Help, O LORD, for the righteous are no more;
The faithful have vanished from humanity.
They deceive one another with flattering lips and deceitful hearts.
May the LORD silence all flattering lips and every boastful tongue.
They declare, "With our tongues, we will prevail;
our lips are our own—who can control us?"
The Promise of the Lord
"Because of the oppression of the afflicted
and the groaning of the needy,
I will now rise," says the LORD.
"I will bring safety to those who long for it."
The words of the LORD are flawless,
like silver refined in a furnace,
like gold purified seven times over.
You, O LORD, will protect us;
You will forever guard us from this wicked generation.
The wicked roam freely,
and depravity is exalted among people.
