Psalm 72

A Prayer for the King

Of Solomon.

72God, give the king your good judgment

and the king’s son your goodness.

²Help him judge your people fairly

and decide what is right for the poor.

³Let there be peace on the mountains

and goodness on the hills for the people.

⁴Help him be fair to the poor

and save the needy

and punish those who hurt them.

⁵May they respect you as long as the sun shines

and as long as the moon glows.

⁶Let him be like rain on the grass,

like showers that water the earth.

⁷Let goodness be plentiful while he lives.

Let peace continue as long as there is a moon.

⁸Let his kingdom go from sea to sea,

and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.

⁹Let the people of the desert bow down to him,

and make his enemies lick the dust.

¹⁰Let the kings of Tarshish and the faraway lands

bring him gifts.

Let the kings of Sheba and Seba

bring their presents to him.

¹¹Let all kings bow down to him

and all nations serve him.

¹²He will help the poor when they cry out

and will save the needy when no one else will help.

¹³He will be kind to the weak and poor,

and he will save their lives.

¹⁴He will save them from cruel people who try to hurt them,

because their lives are precious to him.

¹⁵Long live the king!

Let him receive gold from Sheba.

Let people always pray for him

and bless him all day long.

¹⁶Let the fields grow plenty of grain

and the hills be covered with crops.

Let the land be as fertile as Lebanon,

and let the cities grow like the grass in a field.

¹⁷Let the king be famous forever;

let him be remembered as long as the sun shines.

Let the nations be blessed because of him,

and may they all bless him.

¹⁸Praise the Lord God, the God of Israel,

who alone does such miracles.

¹⁹Praise his glorious name forever.

Let his glory fill the whole world.

Amen and amen.

²⁰This ends the prayers of David son of Jesse.