Psalm 72-73

Glory and Universality of the Messiah’s Reign

A Psalm of Solomon.

72 Give the king Your judgments, O God,
And Your righteousness to the king’s Son.
² He will judge Your people with righteousness,
And Your poor with justice.
³ The mountains will bring peace to the people,
And the little hills, by righteousness.
⁴ He will bring justice to the poor of the people;
He will save the children of the needy,
And will ^[a]break in pieces the oppressor.

^5 [b]They shall fear You
As long as the sun and moon endure,
Throughout all generations.
⁶ He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing,
Like showers that water the earth.
⁷ In His days the righteous shall flourish,
And abundance of peace,
Until the moon is no more.

⁸ He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.
⁹ Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him,
And His enemies will lick the dust.
¹⁰ The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
Will bring presents;
The kings of Sheba and Seba
Will offer gifts.
¹¹ Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;
All nations shall serve Him.

¹² For He will deliver the needy when he cries,
The poor also, and him who has no helper.
¹³ He will spare the poor and needy,
And will save the souls of the needy.
¹⁴ He will redeem their life from oppression and violence;
And precious shall be their blood in His sight.

¹⁵ And He shall live;
And the gold of Sheba will be given to Him;
Prayer also will be made for Him continually,
And daily He shall be praised.

¹⁶ There will be an abundance of grain in the earth,
On the top of the mountains;
Its fruit shall wave like Lebanon;
And those of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.

¹⁷ His name shall endure forever;
His name shall continue 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 does wondrous things!
¹⁹ And blessed be His glorious name forever!
And let the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen.

²⁰ The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

BOOK THREE

Psalms 73–89

The Tragedy of the Wicked, and the Blessedness of Trust in God

A Psalm of Asaph.

73 Truly God is good to Israel,
To such as are pure in heart.
² But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
My steps had nearly slipped.
³ For I was envious of the boastful,
When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

⁴ For there are no ^[c]pangs in their death,
But their strength is firm.
⁵ They are not in trouble as other men,
Nor are they plagued like other men.
⁶ Therefore pride serves as their necklace;
Violence covers them like a garment.
⁷ Their ^[d]eyes bulge with abundance;
They have more than heart could wish.
⁸ They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression;
They speak ^[e]loftily.
⁹ They set their mouth against the heavens,
And their tongue walks through the earth.

¹⁰ Therefore his people return here,
And waters of a full cup are drained by them.
¹¹ And they say, “How does God know?
And is there knowledge in the Most High?”
¹² Behold, these are the ungodly,
Who are always at ease;
They increase in riches.
¹³ Surely I have ^[f]cleansed my heart in vain,
And washed my hands in innocence.
¹⁴ For all day long I have been plagued,
And chastened every morning.

¹⁵ If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.
¹⁶ When I thought how to understand this,
It was ^[g]too painful for me—
¹⁷ Until I went into the sanctuary of God;
Then I understood their end.

¹⁸ Surely You set them in slippery places;
You cast them down to destruction.
¹⁹ Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment!
They are utterly consumed with terrors.
²⁰ As a dream when one awakes,
So, Lord, when You awake,
You shall despise their image.

²¹ Thus my heart was grieved,
And I was ^[h]vexed in my mind.
²² I was so foolish and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.
²³ Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
²⁴ You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory.

²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
²⁶ My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the ^[i]strength of my heart and my portion forever.

²⁷ For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who ^[j]desert You for harlotry.
²⁸ But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord God,
That I may declare all Your works.