Psalms 72
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Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son.
2 He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.
3 The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.
4 He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.
5 They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.
6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.
7 In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.
8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
9 They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
11 Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.
12 For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.
13 He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.
14 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.
15 And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.
16 There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
17 His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.
18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.
19 And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.
20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
Psalm 72:1-20
Give the King Your Justice
Of Solomon.
1Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to the royal son!
2May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice!
3Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness!
4May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the children of the needy,
and crush the oppressor!
5May they fear you while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!
6May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth!
7In his days may the righteous flourish,
and peace abound, till the moon be no more!
8May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth!
9May desert tribes bow down before him,
and his enemies lick the dust!
10May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands
render him tribute;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
bring gifts!
11May all kings fall down before him,
all nations serve him!
12For he delivers the needy when he calls,
the poor and him who has no helper.
13He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
14From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
and precious is their blood in his sight.
15Long may he live;
may gold of Sheba be given to him!
May prayer be made for him continually,
and blessings invoked for him all the day!
16May there be abundance of grain in the land;
on the tops of the mountains may it wave;
may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people blossom in the cities
like the grass of the field!
17May his name endure forever,
his fame continue as long as the sun!
May people be blessed in him,
all nations call him blessed!
18Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
19Blessed be his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory!
Amen and Amen!
20The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.
ESV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Psalm 72:1-20
Psalm 72
Of Solomon.
1Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
2May he judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.
3May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
4May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
may he crush the oppressor.
5May he endure as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.
6May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.
7In his days may the righteous flourish
and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.
8May he rule from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9May the desert tribes bow before him
and his enemies lick the dust.
10May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores
bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba and Seba
present him gifts.
11May all kings bow down to him
and all nations serve him.
12For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help.
13He will take pity on the weak and the needy
and save the needy from death.
14He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
for precious is their blood in his sight.
15Long may he live!
May gold from Sheba be given him.
May people ever pray for him
and bless him all day long.
16May grain abound throughout the land;
on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops flourish like Lebanon
and thrive like the grass of the field.
17May his name endure forever;
may it continue as long as the sun.
Then all nations will be blessed through him,
and they will call him blessed.
18Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does marvelous deeds.
19Praise be to his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and Amen.
20This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.
NIV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Commentary
How long is your wish list? When God asked Solomon for what he wanted he asked for just one thing – wisdom.
Someone asked a woman who had worked in the kitchen of an orphanage almost all her life what she would ask for if she were granted three wishes. Without thinking she replied, “Enough food for all the children.” For the second wish she said, “Maybe a washing machine.” Pressed for the third wish, she thought for a while and then said, “I don’t know. Two is enough.” Who among us would not have paused for reflection, but only because we would have had trouble narrowing our list to three!
Solomon’s wisdom and acute sense of justice became legendary. His faithfulness to God resulted in the prosperity of the nation. God granted him further blessings – victory in wars which resulted in considerable wealth, and long life.
Sadly, much of Solomon’s long life was wasted because he forsook God. He pursued fame and honor. He sought happiness in acquisitions. The wise king came to his senses and realized, as he had at the very beginning, that happiness is a gift from God, but he had wasted so much valuable time.
Gordon Christo
