Psalms 72

The reign of a righteous king

Give your love of justice to the king, O God, and righteousness to the king’s son. ²Help him judge your people in the right way; let the poor always be treated fairly. ³May the mountains yield prosperity for all, and may the hills be fruitful.

⁴Help him to defend the poor, to rescue the children of the needy, and to crush their oppressors. ⁵May they fear you as long as the sun shines, as long as the moon remains in the sky. Yes, forever! ⁶May the king’s rule be refreshing like spring rain on freshly cut grass, like the showers that water the earth.

⁷May all the godly flourish during his reign. May there be abundant prosperity until the moon is no more.a ⁸May he reign from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. ⁹Desert nomads will bow before him; his enemies will fall before him in the dust.

¹⁰The western kings of Tarshish and other distant lands will bring him tribute. The eastern kings of Sheba and Seba will bring him gifts.b ¹¹All kings will bow before him, and all nations will serve him. ¹²He will rescue the poor when they cry to him; he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them.c

¹³He feels pity for the weak and the needy, and he will rescue them. ¹⁴He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious to him.d ¹⁵Long live the king! May the gold of Sheba be given to him. May the people always pray for him and bless him all day long.

¹⁶May there be abundant grain throughout the land, flourishing even on the hilltops. May the fruit trees flourish like the trees of Lebanon, and may the people thrive like grass in a field.e ¹⁷May the king’s name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun shines. May all nations be blessed through him and bring him praise.f ¹⁸Praise the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does such wonderful things.g

¹⁹Praise his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and amen!h ²⁰(This ends the prayers of David son of Jesse.)