Psalm 72
Of Solomon.
¹ Give the king your authority, O God, and your righteousness to the king’s son.
² May he be a judge of your people in righteousness, and make true decisions for the poor.
³ May the mountains give peace to the people, and the hills righteousness.
⁴ May he be a judge of the poor among the people, may he give salvation to the children of those who are in need; by him let the violent be crushed.
⁵ May his life go on as long as the sun and moon, through all generations.
⁶ May he come down like rain on the cut grass; like showers watering the earth.
⁷ In his days may the upright do well, living in peace as long as there is a moon in heaven.
⁸ Let his kingdom be from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth.
⁹ Let those who are against him go down before him; and let his haters be low in the dust.
¹⁰ Let the kings of Tarshish and of the islands come back with offerings; let the kings of Sheba and Seba give of their stores.
¹¹ Yes, let all kings go down before him; let all nations be his servants.
¹² For he will be a saviour to the poor in answer to his cry; and to him who is in need, without a helper.
¹³ He will have pity on the poor, and be the saviour of those who are in need.
¹⁴ He will keep their souls free from evil designs and violent attacks; and their blood will be of value in his eyes.
¹⁵ May he have long life, and may gold from Sheba be given to him: may prayers be made for him at all times; may blessings be on him every day.
¹⁶ May there be wide-stretching fields of grain in the land, shaking on the top of the mountains, full of fruit like Lebanon: may its stems be unnumbered like the grass of the earth.
¹⁷ May his name go on for ever, as long as the sun: may men be blessing themselves by him; may all nations be blessing his name.
¹⁸ Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, the only doer of wonders.
¹⁹ Praise to the glory of his noble name for ever; let all the earth be full of his glory. So be it, So be it.
²⁰ The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.