1 Deliver, Lord!For the godly have disappeared;people of integrity have vanished.
2 People lie to one another;they flatter and deceive.
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,and the tongue that boasts!
4 They say, “We speak persuasively;we know how to flatter and boast.Who is our master?”
5 “Because of the violence done to the oppressed,because of the painful cries of the needy,I will spring into action,” says the Lord.“I will provide the safety they so desperately desire.”
6 The Lord’s words are absolutely reliable.They are as untainted as silver purified in a furnace on the ground,where it is thoroughly refined.
7 You, Lord, will protect them;you will continually shelter each one from these evil people,
8 for the wicked seem to be everywhere,when people promote evil.