Psalm 72

¹Give the king thy justice, O God,

and thy righteousness to the royal son!

²May he judge thy people with righteousness,

and thy poor with justice!

³Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,

and the hills, in righteousness!

⁴May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,

give deliverance to the needy,

and crush the oppressor!

⁵May he live while the sun endures,

and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!

⁶May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,

like showers that water the earth!

⁷In his days may righteousness flourish,

and peace abound, till the moon be no more!

⁸May he have dominion from sea to sea,

and from the River to the ends of the earth!

⁹May his foes bow down before him,

and his enemies lick the dust!

¹⁰May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles

render him tribute,

may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts!

¹¹May all kings fall down before him,

all nations serve him!

¹²For he delivers the needy when he calls,

the poor and him who has no helper.

¹³He has pity on the weak and the needy,

and saves the lives of the needy.

¹⁴From oppression and violence he redeems their life;

and precious is their blood in his sight.

¹⁵Long may he live,

may gold of Sheba be given to him!

May prayer be made for him continually,

and blessings invoked for him all the day!

¹⁶May there be abundance of grain in the land;

on the tops of the mountains may it wave;

may its fruit be like Lebanon;

and may men blossom forth from the cities

like the grass of the field!

¹⁷May his name endure for ever,

his fame continue as long as the sun!

May men bless themselves by him,

all nations call him blessed!

¹⁸Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

who alone does wondrous things.

¹⁹Blessed be his glorious name for ever;

may his glory fill the whole earth!

Amen and Amen!

²⁰The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.