< Psalms 72 >
1 A Psalm according to Solomon.
A psalm written by Solomon. O God, enable [me, ] the king [whom you appointed in Israel], to rule justly. Show/Teach me how to judge matters fairly
2 Give your judgment, O God, to the king, and your justice to the king’s son, to judge your people with justice and your poor with judgment.
in order that I will judge your people fairly, that I will govern your oppressed people justly.
3 Let the mountains take up peace for the people, and the hills, justice.
I desire that [all over the country—even] on the hills and mountains [DOU]— people will live peacefully and righteously.
4 He will judge the poor of the people, and he will bring salvation to the sons of the poor. And he will humble the false accuser.
Help [me], your king, to defend the poor people and to rescue needy people and to defeat those who oppress them.
5 And he will remain, with the sun and before the moon, from generation to generation.
I desire that your people will revere you as long as the moon shines, [forever].
6 He will descend like rain upon fleece, and like showers showering upon the earth.
I desire that my rule will [be enjoyed by the people] [SIM] like [they enjoy] rain on growing crops, like [they enjoy] showers that fall on the land.
7 In his days, justice will rise like the sun, with abundance of peace, until the moon is taken away.
I hope/desire that people will live righteously during the years that I rule, and that my people will live peacefully and prosperously as long as the moon shines.
8 And he will rule from sea to sea and from the river to the limits of the whole world.
I hope/desire that the kings [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 remote/distant places on earth.
9 In his sight, the Ethiopians will fall prostrate, and his enemies will lick the ground.
I hope/desire that those who live in the desert will bow down before them, and that their enemies will throw themselves on the ground [in submission] to them.
10 The kings of Tarshish and the islands will offer gifts. The kings of Arabia and of Seba will bring gifts.
I hope/desire that the kings of Spain and of the islands [in the Mediterranean Sea] will bring (tribute money/taxes) to the kings [of Israel], and that the kings of Sheba [to the south] and of Seba [to the southwest] will bring them gifts.
11 And all the kings of the earth shall adore him. All nations will serve him.
I hope/desire that all the [other] kings [in the world] will bow before the kings [of Israel], and that [people of] all nations will serve them.
12 For he will free the poor from the powerful, and the poor one who has no helper.
They will rescue poor people when they (cry out/plead) for help, and help those who are needy and those who have no one to help them.
13 He will spare the poor and the indigent, and he will bring salvation to the souls of the poor.
They will pity those who are weak and needy; he saves the people’s lives.
14 He will redeem their souls from usuries and from iniquity, and their names shall be honorable in his sight.
Our kings will rescue the people from being oppressed and from being treated cruelly, [because] (their lives/they) [MTY] are precious to our kings.
15 And he will live, and to him will be given from the gold of Arabia, and by him they will always adore. They will bless him all day long.
I hope/desire that our kings will live a long time! I hope/desire that they will be given gold from Sheba. I desire that people will always pray for our kings and praise them all the time, [every day].
16 And there will be a firmament on earth, at the summits of mountains: its fruits will be extolled above Lebanon, and those of the city will flourish like the grass of the earth.
I hope/desire that the fields will produce plenty of grain [everywhere, even] on the tops of the hills in the land where they rule, like the grain that grows [on the hills] in Lebanon. I hope/desire that the cities [in Israel] will be full of people like the fields are full of grass.
17 May his name be blessed forever; may his name remain before the sun. And all the tribes of the earth will be blessed in him. All nations will magnify him.
I desire that the names of our kings will never be forgotten. I hope/desire that people will remember them as long as the sun shines. I hope/desire that people of all nations will ask (God to bless them/that they will be blessed by God) just like he has blessed the kings [of Israel].
18 Blessed is the Lord, God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.
Praise Yahweh, the God whom [we] Israelis [worship]; he is the only one who does wonderful things.
19 And blessed is the name of his majesty in eternity. And all the earth will be filled with his majesty. Amen. Amen.
Praise him forever! I desire that (his glory will fill the whole world/people all over the world may see that he is very great) [MTY]! Amen! May it be so!
20 The praises of David, the son of Jesse, have reached an end.
That is the end of this group of prayers/songs written by David, the son of Jesse.