Psalm 72

1 Give the king thy judgments, O God, And thy righteousness unto the king’s son.

2 He will judge thy people with righteousness, And thy poor with justice.

3 The mountains shall bring peace to the people, And the hills, in righteousness.

4 He will judge the poor of the people, He will save the children of the needy, And will break in pieces the oppressor.

5 They shall fear thee while the sun endureth, And so long as the moon, throughout all generations.

6 He will come down like rain upon the mown grass, As showers that water the earth.

7 In his days shall the righteous flourish, And abundance of peace, till the moon be no more.

8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, And from the River unto the ends of the earth.

9 They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; And his enemies shall lick the dust.

10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall render tribute: The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

11 Yea, all kings shall fall down before him; All nations shall serve him.

12 For he will deliver the needy when he crieth, And the poor, that hath no helper.

13 He will have pity on the poor and needy, And the souls of the needy he will save.

14 He will redeem their soul from oppression and violence; And precious will their blood be in his sight:

15 And they shall live; and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: And men shall pray for him continually; They shall bless him all the day long.

16 There shall be abundance of grain in the earth upon the top of the mountains; The fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: And they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.

17 His name shall endure for ever; His name shall be continued as long as the sun: And men shall be blessed in him; All nations shall call him happy.

18 Blessed be Jehovah God, the God of Israel, Who only doeth wondrous things:

19 And blessed be his glorious name for ever; And let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen.

20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. BOOK III

Psalm 72

For Solomon.

1 O God, grant the king the ability to make just decisions!
Grant the king’s son the ability to make fair decisions!

2 Then he will judge your people fairly,
and your oppressed ones equitably.

3 The mountains will bring news of peace to the people,
and the hills will announce justice.

4 He will defend the oppressed among the people;
he will deliver the children of the poor
and crush the oppressor.

5 People will fear you as long as the sun and moon remain in the sky,
for generation after generation.

6 He will descend like rain on the mown grass,
like showers that drench the earth.

7 During his days the godly will flourish;
peace will prevail as long as the moon remains in the sky.

8 May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth!

9 Before him the coastlands will bow down,
and his enemies will lick the dust.

10 The kings of Tarshish and the coastlands will offer gifts;
the kings of Sheba and Seba will bring tribute.

11 All kings will bow down to him;
all nations will serve him.

12 For he will rescue the needy when they cry out for help,
and the oppressed who have no defender.

13 He will take pity on the poor and needy;
the lives of the needy he will save.

14 From harm and violence he will defend them;
he will value their lives.

15 May he live! May they offer him gold from Sheba!
May they continually pray for him!
May they pronounce blessings on him all day long!

16 May there be an abundance of grain in the earth;
on the tops of the mountains may it sway!
May its fruit trees flourish like the forests of Lebanon!
May its crops be as abundant as the grass of the earth!

17 May his fame endure!
May his dynasty last as long as the sun remains in the sky!
May they use his name when they formulate their blessings!
May all nations consider him to be favored by God!

18 The Lord God, the God of Israel, deserves praise!
He alone accomplishes amazing things!

19 His glorious name deserves praise forevermore!
May his majestic splendor fill the whole earth!
We agree! We agree!

20 This collection of the prayers of David son of Jesse ends here.