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Psalm 72

Prayer for Guidance and Support for the King

Of Solomon.

Give the king your justice, O God,
    and your righteousness to a king’s son.(A)
May he judge your people with righteousness
    and your poor with justice.(B)
May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
    and the hills, in righteousness.(C)
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
    give deliverance to the needy,
    and crush the oppressor.(D)

May he live[a] while the sun endures
    and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.(E)
May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
    like showers that water the earth.(F)
In his days may righteousness flourish
    and peace abound, until the moon is no more.(G)

May he have dominion from sea to sea
    and from the River to the ends of the earth.(H)
May his foes[b] bow down before him,
    and his enemies lick the dust.(I)
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles
    render him tribute;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
    bring gifts.(J)
11 May all kings fall down before him,
    all nations give him service.

12 For he delivers the needy when they call,
    the poor and those who have no helper.(K)
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy
    and saves the lives of the needy.
14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
    and precious is their blood in his sight.(L)

15 Long may he live!
    May gold of Sheba be given to him.
May prayer be made for him continually
    and blessings invoked for him all day long.(M)
16 May there be abundance of grain in the land;
    may it wave on the tops of the mountains;
    may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people blossom in the cities
    like the grass of the field.(N)
17 May his name endure forever,
    his fame continue as long as the sun.
May all nations be blessed in him;[c]
    may they pronounce him happy.(O)

18 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    who alone does wondrous things.(P)
19 Blessed be his glorious name forever;
    may his glory fill the whole earth.
                Amen and Amen.(Q)

20 The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.

Book III

(Psalms 73–89)

Psalm 73

Plea for Relief from Oppressors

A Psalm of Asaph.

Truly God is good to Israel,
    to those who are pure in heart.(R)
But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
    my steps had nearly slipped.(S)
For I was envious of the arrogant;
    I saw the prosperity of the wicked.(T)

For they have no pain;
    their bodies are sound and sleek.
They are not in trouble as others are;
    they are not plagued like other people.(U)
Therefore pride is their necklace;
    violence covers them like a garment.(V)
Their eyes swell out with fatness;
    their hearts overflow with follies.(W)
They scoff and speak with malice;
    loftily they threaten oppression.(X)
They set their mouths against heaven,
    and their tongues range over the earth.

10 Therefore the people turn and praise them[d]
    and find no fault in them.[e]
11 And they say, “How can God know?
    Is there knowledge in the Most High?”(Y)
12 Such are the wicked;
    always at ease, they increase in riches.(Z)
13 All in vain I have kept my heart clean
    and washed my hands in innocence.(AA)
14 For all day long I have been plagued
    and am punished every morning.(AB)

15 If I had said, “I will talk on in this way,”
    I would have been untrue to the circle of your children.
16 But when I thought how to understand this,
    it seemed to me a wearisome task,(AC)
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God;
    then I perceived their end.(AD)
18 Truly you set them in slippery places;
    you make them fall to ruin.(AE)
19 How they are destroyed in a moment,
    swept away utterly by terrors!(AF)
20 They are[f] like a dream when one awakes;
    on awaking you despise their phantoms.(AG)

21 When my soul was embittered,
    when I was pricked in heart,
22 I was stupid and ignorant;
    I was like a brute beast toward you.(AH)
23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
    you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
    and afterward you will receive me with honor.[g](AI)
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.(AJ)
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength[h] of my heart and my portion forever.(AK)

27 Indeed, those who are far from you will perish;
    you put an end to those who are false to you.(AL)
28 But for me it is good to be near God;
    I have made the Lord God my refuge,
    to tell of all your works.(AM)

Footnotes

  1. 72.5 Gk: Heb may they fear you
  2. 72.9 Cn: Heb those who live in the wilderness
  3. 72.17 Or bless themselves by him
  4. 73.10 Cn: Heb his people return here
  5. 73.10 Cn: Heb abundant waters are drained by them
  6. 73.20 Cn: Heb Lord
  7. 73.24 Or to glory
  8. 73.26 Heb rock

Psalm 72

Of Solomon.

