furnace, purified seven times.

7You will keep them, LORD. You will preserve them from this generation forever.

8The wicked walk on every side, when what is vile is exalted among the sons of men.

World English Bible (WEB). Public-domain translation. Publisher: eBible.org. Local WEB chapter text; additional external requests use bible-api.com.

A few questions for reading in context
  • Who is speaking, and to whom?
  • What is happening before and after this passage?
  • What kind of writing is this—poetry, narrative, letter, or another form?
  • What does the passage say before I consider how to apply it?