Psalms 72
72
A Prayer for the King
1Of Solomon.
I
2O God, give your judgment to the king;
your justice to the king’s son;#The king…the king’s son: the crown prince is the king’s son; the prayer envisages the dynasty. #Ps 99:4; Jer 23:5.
That he may govern your people with justice,
your oppressed with right judgment,#Prv 31:8–9.
3That the mountains may yield their bounty for the people,
and the hills great abundance,#Is 52:7; 55:12.
4That he may defend the oppressed among the people,
save the children of the poor and crush the oppressor.
II
5May they fear you with the sun,
and before the moon, through all generations.#Ps 89:37–38; Jer 31:35.
6May he be like rain coming down upon the fields,
like showers watering the earth,#Dt 32:2; Is 45:8; Hos 6:3.
7That abundance may flourish in his days,
great bounty, till the moon be no more.
III
8#From sea to sea…the ends of the earth: the boundaries of the civilized world known at the time: from the Mediterranean Sea (the western sea) to the Persian Gulf (the eastern sea), and from the Euphrates (the river) to the islands and lands of southwestern Europe, “the ends of the earth.” The words may also have a mythic nuance—the earth surrounded by cosmic waters, hence everywhere.May he rule from sea to sea,
from the river to the ends of the earth.#Dt 11:24; Zec 9:10.
9May his foes kneel before him,
his enemies lick the dust.#Is 49:23; Mi 7:17.
10May the kings of Tarshish and the islands#Tarshish and the islands: the far west (Ps 48:6); Arabia and Seba: the far south (1 Kgs 10:1). bring tribute,
the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.#Ps 68:30; Is 60:5–6; 1 Kgs 10:1ff.
11May all kings bow before him,
all nations serve him.#Ps 47:8.
12For he rescues the poor when they cry out,
the oppressed who have no one to help.
13He shows pity to the needy and the poor#Prv 31:9.
and saves the lives of the poor.
14From extortion and violence he redeems them,
for precious is their blood#Their blood: cf. Ps 116:15. in his sight.
IV
15Long may he live, receiving gold from Sheba,
prayed for without cease, blessed day by day.
16#The translation of the difficult Hebrew is tentative.May wheat abound in the land,
flourish even on the mountain heights.
May his fruit be like that of Lebanon,
and flourish in the city like the grasses of the land.#Is 27:6; Hos 14:6–8; Am 9:13.
17May his name be forever;
as long as the sun, may his name endure.#Ps 21:7.
May the tribes of the earth give blessings with his name;#May the tribes of the earth give blessings with his name: an echo of the promise to the ancestors (Gn 12:3; 26:4; 28:14), suggesting that the monarchy in Israel fulfilled the promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
may all the nations regard him as favored.#Gn 12:3; 22:18; 26:4; Zec 8:13.
18#A doxology marking the end of Book II of the Psalter.Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does wonderful deeds.#Ps 41:14; 89:53; 106:48; 136:4.
19Blessed be his glorious name forever;
may he fill all the earth with his glory.#Ps 57:5; Nm 14:21.
Amen and amen.
20The end of the psalms of David, son of Jesse.
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Psalm 72
72
1 A Psalm of Asaph. How good is God to Israel, to those who are upright in heart.
2 But my feet were nearly moved; my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was zealous over the iniquitous, seeing the peacefulness of sinners.
4 For they have no respect for their death, nor do they have support in their wounds.
5 They are not with the hardships of men, nor will they be scourged with men.
6 Therefore, arrogance has held on to them. They have been covered with their iniquity and impiety.
7 Their iniquity has proceeded, as if from fat. They have parted from the affection of the heart.
8 They have thought and spoken wickedness. They have spoken iniquity in high places.
9 They have set their mouth against heaven, and their tongue has traversed the earth.
10 Therefore, my people will be converted here, and fullness of days will be found in them.
11 And they said, "How would God know?" and, "Isn't there knowledge in high places?"
12 Behold, these are sinners, and, abounding in this age, they have obtained riches.
13 And I said: So then, it is without purpose that I have justified my heart and washed my hands among the innocent.
14 And I have been scourged all day long, and I have received my chastisement in the mornings.
15 If I were to say that I would explain this: Behold, I would condemn this nation of your sons.
16 I considered, so that I might know this. It is a hardship before me,
17 until I may enter into the Sanctuary of God, and understand it to its last part.
18 So, because of deceitfulness, truly, you have placed it before them. While they were being lifted up, you were casting them down.
19 How have they been brought to desolation? They have suddenly failed. They have perished because of their iniquity.
20 As a dream is to those who awaken, O Lord, so will you reduce their image to nothing in your city.
21 For my heart has been inflamed, and my temperament has been changed.
22 And so, I have been reduced to nothing, and I did not know it.
23 I have become like a beast of burden to you, and I am always with you.
24 You have held my right hand. And in your will, you have conducted me, and with your glory, you have taken me up.
25 For what is there for me in heaven? And what do I wish for on earth before you?
26 My body has failed, and my heart: O God of my heart, and God my portion, into eternity.
27 For behold, those who put themselves far from you will perish. You have perished all those who fornicate away from you.
28 But it is good for me to adhere to God, to put my hope in the Lord God, so that I may announce all your prophecies, at the gates of the daughter of Zion.
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