1 Of Solomon. Give the king your authority, O God, and your righteousness to the king's son. 2 May he be a judge of your people in righteousness, and make true decisions for the poor. 3 May the mountains give peace to the people, and the hills righteousness. 4 May he be a judge of the poor among the people, may he give salvation to the children of those who are in need; by him let the violent be crushed. 5 May his life go on as long as the sun and moon, through all generations. 6 May he come down like rain on the cut grass; like showers watering the earth. 7 In his days may the upright do well, living in peace as long as there is a moon in heaven. 8 Let his kingdom be from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth. 9 Let those who are against him go down before him; and let his haters be low in the dust. 10 Let the kings of Tarshish and of the islands come back with offerings; let the kings of Sheba and Seba give of their stores. 11 Yes, let all kings go down before him; let all nations be his servants. 12 For he will be a saviour to the poor in answer to his cry; and to him who is in need, without a helper. 13 He will have pity on the poor, and be the saviour of those who are in need. 14 He will keep their souls free from evil designs and violent attacks; and their blood will be of value in his eyes. 15 May he have long life, and may gold from Sheba be given to him: may prayers be made for him at all times; may blessings be on him every day. 16 May there be wide-stretching fields of grain in the land, shaking on the top of the mountains, full of fruit like Lebanon: may its stems be unnumbered like the grass of the earth. 17 May his name go on for ever, as long as the sun: may men be blessing themselves by him; may all nations be blessing his name. 18 Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, the only doer of wonders. 19 Praise to the glory of his noble name for ever; let all the earth be full of his glory. So be it, So be it. 20 The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.
Psalms · Bible in Basic English
Psalm 72 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Greek and Latin Bibles number most Psalms one lower than Hebrew and English Bibles.
Cross references (20)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Jeremiah 23:5–6; 2 Chronicles 1:10; 1 Chronicles 22:12–13; 1 Chronicles 29:19; Isaiah 11:2
- 2 Isaiah 32:1; Psalm 72:12–14; Isaiah 32:17; Psalm 45:6–7; Isaiah 9:7
- 3 Isaiah 52:7; 2 Corinthians 5:19–21; Daniel 9:24; Joel 3:18; Ezekiel 34:13–14
- 4 Isaiah 11:4; Ezekiel 34:15–16; Psalm 109:31; Zechariah 9:8–10; Proverbs 20:26
- 5 Psalm 89:36–37; Daniel 7:14; Psalm 72:17; Revelation 11:15; Isaiah 9:7
- 6 Hosea 6:3; Deuteronomy 32:2; 2 Samuel 23:4; Psalm 65:10; Hosea 14:5–7
- 7 Isaiah 2:4; Malachi 4:2; Psalm 92:12; Isaiah 60:22; Isaiah 54:11–17
- 8 Exodus 23:31; Zechariah 9:10; 1 Kings 4:21–24; Psalm 80:11; Psalm 89:25
- 9 Isaiah 49:23; Micah 7:17; Luke 19:27; Psalm 2:9; 1 Kings 9:18
- 10 Psalm 68:29; Isaiah 60:6; Isaiah 49:7; Psalm 45:12; 1 Kings 10:1
- 11 Psalm 86:9; Revelation 11:15; Isaiah 49:22–23; Revelation 17:14; Isaiah 54:5
- 12 Job 29:12; Revelation 3:17–18; Psalm 102:17; Hebrews 7:25; Ecclesiastes 4:1
- 13 Ezekiel 34:16; Matthew 5:3; Psalm 109:31; Job 5:15–16; James 2:5–6
- 14 Psalm 116:15; Revelation 19:2; Luke 1:68–75; 1 Thessalonians 2:15–16; 2 Samuel 4:9
- 15 1 Kings 10:14; Isaiah 60:6; Revelation 1:18; Revelation 5:8–14; Jude 25
- 16 1 Kings 4:20; Revelation 7:9; Job 8:7; Job 5:25; Isaiah 29:17
- 17 Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; Psalm 89:36; Genesis 12:3; Luke 1:48
- 18 Psalm 41:13; Psalm 106:48; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Exodus 15:11; Psalm 86:10
- 19 Numbers 14:21; Matthew 6:10; Psalm 41:13; Habakkuk 2:14; Matthew 6:13
- 20 2 Samuel 23:1; Luke 24:51; Job 31:40; Jeremiah 51:64
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
In all the holy Scriptures the grace of God that delivereth us commendeth itself to us, in order that it may have us commended.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)
For it is known within what bounds the kingdom of Solomon was enclosed; and yet in that psalm, not to speak of other things, we read, "He shall have dominion from sea even to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth," which we see fulfilled in Christ.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
And again when it is preaching the Gospel beforehand, and saying, "In his days shall righteousness flourish, and abundance of peace, till the moon be taken away," it doth not set a limit to this fair part of creation.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
And how is it also that they are not abashed at that which is written, From the womb before the morning-star have I begotten thee: also this, He shall endure with the sun, and before the moon, from generation to generation.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
For on this account that prophecy went before concerning Him: "He shall reign from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth." But since, before He suffered and rose from the dead, the faith had not yet been defined to all, but was defined in the resurrection of Christ (for so the Apostle …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)