Psalms 72

1 Solomon’s. O God! thy justice, give, unto the king, And thy righteousness, unto the son of a king;

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 May he judge, Thy people with righteousness; And thine oppressed ones with justice;

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

3 May the mountains bring peace to the people, And the hills [be laden] with righteousness;

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

4 May he, Vindicate the oppressed of the people, Bring deliverance to the children of the needy, and, Crush the oppressor.

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

5 Let men revere thee, With the sun, And in presence of the moon, Unto the remotest generation.

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

6 Let him come down, Like rain on fields to be mown, Like myriad drops on land to be reaped.

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 May righteousness, in his days, blossom forth, And abundance of peace, till there be no moon.

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 So let him have dominion, From sea to sea, And from the River ["Euphrates"] unto 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 Before him, let the men of the desert kneel, But, as for his foes, the dust, let them lick;

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 of the Coastlands, A gift, let them render, The kings of Sheba and Seba, A present, let them bring;

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 Yea let all kings, bow down unto him, Let, 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 Because he Rescueth, The needy from the rich, The oppressed, who hath 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 Pitieth the weak and the needy, And, the lives of the needy, he Saveth:

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

14 From extortion, and, violence, he Redeemeth their life, And precious is their blood 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 Let him live, then! And be there given unto him of the gold of Sheba, —Let prayer also be offered for him continually, All the day, let him be 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 May there be an abundance of corn in the earth, in the top of the mountains, —Let the fruit thereof, wave like Lebanon, And they of the city bloom like the fresh shoots 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 age-abiding, In the presence of the sun, let his Name flourish, —And may all the families of the ground bless themselves in him, All nations, pronounce him happy!

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 be Yahweh God, the God of Israel, —Who doeth wondrous things by himself alone;

Praise Yahweh, the God whom [we] Israelis [worship]; he is the only one who does wonderful things.

19 And blessed be his glorious Name, unto times age-abiding, —And filled with his glory be all the earth, 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 Ended are the prayers of David, son of Jesse.

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