Psalm 72

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