1 To the Overseer, on the octave. -- A Psalm of David. Save, Jehovah, for the saintly hath failed, For the stedfast have ceased From the sons of men:
2 Vanity they speak each with his neighbour, Lip of flattery! With heart and heart they speak.
3 Jehovah doth cut off all lips of flattery, A tongue speaking great things,
4 Who said, `By our tongue we do mightily: Our lips [are] our own; who [is] lord over us?'
5 Because of the spoiling of the poor, Because of the groaning of the needy, Now do I arise, saith Jehovah, I set in safety [him who] doth breathe for it.
6 Sayings of Jehovah [are] pure sayings; Silver tried in a furnace of earth refined sevenfold.
7 Thou, O Jehovah, dost preserve them, Thou keepest us from this generation to the age.
8 Around the wicked walk continually, According as vileness is exalted by sons of men!
Chapter Summary
Amid lying and flattering lips, the psalmist treasures the flawless words of the LORD, purified like silver.
Book Summary
Psalms is the Bible's songbook: one hundred fifty prayers and hymns of praise, lament, thanksgiving, and trust, many attributed to David. From the depths of despair to the heights of worship, it has voiced the prayers of God's people for millennia.