Text of Psalm 12
The prayer is performed in the Church of God in Church Slavonic. This version of the text is also used for personal appeal to the Almighty in church or at home. The psalm with accents is popular. It is recommended to read it, armed with the works of the holy fathers for a better understanding of the meaning of the lines. The prayer translated into Russian is a good alternative to the traditional one.
In Church Slavonic
In Russian
History of writing
Supposedly, Psalm 12 was written after King David was delivered from some kind of trial. In the previous seventh psalm that was written, there was a prophecy that Nathan would defeat Absalom, the son of David, who ordered the courtiers to betray the king. The words “in the end” in Psalm 12 indicate that victory was achieved in the end.
Interpretation
The meaning of Psalm 12 has been analyzed by generations of researchers, including the holy fathers. They analyzed individual verses:
- Verse 1: In a difficult moment, David, in despair, assumes that God has forgotten about him, so his prayers remain unanswered.
- Verse 2: The author reflects on dying in sin, which he considers humiliating. Being an apostate, he extols the enemy, which is unacceptable.
- Verse 3-4: Building on the conclusions drawn in the previous verse, David prays to God for enlightenment. The word “eyes” here should not be understood literally; the prophet is talking about the eyes of the soul, their purification. He hopes for admonition given by the Lord, striving for correction through the fight against passions and sins.
- Verse 5: The author encourages Christians not to give up, just as he does not give up, not wanting to give in to the enemy. He is convinced that the believer must remain strong, no matter how severe the temptations and temptations, otherwise the enemy of good will become triumphant.
- Verse 6: David believes that the One Creator will take pity on him and grant him salvation.
PSALMS. PSALM 11-21
PSALM 11
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1 To the director of the choir. On eight string. Psalm of David.
2 Save [me], O Lord, for the righteous is no more, for there is none faithful among the sons of men.
3 Every man speaks a lie to his neighbor; flattering lips speak from a feigned heart.
4 The Lord will destroy all flattering lips and lofty tongues,
5 those who say: “We will overcome with our tongue, our mouth will be with us; Who is our master?
6 Because of the suffering of the poor and the sighing of the needy, I will now arise, says the Lord, and I will place in safety the one whom they want to catch.
7 The words of the Lord are pure words, silver purified from the earth in a furnace, refined seven times.
8 You, O Lord, will preserve them; you will preserve them from this generation forever.
9 The wicked walk everywhere, while the lowliest of the sons of men have become exalted.
PSALM 12
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1 To the director of the choir. Psalm of David.
2 How long, O Lord, will you forget me completely, how long will you hide your face from me?
3 How long shall I lay counsel in my soul, how long shall sorrow be in my heart day [and night]? How long will my enemy exalt himself over me?
4 Look, hear me, O Lord my God! Enlighten my eyes, may I not fall asleep in the sleep of death;
5 Let not my enemy say, I have overcome him. May my persecutors not rejoice if I waver.
6 But I trust in Your mercy; my heart will rejoice in Your salvation; I will sing to the Lord, who has blessed me, [and I will sing to the name of the Lord Most High].
PSALM 13
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To the head of the choir. Psalm of David.
1 The fool said in his heart, There is no God. They became corrupt and committed vile deeds; there is no one who does good.
2 The Lord looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there was one who understood, one who sought God.
3 All have turned aside and become equally obscene; there is no one who does good, not even one.
4 Will not all those who practice iniquity, who eat my people as they eat bread, and do not call on the Lord, come to their senses?
5 There they will fear fear, [where there is no fear,] for God is among the generation of the righteous.
6 You have laughed at the thought of the beggar, that the Lord is his hope.
7 Who will give salvation to Israel from Zion? When the Lord brings back the captivity of His people, then Jacob will rejoice and Israel will rejoice.
PSALM 14
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Psalm of David.
