A prayer for God to bless the king

72 O God, enable me, the king whom you appointed in Israel, to rule justly.

Show/Teach me how to judge matters fairly

2 in order that I will judge your people fairly,

that I will govern your oppressed people justly.

3 I desire that all over the country—even on the hills and mountains [DOU]—

people will live peacefully and righteously.

4 Help me, your king, to defend the poor people

and to rescue needy people and to defeat those who oppress them.

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

6 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 They will pity those who are weak and needy;

he saves the people’s lives.

14 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 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 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 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 Praise Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis worship;

he is the only one who does wonderful things.

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