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).