A psalm written about Solomon
A prayer for God to bless the king
72
1 O God, enable the king whom you appointed in Israel, to rule justly.Show him how to judge matters fairly
2 in order that he will judge your people fairly,
that he will govern your oppressed people justly.
3 I desire that all over the country -- even on the hills and mountains —
people will live peacefully and righteously.
4 Help your king, to defend the poor people
and to rescue needy people and to defeat those who oppress them.
5 I desire that that your people will revere you as long as the sun shines,
as long as the moon shines, forever.
6 I desire that the king's rule will be enjoyed by the people
like they enjoy rain on the growing crops,
like they enjoy the showers that fall on the land.
7 I hope that people will live righteously during the years that he rules,
and that the people will live peacefully and prosperously as long as the moon shines.
8 I hope that the king of Israel, will rule the people
in all the area from one sea in the east to another in the west,
and from the Euphrates River to the most distant places on earth.
9 I hope that those who live in the desert will bow down before him,
and that his enemies will throw themselves on the ground in submission to him.
10 I hope that the kings of Spain and of the islands in the Mediterranean Sea will bring taxes to him,
and that the kings of Sheba to the south and of Seba to the southwest will bring him gifts.
11 I hope that all the other kings in the world will bow before the king of Israel,
and that people of all nations will serve him.
12 He will rescue poor people when they cry out for help,
and help those who are needy and those who have no one to help them.
13 He will pity those who are weak and needy;
he will save the people's lives.
14 He will rescue the people from being oppressed and from being treated cruelly,
because their lives are precious to our king.
15 I hope that our king will live a long time!
I hope that he will be given gold from Sheba.
I desire that people will always pray for our king
and praise him all the time every day.
16 I hope that the fields will produce plenty of grain everywhere, even on the tops of the hills in the land where he rules,
like the grain that grows on the hills in Lebanon.
I hope that the cities in Israel will be full of people
like the fields are full of grass.
17 I desire that the name of the king will never be forgotten.
I want people to remember him as long as the sun shines.
I want people of all nations to ask God to bless them
just like he has blessed the king of Israel.
18 Praise Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis worship
he is the only one who does wonderful things.
19 Praise him forever!
I desire that people all over the world may see that he is very great!
Amen! May it be so!
20 That is the end of this group of prayers written by David, the son of Jesse.