Psalm 72

(For Solomon)

O God, endow upon the king your justice
And upon the king’s son your righteousness.
May he judge your people with equity
And be fair to the poor and the oppressed.
May the mountains bring peace to the people,
And the hills bear the fruits of righteousness.

He will bring justice to people who are poor,
He will save the children of the needy,
And break into pieces their oppressors.
May they revere you as long as the sun shines,
And the moon remains — through the generations.

May he fall like the rain on new-mown grass,
A gentle shower that waters the earth.
During his reign the righteous will flourish
And peace abound, till the moon is no more.
May he have dominion from sea to sea,
From the river to the ends of the earth.
May the desert nomads bow before him
And his foes prostrate themselves in the dust.
May the kings of Tarshish and the coastlands
Bring him tribute and the kings of the East,
From Sheba and Seba, offer him gifts.
Indeed, may all the kings bow down before him,
And all the nations of the world serve him.

He will save the needy when they cry out to him,
The afflicted, too, who have no one to help them.
He is compassionate to the weak and the poor,
And will save the lives of the poverty-stricken.
He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
Because their life’s blood is valued, precious in his sight.

Long may he live!  May the gold of Sheba
Be given him.  May the people pray for him
Continually and bless him all the day.
May there be throughout the land a plenitude
Of grain, growing even on the mountain tops,
Fruit trees flourishing, like those of Lebanon,
And city folk thriving like fields of grass.

May his name endure forever
And live on as long as the sun
May all the nations be blest through him
And let all nations call him blest.
Blessed is the god Jehovah,
The god of Israel who alone
Performs wonders and miracles.
Praise his glorious name forever.
And may the entire earth be filled
With his glory.  Amen and Amen.

(Thus concludes the prayer of David, son of Jesse).

Psalm 71

In you, O Jehovah, have I found refuge.
Let me never be put to confusion.
With your justice deliver me, rescue me,
Incline your ear to me and set me free.
May you be my refuge among the rocks,
Where I may always find sanctuary.
Give the command for my deliverance,
For you are to me a rock and a fortress.

Save me, my god, from the power of the wicked, From the cruel clutches of ruthless oppressors.
You’ve been my hope since childhood, O Master Jehovah.
Even before my birth I have relied on you;
It is you who delivered me from my mother’s womb,
And so my praise of you will be continuous.
I have become a source of wonder to many,
Because you are my indestructible refuge.
I voice your praise and proclaim your glory all the day.

Do not cast me aside when I grow old;
Do not abandon me when my health declines.
For my enemies conspire against me,
And together they lay in wait to kill me.
They claim, “God has forsaken him, so let’s go
And take him, for there is none to save him.”

O God, be not removed from me.
Come quickly to help me, my god.
Let those who seek to harm my body
Be brought to disgrace and destruction;
Let them be covered with scorn and shame,
Those who wish evil upon me.

As for me, I keep on hoping
And I will praise you more and more.
My voice will recount your righteousness
And your acts of salvation all day,
Though all of them I cannot know.

I will come and proclaim your mighty deeds,
O Master Jehovah, and make mention
Of the righteousness that is yours alone.
O God, from my youth you have instructed me,
And since then I have made known your wonders.
So, even when I be old and gray, O God,
Do not forsake me till I can demonstrate
Your power to the next generation,
Your might to everyone that is to come.
Your justice, O God, extends to the heights.
Because you have performed acts of such greatness
Who indeed can be compared to you, O God?

Hardships, many and severe, have you shown me,
But, once more, you will return to revive me 
And raise me up from the depths of the earth.
You will restore to me greater honors
And give me comfort from every side.

I will praise you with music of the harp,
Because of your faithfulness, O my god;
I will sing your accolades, accompanied
By the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.

My lips shout out with joy to praise you,
For you have achieved my salvation.
My tongue tells of your justice all day,
For confounded and put to shame
Are those who sought my destruction.