Psalm 72–73

Psalm 72

Of Solomon.

¹Endow the king with your justice,^p O God,

the royal son with your righteousness.

²May he judge your people in righteousness,^q

your afflicted ones with justice.

³May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,

the hills the fruit of righteousness.

⁴May he defend the afflicted^r among the people

and save the children of the needy;^s

may he crush the oppressor.^t

⁵May he endure^au as long as the sun,

as long as the moon, through all generations.^v

⁶May he be like rain^w falling on a mown field,

like showers watering the earth.

⁷In his days may the righteous flourish^x

and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

⁸May he rule from sea to sea

and from the River^by to the ends of the earth.^z

⁹May the desert tribes bow before him

and his enemies lick the dust.

¹⁰May the kings of Tarshish^a and of distant shores^b

bring tribute to him.

May the kings of Sheba^c and Seba

present him gifts.^d

¹¹May all kings bow down^e to him

and all nations serve^f him.

¹²For he will deliver the needy who cry out,

the afflicted who have no one to help.

¹³He will take pity^g on the weak and the needy

and save the needy from death.

¹⁴He will rescue^h them from oppression and violence,

for preciousⁱ is their blood in his sight.

¹⁵Long may he live!

May gold from Sheba^j be given him.

May people ever pray for him

and bless him all day long.^k

¹⁶May grain^l abound throughout the land;

on the tops of the hills may it sway.

May the crops^m flourish like Lebanonⁿ

and thrive^c like the grass of the field.^o

¹⁷May his name endure forever;^p

may it continue as long as the sun.^q

Then all nations will be blessed through him,^d

and they will call him blessed.^r

¹⁸Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,^s

who alone does marvelous deeds.^t

¹⁹Praise be to his glorious name^u forever;

may the whole earth be filled with his glory.^v

Amen and Amen.^w

²⁰This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.^x

BOOK III

Psalms 73–89

Psalm 73

A psalm of Asaph.

¹Surely God is good to Israel,

to those who are pure in heart.^y

²But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;^z

I had nearly lost my foothold.^a

³For I envied^b the arrogant

when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.^c

⁴They have no struggles;

their bodies are healthy and strong.^a

⁵They are free^d from common human burdens;

they are not plagued by human ills.

⁶Therefore pride^e is their necklace;^f

they clothe themselves with violence.^g

⁷From their callous hearts^h comes iniquity^b;

their evil imaginations have no limits.

⁸They scoff, and speak with malice;ⁱ

with arrogance^j they threaten oppression.^k

⁹Their mouths lay claim to heaven,

and their tongues take possession of the earth.

¹⁰Therefore their people turn to them

and drink up waters in abundance.^c

¹¹They say, “How would God know?

Does the Most High know anything?”

¹²This is what the wicked are like—

always free of care,^l they go on amassing wealth.^m

¹³Surely in vainⁿ I have kept my heart pure

and have washed my hands in innocence.^o

¹⁴All day long I have been afflicted,^p

and every morning brings new punishments.

¹⁵If I had spoken out like that,

I would have betrayed your children.

¹⁶When I tried to understand^q all this,

it troubled me deeply

¹⁷till I entered the sanctuary^r of God;

then I understood their final destiny.^s

¹⁸Surely you place them on slippery ground;^t

you cast them down to ruin.^u

¹⁹How suddenly^v are they destroyed,

completely swept away^w by terrors!

²⁰They are like a dream^x when one awakes;^y

when you arise, Lord,

you will despise them as fantasies.^z

²¹When my heart was grieved

and my spirit embittered,

²²I was senseless^a and ignorant;

I was a brute beast^b before you.

²³Yet I am always with you;

you hold me by my right hand.^c

²⁴You guide^d me with your counsel,^e

and afterward you will take me into glory.

²⁵Whom have I in heaven but you?^f

And earth has nothing I desire besides you.^g

²⁶My flesh and my heart^h may fail,ⁱ

but God is the strength^j of my heart

and my portion^k forever.

²⁷Those who are far from you will perish;^l

you destroy all who are unfaithful^m to you.

²⁸But as for me, it is good to be near God.ⁿ

I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;^o

I will tell of all your deeds.^p