2Help, Lord, for no one loyal remains;

the faithful have vanished from the children of men.a

3They tell lies to one another,

speak with deceiving lips and a double heart.b

4May the Lord cut off all deceiving lips,

and every boastful tongue,

5Those who say, “By our tongues we prevail;

when our lips speak, who can lord it over us?”c

6“Because they rob the weak, and the needy groan,

I will now arise,” says the Lord;

“I will grant safety to whoever longs for it.”d

7The promises of the Lord are sure,

silver refined in a crucible,*

silver purified seven times.e

8You, O Lord, protect us always;

preserve us from this generation.

9On every side the wicked roam;

the shameless are extolled by the children of men.