Give the King Your Justice

Of (A)Solomon.

72 Give the king your (B)justice, O God,
    and your righteousness to the royal son!
May he (C)judge your people with righteousness,
    and your poor with justice!
Let the mountains bear (D)prosperity for the people,
    and the hills, in righteousness!
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
    give deliverance to the children of the needy,
    and crush the oppressor!

May they fear you[a] while (E)the sun endures,
    and as long as the moon, (F)throughout all generations!
May he be like (G)rain that falls on (H)the mown grass,
    like (I)showers that water the earth!
In his days may (J)the righteous flourish,
    and (K)peace abound, till the moon be no more!

May he have dominion from (L)sea to sea,
    and from (M)the River[b] to the (N)ends of the earth!
May desert tribes (O)bow down before him,
    and his enemies (P)lick the dust!
10 May the kings of (Q)Tarshish and of (R)the coastlands
    render him (S)tribute;
may the kings of (T)Sheba and (U)Seba
    bring gifts!
11 May all kings (V)fall down before him,
    all nations serve him!

12 For he delivers (W)the needy when he calls,
    the poor and him who has no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy,
    and saves the lives of the needy.
14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
    and (X)precious is their blood in his sight.

15 Long may he live;
    may (Y)gold of Sheba be given to him!
May prayer be made (Z)for him continually,
    and blessings invoked for him all the day!
16 May there be abundance of grain in the land;
    on the tops of the mountains may it wave;
    may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people (AA)blossom in the cities
    like the (AB)grass of the field!
17 (AC)May his name endure forever,
    his fame continue as long as the sun!
(AD)May people be blessed in him,
    (AE)all nations call him blessed!

18 (AF)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    who alone does (AG)wondrous things.
19 Blessed be his (AH)glorious name forever;
    may (AI)the whole earth be filled with his glory!
(AJ)Amen and Amen!

20 (AK)The prayers of (AL)David, the son of Jesse, are ended.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 72:5 Septuagint He shall endure
  2. Psalm 72:8 That is, the Euphrates

72 (Of Sh’lomo). Give HaMelech Thy mishpatim, O Elohim, and Thy tzedakah unto the Ben Melech.

He shall judge Thy people with tzedek, and Thy poor with mishpat.

The harim (mountains) shall bear shalom to the people, and geva’ot (hills) in tzedakah.

He shall judge the poor of the people; yoshia (He shall save) the bnei evyon (children of the needy), and shall break in pieces the oppressor.

They shall fear Thee as long as the shemesh and yarei’ach endure, dor dorim (throughout all generations).

He shall come down like matar (rain) upon the mown field, as showers watering eretz.

In his yamim shall the tzaddik flourish; and abundance of shalom so long as the yarei’ach endureth.

He [Moshiach Ben Dovid] shall have dominion also from yam to yam, and from nahar (river) unto the afsei eretz (the ends of the earth).

They that dwell in the desert shall bow before him; and his oyevim (enemies) shall lick the aphar (dust).

10 The melachim of Tarshish and of the iyim (islands) shall bring minchah (tribute); the melachim of Sheva and Seva shall offer gifts.

11 Kol melachim shall fall down before him [Moshiach]; kol Goyim shall serve him.

12 For he shall deliver the evyon (needy) when he crieth; the oni (poor, afflicted) also, and him that hath no ozer (helper).

13 He shall pity the weak and evyon (needy), and yoshi’a (he shall save) the nefashot of the evyonim (needy).

14 He shall be the Go’el Redeemer of their nefesh from deceit and chamas; and precious shall their dahm be in his sight.

15 And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the zahav of Sheva; and prayer shall be for him continually; and daily shall a brocha be made on him.

16 There shall be an abundance of grain on ha’aretz upon the top of the harim (mountains); the fruit thereof shall shake [in the trees like in] Levanon; and they of the city shall flourish like esev ha’aretz.

17 Shmo (His Name) shall endure l’olam; Shmo shall be continued as long as the shemesh; and men shall be blessed in him; kol Goyim shall call him blessed.

18 Baruch Hashem Elohim, Elohei Yisroel, who only doeth nifla’ot (wondrous things).

19 And baruch Shem kevodo l’olam (and blessed be His Glorious Name forever); and let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Omein, and Omein.

20 The tefillot Dovid Ben Yishai are ended. [T.N. The next Psalm concerns a revelation received in the Holy Place, namely the fate of the wicked whose prosperity is delusional since the riches of G-d’s house is wealth they can never attain to, revealing their true eternal poverty. See Ps 73:24 on afterlife in G-d’s presence.]