Psalm 72–73

A Prayer for the King^a

72 Teach the king to judge with your righteousness, O God;

share with him your own justice,

²so that he will rule over your people with justice

and govern the oppressed with righteousness.

³May the land enjoy prosperity;

may it experience righteousness.

⁴May the king judge the poor fairly;

may he help the needy

and defeat their oppressors.

⁵May your people worship you

as long as the sun shines, as long as the moon gives light, for ages to come.

⁶May the king be like rain on the fields,

like showers falling on the land.

⁷May righteousness flourish in his lifetime,

and may prosperity last as long as the moon gives light.

^8*His kingdom will reach from sea to sea,

from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.

⁹The peoples of the desert will bow down before him;

his enemies will throw themselves to the ground.

¹⁰The kings of Spain and of the islands will offer him gifts;

the kings of Sheba and Seba^b will bring him offerings.

¹¹All kings will bow down before him;

all nations will serve him.

¹²He rescues the poor who call to him,

and those who are needy and neglected.

¹³He has pity on the weak and poor;

he saves the lives of those in need.

¹⁴He rescues them from oppression and violence;

their lives are precious to him.

¹⁵Long live the king!

May he be given gold from Sheba;^c

may prayers be said for him at all times;

may God’s blessings be on him always!

¹⁶May there be plenty of corn in the land;

may the hills be covered with crops,

as fruitful as those of Lebanon.

May the cities be filled with people,

like fields full of grass.

¹⁷May the king’s name never be forgotten;

may his fame last as long as the sun.

May all nations ask God to bless them

as he has blessed the king.^d

¹⁸Praise the Lord, the God of Israel!

He alone does these wonderful things.

¹⁹Praise his glorious name for ever!

May his glory fill the whole world.

Amen! Amen!

²⁰This is the end of the prayers of David son of Jesse.

BOOK THREE

The Justice of God^e

73 God is indeed good to Israel,

to those who have pure hearts.

²But I had nearly lost confidence;

my faith was almost gone

³because I was jealous of the proud

when I saw that things go well for the wicked.

⁴They do not suffer pain;

they are strong and healthy.

⁵They do not suffer as other people do;

they do not have the troubles that others have.

⁶And so they wear pride like a necklace

and violence like a robe;

⁷their hearts pour out evil,^f

and their minds are busy with wicked schemes.

⁸They laugh at other people and speak of evil things;

they are proud and make plans to oppress others.

⁹They speak evil of God in heaven

and give arrogant orders to everyone on earth,

¹⁰so that even God’s people turn to them

and eagerly believe whatever they say.^g

¹¹They say, “God will not know;

the Most High will not find out.”

¹²That is what the wicked are like.

They have plenty and are always getting more.

¹³Is it for nothing, then, that I have kept myself pure

and have not committed sin?

¹⁴O God, you have made me suffer all day long;

every morning you have punished me.

¹⁵If I had said such things,

I would not be acting as one of your people.

¹⁶I tried to think this problem through,

but it was too difficult for me

¹⁷until I went into your Temple.

Then I understood what will happen to the wicked.

¹⁸You will put them in slippery places

and make them fall to destruction!

¹⁹They are instantly destroyed;

they go down to a horrible end.

²⁰They are like a dream that goes away in the morning;

when you rouse yourself, O Lord, they disappear.

²¹When my thoughts were bitter

and my feelings were hurt,

²²I was as stupid as an animal;

I did not understand you.

²³Yet I always stay close to you,

and you hold me by the hand.

²⁴You guide me with your instruction

and at the end you will receive me with honour.

²⁵What else have I in heaven but you?

Since I have you, what else could I want on earth?

²⁶My mind and my body may grow weak,

but God is my strength;

he is all I ever need.

²⁷Those who abandon

you will certainly perish; you will destroy those who are unfaithful to you.

²⁸But as for me, how wonderful to be near God,

to find protection with the Sovereign Lord

and to proclaim all that he has done!