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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Tehillim (Psalms) 72
72
1O Elohim, give the sovereign Your right-rulings, And Your righteousness to the Son of a sovereign.
2Let Him rule Your people with righteousness, And Your poor with right-ruling.
3Let the mountains bring peace to the people, And the hills, by righteousness.
4Let Him rightly rule the poor of the people, Save the children of the needy, And crush the oppressor.
5Let them fear You with the sun, shining And before the moon, in all generations.
6Let Him come down like rain upon the mown grass, Like showers, watering the earth.
7Let the righteous flourish in His days, With plenty of peace, Till the moon is no more.
8And let Him rule from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.
9Let those dwelling in the desert bow before Him, And His enemies lick the dust.
10Let the sovereigns of Tarshish and of the isles bring presents; The sovereigns of Sheḇa and Seḇa offer gifts.
11And let all sovereigns bow down before Him, All nations serve Him.
12For He delivers the needy when he cries, And the poor, who has no helper.
13He spares the poor and needy, And He saves the lives of the needy.
14He redeems their life from oppression and from violence; And their blood is precious in His eyes.
15And He shall live, And the gold of Sheḇa be given to Him, And prayer be made for Him continually; Let Him be blessed all day long.
16Let there be plenty of grain in the earth, On the top of the mountains, Let its fruit wave like Leḇanon, And those of the city flourish like grass of the earth.
17Let His Name be forever, His Name continue before the sun; And let them bless themselves in Him; Let all nations call Him blessed.
18Blessed be יהוה Elohim, Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, He alone is doing wonders!
19And blessed be His esteemed Name forever! And let all the earth Be filled with His esteem. Amĕn and Amĕn.
20The prayers of Dawiḏ the son of Yishai are ended.
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