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

Psalm 72

A Prayer for the King

Solomonic.(A)

God, give Your justice to the king
and Your righteousness to the king’s son.(B)
He will judge Your people with righteousness
and Your afflicted ones with justice.(C)
May the mountains bring prosperity[a] to the people
and the hills, righteousness.(D)
May he vindicate the afflicted among the people,
help the poor,
and crush the oppressor.(E)

May he continue[b] while the sun endures
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.(F)
May he be like rain that falls on the cut grass,
like spring showers that water the earth.(G)
May the righteous[c] flourish in his days
and prosperity[d] abound
until the moon is no more.(H)

May he rule from sea to sea
and from the Euphrates
to the ends of the earth.(I)
May desert tribes kneel before him
and his enemies lick the dust.(J)
10 May the kings of Tarshish
and the coasts and islands bring tribute,
the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.(K)
11 Let all kings bow down to him,
all nations serve him.(L)

12 For he will rescue the poor who cry out
and the afflicted who have no helper.(M)
13 He will have pity on the poor and helpless
and save the lives of the poor.(N)
14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence,
for their lives are[e] precious[f] in his sight.(O)

15 May he live long!
May gold from Sheba be given to him.
May prayer be offered for him continually,
and may he be blessed all day long.(P)
16 May there be plenty of grain in the land;
may it wave on the tops of the mountains.
May its crops be like Lebanon.
May people flourish in the cities
like the grass of the field.(Q)
17 May his name endure forever;
as long as the sun shines,
may his fame increase.
May all nations be blessed by him
and call him blessed.(R)

18 May the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does wonders, be praised.(S)
19 May His glorious name be praised forever;
the whole earth is filled with His glory.(T)
Amen and amen.
20 The prayers of David son of Jesse are concluded.(U)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 72:3 Or peace
  2. Psalm 72:5 LXX; MT reads May they fear you
  3. Psalm 72:7 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Jer read May righteousness
  4. Psalm 72:7 Or peace
  5. Psalm 72:14 Lit their blood is
  6. Psalm 72:14 Or valuable