Psalm 72

A Prayer for the King

Of Solomon. ^a

¹God, give your justice to the king

and your righteousness to the king’s son. ^b

²He will judge your people with righteousness

and your afflicted ones with justice. ^c

³May the mountains bring well-being ^d to the people

and the hills, righteousness. ^e

⁴May he vindicate the afflicted among the people,

help the poor,

and crush the oppressor. ^f

⁵May they fear you ^g while the sun endures

and as long as the moon, throughout all generations. ^h

⁶May the king be like rain that falls on the cut grass,

like spring showers that water the earth. ⁱ

⁷May the righteous ^j flourish in his days

and well-being abound

until the moon is no more. ^k

⁸May he rule from sea to sea

and from the Euphrates

to the ends of the earth. ^l

⁹May desert tribes kneel before him

and his enemies lick the dust. ^m

¹⁰May the kings of Tarshish

and the coasts and islands bring tribute,

the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. ⁿ

¹¹Let all kings bow in homage to him,

all nations serve him. ^o

¹²For he will rescue the poor who cry out

and the afflicted who have no helper. ^p

¹³He will have pity on the poor and helpless

and save the lives of the poor. ^q

¹⁴He will redeem them from oppression and violence,

for their lives are ^r precious ^s in his sight. ^t

¹⁵May 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. ^u

¹⁶May 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. ^v

¹⁷May 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. ^w

¹⁸Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,

who alone does wonders. ^x

¹⁹Blessed be his glorious name forever;

the whole earth is filled with his glory. ^y

Amen and amen.

²⁰The prayers of David son of Jesse are concluded. ^z