PSALM 72
A Prayer for the King

Of Solomon.

O God, give your judgment to the king; your justice to the son of kings;

    That he may govern your people with justice, your oppressed with right judgment,
    That the mountains may yield their bounty for the people, and the hills great abundance,
    That he may defend the oppressed among the people, save the poor and crush the oppressor.

May he live as long as the sun endures, like the moon, through all generations.

May he be like rain coming down upon the fields, like showers watering the earth, that abundance may flourish in his days, great bounty, till the moon be no more.

May he rule from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the earth.

May his foes kneel before him, his enemies lick the dust.

May the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute, the kings of Arabia and Seba offer gifts.

May all kings bow before him, all nations serve him.

For he rescues the poor when they cry out, the oppressed who have no one to help.

He shows pity to the needy and the poor and saves the lives of the poor.

From extortion and violence he frees them, for precious is their blood in his sight.

Long may he live, receiving gold from Arabia, prayed for without cease, blessed day by day.

May wheat abound in the land, flourish even on the mountain heights.

May his fruit increase like Lebanon's, his wheat like the grasses of the land.

May his name be blessed forever; as long as the sun, may his name endure.

May the tribes of the earth give blessings with his name; may all the nations regard him as favored.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wonderful deeds.

Blessed be his glorious name forever; may all the earth be filled with the Lord's glory.

Amen and amen.

The end of the psalms of David, son of Jesse.

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