Psalms 72
72
A Prayer for the King
Solomonic. # Ps 127 title
1God, give Your justice to the king
and Your righteousness to the king’s son. # 1Kg 3:9; 1Ch 22:12-13; Ps 24:5
2He will judge Your people with righteousness
and Your afflicted ones with justice. # Is 9:7; 11:2-5; 32:1
3May the mountains bring prosperity # Or peace to the people
and the hills, righteousness. # Is 11:9; 52:7; 55:12
4May he vindicate the afflicted among the people,
help the poor,
and crush the oppressor. # Ps 109:31; Is 11:4
5May he continue # LXX; MT reads May they fear you while the sun endures
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations. # Ps 89:36-37
6May he be like rain that falls on the cut grass,
like spring showers that water the earth. # Dt 32:2; 2Sm 23:3-4; Hs 6:3
7May the righteous # Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Jer read May righteousness flourish in his days
and prosperity # Or peace abound
until the moon is no more. # Ps 37:11; Is 2:4; 60:21
8May he rule from sea to sea
and from the Euphrates
to the ends of the earth. # Gn 15:18; Ex 23:31; Zch 9:10
9May desert tribes kneel before him
and his enemies lick the dust. # Ps 22:29; Is 49:23; Mc 7:17
10May the kings of Tarshish
and the coasts and islands bring tribute,
the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. # 1Kg 10:22; 2Ch 9:21; Is 60:6
11Let all kings bow down to him,
all nations serve him. # Ps 86:9; 138:4; Is 49:23
12For he will rescue the poor who cry out
and the afflicted who have no helper. # Jb 29:12-17
13He will have pity on the poor and helpless
and save the lives of the poor. # Pr 19:17; 28:8
14He will redeem them from oppression and violence,
for their lives are # Lit their blood is precious # Or valuable in his sight. # Ps 69:18; 116:15
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. # Is 60:6
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. # Jb 5:25; Ps 104:16
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. # Gn 12:2-3; 22:18; Ps 89:36
18May the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does wonders, be praised. # Jb 9:10; Ps 86:10; 136:4
19May His glorious name be praised forever;
the whole earth is filled with His glory. # Nm 14:21; Is 6:3
Amen and amen.
20The prayers of David son of Jesse are concluded. # 2Sm 23:1
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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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