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Solomonic

A Prayer for the King

72 God, endow the king with ability to render[a] your justice,
    and the king’s son to render your right decisions.
May he rule your people with right decisions
    and your oppressed ones with justice.
May the mountains bring prosperity to the people
    and the hills bring righteousness.
May he defend the afflicted of the people
    and deliver the children of the poor,
        but crush the oppressor.

May they fear you as long as the sun and moon shine[b]
    from generation to generation.
May he be like the rain that descends on mown grass,
    like showers sprinkling on the ground.

The righteous will flourish at the proper time
    and peace will prevail until the moon is no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
    from the Euphrates River[c] to the ends of the earth.
    May the nomads bow down before him,
    and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring gifts,
    and may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer tribute.
11 May all kings bow down to him,
    and all nations serve him.

12 For he will deliver the needy when they cry out for help,
    and the poor when there is no deliverer.
13 He will have compassion on the poor and the needy,
    and he will save the lives of the needy.
14 He will redeem them[d] from oppression and violence,
    since their lives are[e] precious in his sight.

Prayer for the King

15 May he live long and be given gold from Sheba,
    and may prayer be offered for him continuously,
        and may he be blessed every day.
16 May grain be abundant in the land
    all the way[f] to the mountain tops;
may its fruits flourish
    like the forests of Lebanon,
and may the cities sprout
    like the grass of the earth.

Praising the God of Israel

17 May his fame[g] be eternal—
    as long as the sun—
may his name endure,
    and may they be blessed through him,
        and may all nations call him blessed.
18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
    who alone does awesome deeds.
19 And blessed be his glorious name forever,
    and may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
        Amen and amen!

20 This ends the prayers of Jesse’s son David.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 72:1 The Heb. lacks to render
  2. Psalm 72:5 The Heb. lacks shine
  3. Psalm 72:8 The Heb. lacks Euphrates
  4. Psalm 72:14 Lit. redeem their souls
  5. Psalm 72:14 Lit. their blood is
  6. Psalm 72:16 The Heb. lacks all the way
  7. Psalm 72:17 Lit. name

Psalm 72

Of Solomon.

Endow the king with your justice,(A) O God,
    the royal son with your righteousness.
May he judge your people in righteousness,(B)
    your afflicted ones with justice.

May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
    the hills the fruit of righteousness.
May he defend the afflicted(C) among the people
    and save the children of the needy;(D)
    may he crush the oppressor.(E)
May he endure[a](F) as long as the sun,
    as long as the moon, through all generations.(G)
May he be like rain(H) falling on a mown field,
    like showers watering the earth.
In his days may the righteous flourish(I)
    and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

May he rule from sea to sea
    and from the River[b](J) to the ends of the earth.(K)
May the desert tribes bow before him
    and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish(L) and of distant shores(M)
    bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba(N) and Seba
    present him gifts.(O)
11 May all kings bow down(P) to him
    and all nations serve(Q) him.

12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
    the afflicted who have no one to help.
13 He will take pity(R) on the weak and the needy
    and save the needy from death.
14 He will rescue(S) them from oppression and violence,
    for precious(T) is their blood in his sight.

15 Long may he live!
    May gold from Sheba(U) be given him.
May people ever pray for him
    and bless him all day long.(V)
16 May grain(W) abound throughout the land;
    on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops(X) flourish like Lebanon(Y)
    and thrive[c] like the grass of the field.(Z)
17 May his name endure forever;(AA)
    may it continue as long as the sun.(AB)

Then all nations will be blessed through him,[d]
    and they will call him blessed.(AC)

18 Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,(AD)
    who alone does marvelous deeds.(AE)
19 Praise be to his glorious name(AF) forever;
    may the whole earth be filled with his glory.(AG)
Amen and Amen.(AH)

20 This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.(AI)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 72:5 Septuagint; Hebrew You will be feared
  2. Psalm 72:8 That is, the Euphrates
  3. Psalm 72:16 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text Lebanon, / from the city
  4. Psalm 72:17 Or will use his name in blessings (see Gen. 48:20)