The Last Words of David

23 Now these are the last words of David:

The oracle of David, son of Jesse,

the oracle of the man whom God exalted,a

the anointed of the God of Jacob,

the favorite of the Strong One of Israel:

2 The spirit of the Lord speaks through me,

his word is upon my tongue.

3 The God of Israel has spoken,

the Rock of Israel has said to me:

One who rules over people justly,

ruling in the fear of God,

4 is like the light of morning,

like the sun rising on a cloudless morning,

gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.

5 Is not my house like this with God?

For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,

ordered in all things and secure.

Will he not cause to prosper

all my help and my desire?

6 But the godless areb all like thorns that are thrown away;

for they cannot be picked up with the hand;

7 to touch them one uses an iron bar

or the shaft of a spear.

And they are entirely consumed in fire on the spot.c