1 Lord! who can dwell in Your habitation? who can dwell on Your holy mountain?
2 He who walks uprightly, and does righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart;
3 who does not slander with his tongue, does not do harm to his own sincerity, and does not accept reproach against his neighbor4
4 he in whose eyes the outcast is despised, but who glorifies those who fear the Lord; who swears, even to an evil person, and does not change;
5 who does not lend his money at interest and does not accept gifts against the innocent. He who does this will never be shaken.
PSALM 15
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Song of David.
1 Protect me, O God, for I trust in You.
2 I said to the Lord: You are my Lord; You don't need my blessings.
3 To the saints who are on earth, and to Thy wondrous ones—to them is all my desire.
4 Let the sorrows of those who run after a strange god be multiplied; I will not pour out their bloody drink offerings, nor will I remember their names with my lips.
5 The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup. You hold my lot.
6 My lands have passed through beautiful places, and my inheritance is pleasant to me.
7 I will bless the Lord, who gave me understanding; even at night my insides teach me.
8 I have always seen the Lord before me, for He is at my right hand; I will not hesitate.
9 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; even my flesh will rest in hope,
10 For You will not leave my soul in hell, nor will You allow Your holy one to see corruption,
11 You will show me the way of life: fullness of joy is before You, happiness is at Your right hand forever.
PSALM 16
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David's Prayer.
1 Hear, O Lord, my righteousness, listen to my cry, accept my prayer from the lips of the undeceitful.
2 Let judgment come to me from Your presence; let Thy eyes look upon righteousness.
3 You tried my heart, you visited me by night, you tempted me and found nothing; My lips do not depart from my thoughts.
4 In the affairs of men, according to the word of Your mouth, I have kept myself from the ways of the oppressor.
5 Establish my steps in Your ways, so that my feet do not falter.
6 I cry to You, for You will hear me, O God; incline Your ear to me, hear my words.
7 Show Your wondrous mercy, O Savior of those who trust [in You] from those who resist Your right hand.
8 Guard me like the apple of your eye; shelter me in the shadow of your wings
9 from the wicked who attack me, from the enemies of my soul who surround me:
10 They are wrapped up in their fat, they speak arrogantly with their lips.
11 They surround us now at every step we take; they fixed their eyes to cast me down to the ground;
12 They are like a lion thirsty for prey, like a skim sitting in hidden places.
13 Arise, O Lord, warn them, bring them down. Deliver my soul from the wicked by Your sword,
14 from people - by Your hand, O Lord, from the people of the world, whose portion is in this life, whose bellies You fill from Your treasures; their sons are satisfied and will leave the remainder to their children.
15 But I will look upon Your face in righteousness; Having awakened, I will be satisfied with Your image.
PSALM 17
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1 To the director of the choir. The servant of the Lord David, who spoke the words of this song to the Lord, when the Lord delivered him from the hands of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said:
2 I will love you, O Lord, my strength!
3 The Lord is my rock and my refuge, my Deliverer, my God is my rock; in Him I trust; my shield, the horn of my salvation and my refuge.
4 I will call upon the venerable Lord, and I will be saved from my enemies.
5 The pangs of death have seized me, and the torrents of iniquity have made me afraid;
6 The chains of hell have encircled me, and the snares of death have entangled me.
7 In my distress I called on the Lord and called to my God. And He heard my voice from His [holy] palace, and my cry came to His ears.
8 The earth shook and was shaken, the foundations of the mountains trembled and moved, for [God] was angry;
9 Smoke arose from His wrath, and from His mouth a consuming fire; hot coals fell from Him.
10 He bowed the heavens and came down, and darkness was under His feet.
11 And he sat on the Cherubim and flew, and was carried away on the wings of the wind.
12 And he made darkness his covering, casting the darkness of the waters and the clouds of the air around him.
13 Because of the brilliance before Him, His clouds, hail, and coals of fire fled.
14 The Lord thundered in the heavens, and the Most High gave His voice, hail and coals of fire.
15 He sent forth His arrows and scattered them, a multitude of lightnings, and scattered them.
16 And springs of water appeared, and the foundations of the world were revealed at Thy terrible voice, O Lord, at the breath of the spirit of Thy wrath.
