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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)

72 1-8 Give the gift of wise rule to the king, O God,
    the gift of just rule to the crown prince.
May he judge your people rightly,
    be honorable to your meek and lowly.
Let the mountains give exuberant witness;
    shape the hills with the contours of right living.
Please stand up for the poor,
    help the children of the needy,
    come down hard on the cruel tyrants.
Outlast the sun, outlive the moon—
    age after age after age.
Be rainfall on cut grass,
    earth-refreshing rain showers.
Let righteousness burst into blossom
    and peace abound until the moon fades to nothing.
Rule from sea to sea,
    from the River to the Rim.

9-14 Foes will fall on their knees before God,
    his enemies lick the dust.
Kings remote and legendary will pay homage,
    kings rich and resplendent will turn over their wealth.
All kings will fall down and worship,
    and godless nations sign up to serve him,
Because he rescues the poor at the first sign of need,
    the destitute who have run out of luck.
He opens a place in his heart for the down-and-out,
    he restores the wretched of the earth.
He frees them from tyranny and torture—
    when they bleed, he bleeds;
    when they die, he dies.

15-17 And live! Oh, let him live!
    Deck him out in Sheba gold.
Offer prayers unceasing to him,
    bless him from morning to night.
Fields of golden grain in the land,
    cresting the mountains in wild exuberance,
Cornucopias of praise, praises
    springing from the city like grass from the earth.
May he never be forgotten,
    his fame shine on like sunshine.
May all godless people enter his circle of blessing
    and bless the One who blessed them.

18-20 Blessed God, Israel’s God,
    the one and only wonder-working God!
Blessed always his blazing glory!
    All earth brims with his glory.
Yes and Yes and Yes.

Psalm 72

A psalm of Solomon.

Give your love of justice to the king, O God,
    and righteousness to the king’s son.
Help him judge your people in the right way;
    let the poor always be treated fairly.
May the mountains yield prosperity for all,
    and may the hills be fruitful.
Help him to defend the poor,
    to rescue the children of the needy,
    and to crush their oppressors.
May they fear you[a] as long as the sun shines,
    as long as the moon remains in the sky.
    Yes, forever!

May the king’s rule be refreshing like spring rain on freshly cut grass,
    like the showers that water the earth.
May all the godly flourish during his reign.
    May there be abundant prosperity until the moon is no more.
May he reign from sea to sea,
    and from the Euphrates River[b] to the ends of the earth.
Desert nomads will bow before him;
    his enemies will fall before him in the dust.
10 The western kings of Tarshish and other distant lands
    will bring him tribute.
The eastern kings of Sheba and Seba
    will bring him gifts.
11 All kings will bow before him,
    and all nations will serve him.

12 He will rescue the poor when they cry to him;
    he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them.
13 He feels pity for the weak and the needy,
    and he will rescue them.
14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence,
    for their lives are precious to him.

15 Long live the king!
    May the gold of Sheba be given to him.
May the people always pray for him
    and bless him all day long.
16 May there be abundant grain throughout the land,
    flourishing even on the hilltops.
May the fruit trees flourish like the trees of Lebanon,
    and may the people thrive like grass in a field.
17 May the king’s name endure forever;
    may it continue as long as the sun shines.
May all nations be blessed through him
    and bring him praise.

18 Praise the Lord God, the God of Israel,
    who alone does such wonderful things.
19 Praise his glorious name forever!
    Let the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and amen!

20 (This ends the prayers of David son of Jesse.)

Footnotes

  1. 72:5 Greek version reads May they endure.
  2. 72:8 Hebrew the river.

Psalm 72

Of Solomon.

72 God, give your judgments to the king.
    Give your righteousness to the king’s son.
Let him judge your people with righteousness
    and your poor ones with justice.
Let the mountains bring peace to the people;
    let the hills bring righteousness.
Let the king bring justice to people who are poor;
    let him save the children of those who are needy,
        but let him crush oppressors!
Let the king live[a] as long as the sun,
    as long as the moon,
        generation to generation.
Let him fall like rain upon fresh-cut grass,
    like showers that water the earth.
Let the righteous flourish throughout their lives,
    and let peace prosper until the moon is no more.
Let the king rule from sea to sea,
    from the river to the ends of the earth.
Let the desert dwellers bow low before him;
    let his enemies lick the dust.
10 Let the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute;
    let the kings of Sheba and Seba present gifts.
11 Let all the kings bow down before him;
    let all the nations serve him.

12 Let it be so, because he delivers the needy who cry out,
    the poor, and those who have no helper.
13 He has compassion on the weak and the needy;
    he saves the lives of those who are in need.
14 He redeems their lives from oppression and violence;
    their blood is precious in his eyes.

15 Let the king live long!
Let Sheba’s gold be given to him!
    Let him be prayed for always!
    Let him be blessed all day long!
16     Let there be abundant grain in the land.
    Let it wave on the mountaintops.
    Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon.
    Let it thrive like grass on the land.
17     Let the king’s name last forever.
    Let his name endure as long as the sun.
    Let all the nations be blessed through him and call him happy.

18 Bless the Lord God, the God of Israel—
    the only one who does wondrous things!
19 Bless God’s glorious name forever;
    let his glory fill all the earth!
        Amen and Amen!

20 The prayers of David, Jesse’s son, are ended.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 72:5 LXX; MT May they fear you.

The Reign of the Righteous King.

A Psalm of Solomon.

72 Give the king [knowledge of] Your judgments, O God,
And [the spirit of] Your righteousness to the king’s son [to guide all his ways].

May he judge Your people with righteousness,
And Your afflicted with justice.(A)

The mountains will bring peace and prosperity to the people,
And the hills, in [the establishment of] righteousness.

May he bring justice to the poor among the people,
Save the children of the needy
And crush the oppressor,


Let them fear You [with awe-inspired reverence and worship You with obedience] while the sun endures,
And as long as the moon [reflects light], throughout all generations.

May he come down like rain on the mown grass,
Like showers that water the earth.

In his days may the righteous flourish,
And peace abound until the moon is no more.(B)


May he also rule from sea to sea
And from the River [Euphrates] to the ends of the earth.(C)

The nomads of the desert will bow before him,
And his enemies will [a]lick the dust.
10 
The kings of Tarshish and of the islands will bring offerings;
The kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts.
11 
Yes, all kings will bow down before him,
All nations will serve him.(D)

12 
For he will rescue the needy when he cries for help,
The afflicted and abused also, and him who has no helper.
13 
He will have compassion on the poor and needy,
And he will save the lives of the needy.
14 
He will redeem their life from oppression and fraud and violence,
And their blood will be precious in His sight.
15 
So may he live, and may the gold of Sheba be given to him;
And let them pray for him continually;
Let them bless and praise him all day long.

16 
There will be an abundance of grain in the soil on the top of the [b]mountains;
Its fruit will wave like [the cedars of] Lebanon,
And those of the city will flourish like grass of the earth.
17 
May his name endure forever;
May his name continue as long as the sun;
And let men bless themselves by him;
Let all nations call him blessed.

18 
Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
Who alone does wonderful things.
19 
Blessed be His glorious name forever;
And may the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen.

20 
The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 72:9 I.e. lay themselves face down in submission.
  2. Psalm 72:16 I.e. the most barren part of the land.