Psalms 72

1 BY SOLOMON. O God, give Your judgments to the king, And Your righteousness to the king’s Son.

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 He judges Your people with righteousness, And Your poor with judgment.

in order that I will judge your people fairly, that I will govern your oppressed people justly.

3 The mountains bear peace to the people, And the heights by righteousness.

I desire that [all over the country—even] on the hills and mountains [DOU]— people will live peacefully and righteously.

4 He judges the poor of the people, Gives deliverance to the sons of the needy, And bruises the oppressor.

Help [me], your king, to defend the poor people and to rescue needy people and to defeat those who oppress them.

5 They fear You with the sun, and before the moon, Generation—generations.

I desire that your people will revere you as long as the moon shines, [forever].

6 He comes down as rain on mown grass, As showers—sprinkling 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 The righteous flourish in His days, And abundance of peace until the moon is not.

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 rules from sea to sea, And from the river to the ends of the earth.

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 Desert-dwellers bow before Him, And His enemies lick the dust.

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 Kings of Tarshish and of the islands send back a present. Kings of Sheba and Seba bring a reward near.

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 kings bow themselves to Him, All nations 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 delivers the needy who cries, And the poor when he 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 has pity on the poor and needy, And He saves the souls of the needy,

They will pity those who are weak and needy; he saves the people’s lives.

14 He redeems their soul from fraud and from violence, And their blood is precious in His eyes.

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 lives, and the gold of Sheba [is] given to Him, And prayer is continually made for Him, All day He is continually blessed.

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 There is a handful of grain in the earth, On the top of mountains, Its fruit shakes like Lebanon, And they flourish out of the city as the herb 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 His Name is for all time, Before the sun is His Name continued, And they bless themselves in Him, All nations pronounce Him blessed.

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 YHWH God, God of Israel, He alone is doing wonders,

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 glory for all time, And the whole earth is filled [with] His glory. Amen and 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 prayers of David son of Jesse have been ended.

That is the end of this group of prayers/songs written by David, the son of Jesse.