Psalm 72

Psalm 72

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 72

Of Solomon. ¹ Endow the king with your justice, O God,
   the royal son with your righteousness.
² May he judge your people in righteousness,
   your afflicted ones with justice.
 ³ May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
   the hills the fruit of righteousness.
⁴ May he defend the afflicted among the people
   and save the children of the needy;
   may he crush the oppressor.
⁵ May he endure^[a] as long as the sun,
   as long as the moon, through all generations.
⁶ May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
   like showers watering the earth.
⁷ In his days may the righteous flourish
   and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.
 ⁸ May he rule from sea to sea
   and from the River^[b] to the ends of the earth.
⁹ May the desert tribes bow before him
   and his enemies lick the dust.
¹⁰ May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores
   bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba and Seba
   present him gifts.
¹¹ May all kings bow down to him
   and all nations serve him.
 ¹² For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
   the afflicted who have no one to help.
¹³ He will take pity on the weak and the needy
   and save the needy from death.
¹⁴ He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
   for precious is their blood in his sight.
 ¹⁵ Long may he live!
   May gold from Sheba be given him.
May people ever pray for him
   and bless him all day long.
¹⁶ May grain abound throughout the land;
   on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops flourish like Lebanon
   and thrive^[c] like the grass of the field.
¹⁷ May his name endure forever;
   may it continue as long as the sun.
   Then all nations will be blessed through him,^[d]
   and they will call him blessed.
 ¹⁸ Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel,
   who alone does marvelous deeds.
¹⁹ Praise be to his glorious name forever;
   may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
            Amen and Amen.
 ²⁰ This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 72:5 Septuagint; Hebrew You will be feared
2. Psalm 72:8 That is, the Euphrates
3. Psalm 72:16 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text Lebanon, / from the city
4. Psalm 72:17 Or will use his name in blessings (see Gen. 48:20)