17 He stretched out his hand from on high and took me, and brought me out of many waters;
18 He delivered me from my powerful enemy and from those who hated me, who were stronger than me.
19 They rose up against me in the day of my trouble, but the Lord was my strength.
20 He brought me out to a large place and delivered me, for He delights in me.
21 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; He rewarded me according to the integrity of my hands,
22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not been wicked before my God;
23 For all His commandments are before me, and I have not departed from His statutes.
24 I was blameless before Him, and took heed lest I sin;
25 And the Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the integrity of my hands in His sight.
26 You deal kindly with the merciful, sincerely with the sincere man,
27 with the pure it is pure, but with the evil one according to his wickedness,
28 For You save the oppressed people, but You bring down haughty eyes.
29 You kindle my lamp, O Lord; My God enlightens my darkness.
30 With You I defeat the army, with my God I ascend the wall.
31 God! – His way is blameless, the word of the Lord is pure; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
32 For who is God besides the Lord, and who is a defense besides our God?
33 God girdles me with strength and makes a sure way for me;
34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and sets me on my high places;
35 He teaches my hands to fight, and my arms break the bronze bow.
36 You have given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand upholds me, and Your mercy makes me great.
37 You widen my step under me, and my feet do not falter.
38 I pursue my enemies and overtake them, and I do not return until I have destroyed them;
39 I strike them, and they cannot rise up; they fall under my feet,
40 For thou hast girded me with strength for war, and thou hast put under my feet those who rise up against me;
41 You have turned the rear of my enemies to me, and I destroy those who hate me:
42 They cry out, but there is no one to save; to the Lord, but He does not heed them;
43 I scatter them like dust before the wind, and trample them down like the dirt of the streets.
44 You delivered me from the rebellion of the people, you made me the head of the foreigners; a people whom I did not know serves me;
45 Because of one rumor about me, they obey me; foreigners caress me;
46 The foreigners turn pale and tremble in their fortifications.
47 As the Lord lives and blessed is my protector! Exalted be the God of my salvation,
48 God, who avenges me and subdues the nations for me,
49 and who delivers me from my enemies! You raised me above those who rebelled against me and delivered me from the cruel man.
50 Therefore I will praise You, O Lord, among the foreigners, and I will sing praises to Your name,
51 majestically saving the king and showing mercy to your anointed David and his descendants forever.
PSALM 18
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1 To the director of the choir. Psalm of David.
2 The heavens proclaim the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of His hands.
3 Day imparts speech to day, and night reveals knowledge to night.
4 There is no tongue, and no speech, where their voice is not heard.
5 Their sound goes through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. He made a dwelling for the sun in them,
6 And it comes out like a bridegroom from his bridal chamber, rejoicing like a giant to run the race:
7 From the end of the heavens is his departure, and his march to the end of them, and nothing is hidden from his warmth.
8 The law of the Lord is perfect, strengthening the soul; The revelation of the Lord is true, making wise the simple.
9 The commandments of the Lord are righteous and make glad the heart; The commandment of the Lord is bright, it enlightens the eyes.
10 The fear of the Lord is pure and endures forever. The judgments of the Lord are true, all are righteous;
11 They are more desirable than gold and even much fine gold, sweeter than honey and drops of honeycomb;
12 And Your servant is protected by them; in keeping them there is great reward.
13 Who can discern his own faults? Cleanse me from my secrets
14 And restrain Thy servant from evil deeds, lest they prevail over me. Then I will be blameless and pure from great corruption.
15 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Savior!
PSALM 19
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1 To the director of the choir. Psalm of David.
2 May the Lord hear you in the day of trouble, may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
3 Let him send you help from the Sanctuary and from Zion strengthen you.
4 Let him remember all your sacrifices and make your burnt offering fat.
5 May [the Lord] give you according to your heart and fulfill all your intentions.
6 We will rejoice in your salvation and in the name of our God we will raise the standard. May the Lord fulfill all your requests.
