The Pure Words of the Lord

1 To the Chief Musician;[1] set an octave below. A Psalm of David. Save and help and rescue, LORD, for godly people cease to be, For the faithful vanish from among the sons of men.

2 They speak deceitful and worthless words to one another; With flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, The tongue that speaks great things [in boasting];

4 Who 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."

6 The words and promises of the LORD are pure words, Like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times.

7 You, O LORD, will preserve and keep them; You will protect him from this [evil] generation forever.

8 The wicked strut about [in pompous self-importance] on every side, As vileness is exalted and baseness is prized among the sons of men.