[1] Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing! The faithful have vanished from the earth!
[2] Neighbors lie to each other, speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts.
[3] May the Lord cut off their flattering lips and silence their boastful tongues.
[4] They say, “We will lie to our hearts’ content. Our lips are our own—who can stop us?”
[5] The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.”
[6] The Lord’s promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over.
[7] Therefore, Lord, we know you will protect the oppressed, preserving them forever from this lying generation,
[8] even though the wicked strut about, and evil is praised throughout the land.