Psalms Chapter 72

A Psalm of Solomon 

1 Give the king your judgments, God;

      give your goodness to his son.

2 May he judge your people fairly,

      your oppressed ones with justice.

3 Let the mountains bring prosperity to the people;

      may the hills bring goodness.

4 May he defend the downtrodden,

      save the children of the needy,

      and crush their oppressors.                                              

Ps 72:1-4

5 Let them respect you as long as the sun lasts,

      as long as the moon endures—throughout all generations.

6 May the king rule like rain on mown grass,

      like showers that water the ground.

7 May good people flourish in his time

      and have abundant peace till the moon disappears.

Ps 72:5-7

8 May he rule from sea to sea,

      from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.

9 Let desert nomads bow to him,

      and his enemies lick dust.

10 Let the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring presents,

      and the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.

11 Let all kings bow to him

      and every nation serve him.

12 He’ll deliver the needy when they call for help,

      the oppressed with no one to help them.

13 He’ll have mercy on the poor and needy

      and save their lives.

14 He’ll rescue them from oppression and violence;

         their blood is precious to him;

15 so may they live long and receive the gold of Sheba;

         let them pray to him continually

      and bless him all day long.

Ps 72:6-15

16 May grain be abundant in the land;

            may it wave on tops of the hills.

      May it produce like Lebanon;

            may its people blossom in the city like grass in the pasture.

17 May the king’s name last forever

            and grow as long as the sun shines.

      Let people bless themselves by him

            and all nations call him blessed.

18 Bless the LORD, the God of Israel,

      who alone does wonderful things.

19 Bless his glorious name forever;

      may the whole world be full of his glory.

Amen and Amen.

20 The end of the prayers of David son of Jesse

Ps 72:12-20

From the CNT translation by Virgil Warren, PhD