7 Now I have come to know that the Lord saves His anointed, answering him from His holy heavens with the power of His saving right hand.
8 Some in chariots, some in horses, but we glory in the name of the Lord our God:
9 They wavered and fell, but we rose and stood upright.
10 Lord! save the king and hear us when we cry [to You].
PSALM 20
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1 To the director of the choir. Psalm of David.
2 Lord! The king rejoices in Your power and rejoices immensely in Your salvation.
3 You gave him what his heart desired, and you did not reject the request of his mouth,
4 For You greeted him with the blessings of goodness, You placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
5 He asked You for life; You gave him longevity for ever and ever.
6 Great is his glory in Thy salvation; You have placed upon him honor and greatness.
7 Thou hast bestowed blessings upon him forever, making him glad with the joy of Thy countenance,
8 For the king trusts in the Lord, and in the goodness of the Most High he will not be shaken.
9 Your hand will find all your enemies, your right hand will find [all] those who hate you.
10 In the time of Your wrath You will make them like a fiery furnace; in His wrath the Lord will destroy them, and the fire will consume them.
11 You will destroy their fruit from the earth and their seed from among the sons of men,
12 For they intended evil against you, they formed plans, but they could not carry them out.
13 You will target them; you will shoot arrows from your bows at them.
14 Be exalted, O Lord, in Your power: we will sing and glorify Your power.
PSALM 21
Listen to the Psalms Psalm 21 online
1 To the director of the choir. When dawn appears. Psalm of David.
2 My God! My God! [listen to me] why have you forsaken me? The words of my cry are far from saving me.
3 My God! I cry during the day, and You do not listen to me, at night, and there is no peace for me.
4 But You, O Holy One, live in the midst of the praises of Israel.
5 Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them;
6 They cried to You and were saved; They trusted in You and did not remain in shame.
7 But I am a worm, and not a man, reproached by men and despised by the people.
8 Everyone who sees me mocks me, saying with their lips, nodding their heads:
9 “He trusted in the Lord; let him deliver him, let him save him, if he pleases him.”
10 But You brought me out of the womb, You placed hope in me at my mother’s breasts.
11 I was left to You from the womb; From my mother’s womb You are my God.
12 Do not move away from me, for sorrow is near and there is no helper.
13 Many bulls surrounded me; the fat Bashanites surrounded me,
14 They opened their mouth against me like a lion, hungry and roaring.
15 I am poured out like water; all my bones crumbled; my heart became like wax, melting in the midst of my insides.
16 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; my tongue clung to my throat, and You brought me to the dust of death.
17 For dogs have surrounded me; a crowd of evildoers has surrounded me; they have pierced my hands and my feet.
18 All my bones could be numbered; and they look and make a spectacle out of me;
19 They divide my garments among themselves and cast lots for my clothing.
20 But You, Lord, do not depart from me; my strength! hasten to my aid;
21 Deliver my soul from the sword and my lonely from the dogs;
22 Save me from the mouth of the lion and from the horns of the unicorns; when you hear, deliver me.
23 I will proclaim Your name to my brothers, in the midst of the congregation I will praise You.
24 You who fear the Lord! praise Him. All the seed of Jacob! glorify Him. Let all the seed of Israel revere Him,
25 For He did not despise or disdain the sorrow of the sufferer, He did not hide His face from him, but heard him when he called to Him.
26 In You is my praise in the great congregation; I will pay my vows to those who fear Him.
27 Let the poor eat and be satisfied; let those who seek Him praise the Lord; May your hearts live forever!
28 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the tribes of the nations will worship before You,
29 For the kingdom is the Lord's, and He is Ruler over the nations.
30 All the rich lands will eat and worship; All who go down into the dust and cannot save their lives will bow before Him.
31 [My] descendants will serve Him, and will be called the Lord's forever:
32 They will come and proclaim His righteousness to the people who are born, what the Lord has done.
