Psalm 72–73

Psalm 72

A Psalm of Solomon.

¹Give the king thy judgments, O God,

And thy righteousness unto the king’s son.

²He will judge thy people with righteousness,

And thy poor with justice.

³The mountains shall bring peace to the people,

And the hills, in righteousness.

⁴He will judge the poor of the people,

He will save the children of the needy,

And will break in pieces the oppressor.

⁵They shall fear thee while the sun endureth,

And so long as the moon, throughout all generations.

⁶He will come down like rain upon the mown grass,

As showers that water the earth.

⁷In his days shall the righteous flourish,

And abundance of peace, till the moon be no more.

⁸He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,

And from the River unto the ends of the earth.

⁹They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him;

And his enemies shall lick the dust.

¹⁰The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall render tribute:

The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

¹¹Yea, all kings shall fall down before him;

All nations shall serve him.

¹²For he will deliver the needy when he crieth,

And the poor, that hath no helper.

¹³He will have pity on the poor and needy,

And the souls of the needy he will save.

¹⁴He will redeem their soul from oppression and violence;

And precious will their blood be in his sight:

¹⁵And they shall live; and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba:

And men shall pray for him continually;

They shall bless him all the day long.

¹⁶There shall be abundance of grain in the earth upon the top of the mountains;

The fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon:

And they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.

¹⁷His name shall endure for ever;

His name shall be continued as long as the sun:

And men shall be blessed in him;

All nations shall call him happy.

¹⁸Blessed be Jehovah God, the God of Israel,

Who only doeth wondrous things:

¹⁹And blessed be his glorious name for ever;

And let the whole earth be filled with his glory.

Amen, and Amen.

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

Psalm 73

A Psalm of Asaph.

¹Surely God is good to Israel,

Even to such as are pure in heart.

²But as for me, my feet were almost gone;

My steps had well nigh slipped.

³For I was envious at the arrogant,

When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

⁴For there are no pangs in their death;

But their strength is firm.

⁵They are not in trouble as other men;

Neither are they plagued like other men.

⁶Therefore pride is as a chain about their neck;

Violence covereth them as a garment.

⁷Their eyes stand out with fatness:

They have more than heart could wish.

⁸They scoff, and in wickedness utter oppression:

They speak loftily.

⁹They have set their mouth in the heavens,

And their tongue walketh through the earth.

¹⁰Therefore his people return hither:

And waters of a full cup are drained by them.

¹¹And they say, How doth God know?

And is there knowledge in the Most High?

¹²Behold, these are the wicked;

And, being alway at ease, they increase in riches.

¹³Surely in vain have I cleansed my heart,

And washed my hands in innocency;

¹⁴For all the day long have I been plagued,

And chastened every morning.

¹⁵If I had said, I will speak thus;

Behold, I had dealt treacherously with the generation of thy children.

¹⁶When I thought how I might know this,

It was too painful for me;

¹⁷Until I went into the sanctuary of God,

And considered their latter end.

¹⁸Surely thou settest them in slippery places:

Thou castest them down to destruction.

¹⁹How are they become a desolation in a moment!

They are utterly consumed with terrors.

²⁰As a dream when one awaketh,

So, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou wilt despise their image.

²¹For my soul was grieved,

And I was pricked in my heart:

²²So brutish was I, and ignorant;

I was as a beast before thee.

²³Nevertheless I am continually with thee:

Thou hast holden my right hand.

²⁴Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel,

And afterward receive me to glory.

²⁵Whom have I in heaven but thee?

And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee.

²⁶My flesh and my heart faileth;

But God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.

²⁷For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish:

Thou hast destroyed all them that play the harlot, departing from thee.

²⁸But it is good for me to draw near unto God:

I have made the Lord Jehovah my refuge,

That I may tell of all thy works.