Psalm 72

This psalm is for Solomon.

A prayer for the king

72:1Maybe David wrote this psalm as a prayer for his son, Solomon. See verse 20. We can see that some of the prayers only became true when David's descendant, Jesus Christ, came to earth to be the great King.

1 God, please help the king

to judge people in a right way.

Help the king's son to be honest and fair,

as you are.

72:1The king is also the son of a king, as he belongs to a royal family.

2 Then he will rule your people in a good way,

so that even poor people receive justice.

3 The mountains and the hills will bring peace,

so that the people can live honest lives.

4 Please help the king to judge poor people fairly.

May he save the children of weak people,

and destroy those cruel people who hurt them.

5 May people always respect your authority, God,

through all time,

as long as the sun and the moon remain in the sky.

72:5Or May the king live through all time

6 May the king be a blessing to his people,

like rain that falls on grass that lies in the fields.

May he be like rain

that brings water to the soil.

7 While he rules as king,

those people who serve God will do well.

There will be peace in all the land,

for as long as the moon remains in the sky.

8 May the king rule everywhere,

from sea to sea,

and from the Euphrates river to the ends of the earth.

72:8The king will be so great that he will rule all the world. See Zechariah 9:10.

9 Then people who live in the desert

will bend down to respect him.

His enemies will fall down

with their faces in the dust.

10 Kings from Spain and from other far places

will pay taxes to him.

Kings from Sheba and from Seba

will bring gifts to him.

11 All kings will bend down in front of him.

People from all nations will serve him.

12 He will rescue the poor person

who calls out to him for help.

He will save weak people

who have nobody to help them.

13 He will be kind to people who are poor and weak.

He will save them from death.

14 He will rescue them from cruel people who hurt them.

Their lives are important to him.

15 Long live the king!

May people come from Sheba to give gold to him.

May people always pray for him.

May people praise him all the time.

16 May there always be plenty of grain

that grows in the land.

May the crops grow well

on the tops of the mountains.

May the fruit trees give a lot of fruit,

as they do in Lebanon.

May all the crops grow well,

like grass that grows in a field.

17 May the king be famous for ever!

May people remember him

for as long as the sun continues to shine.

May people from all nations use his name

when they bless one another.

May they all say that God has blessed the king!

18 Praise the Lord, Israel's God,

as he deserves.

Only he does such wonderful things.

19 Praise his great name for ever!

May his glory fill the whole earth!

Amen! May that all happen!

20 This is the end of the prayers of Jesse's son, David.

72:20Psalm 72 finishes the Second Book of Psalms.