Endow the king with your justice,(A) O God,
    the royal son with your righteousness.
May he judge your people in righteousness,(B)
    your afflicted ones with justice.

May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
    the hills the fruit of righteousness.
May he defend the afflicted(C) among the people
    and save the children of the needy;(D)
    may he crush the oppressor.(E)
May he endure[a](F) as long as the sun,
    as long as the moon, through all generations.(G)
May he be like rain(H) falling on a mown field,
    like showers watering the earth.
In his days may the righteous flourish(I)
    and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

May he rule from sea to sea
    and from the River[b](J) to the ends of the earth.(K)
May the desert tribes bow before him
    and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish(L) and of distant shores(M)
    bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba(N) and Seba
    present him gifts.(O)
11 May all kings bow down(P) to him
    and all nations serve(Q) him.

12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
    the afflicted who have no one to help.
13 He will take pity(R) on the weak and the needy
    and save the needy from death.
14 He will rescue(S) them from oppression and violence,
    for precious(T) is their blood in his sight.

15 Long may he live!
    May gold from Sheba(U) be given him.
May people ever pray for him
    and bless him all day long.(V)
16 May grain(W) abound throughout the land;
    on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops(X) flourish like Lebanon(Y)
    and thrive[c] like the grass of the field.(Z)
17 May his name endure forever;(AA)
    may it continue as long as the sun.(AB)

Then all nations will be blessed through him,[d]
    and they will call him blessed.(AC)

18 Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,(AD)
    who alone does marvelous deeds.(AE)
19 Praise be to his glorious name(AF) forever;
    may the whole earth be filled with his glory.(AG)
Amen and Amen.(AH)

20 This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.(AI)

BOOK III

Psalms 73–89

Psalm 73

A psalm of Asaph.

Surely God is good to Israel,
    to those who are pure in heart.(AJ)

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;(AK)
    I had nearly lost my foothold.(AL)
For I envied(AM) the arrogant
    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.(AN)

They have no struggles;
    their bodies are healthy and strong.[e]
They are free(AO) from common human burdens;
    they are not plagued by human ills.
Therefore pride(AP) is their necklace;(AQ)
    they clothe themselves with violence.(AR)
From their callous hearts(AS) comes iniquity[f];
    their evil imaginations have no limits.
They scoff, and speak with malice;(AT)
    with arrogance(AU) they threaten oppression.(AV)
Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
    and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
    and drink up waters in abundance.[g]
11 They say, “How would God know?
    Does the Most High know anything?”

12 This is what the wicked are like—
    always free of care,(AW) they go on amassing wealth.(AX)

13 Surely in vain(AY) I have kept my heart pure
    and have washed my hands in innocence.(AZ)
14 All day long I have been afflicted,(BA)
    and every morning brings new punishments.

15 If I had spoken out like that,
    I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand(BB) all this,
    it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary(BC) of God;
    then I understood their final destiny.(BD)

18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;(BE)
    you cast them down to ruin.(BF)
19 How suddenly(BG) are they destroyed,
    completely swept away(BH) by terrors!
20 They are like a dream(BI) when one awakes;(BJ)
    when you arise, Lord,
    you will despise them as fantasies.(BK)

21 When my heart was grieved
    and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless(BL) and ignorant;
    I was a brute beast(BM) before you.

23 Yet I am always with you;
    you hold me by my right hand.(BN)
24 You guide(BO) me with your counsel,(BP)
    and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?(BQ)
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.(BR)
26 My flesh and my heart(BS) may fail,(BT)
    but God is the strength(BU) of my heart
    and my portion(BV) forever.

27 Those who are far from you will perish;(BW)
    you destroy all who are unfaithful(BX) to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.(BY)
    I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;(BZ)
    I will tell of all your deeds.(CA)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 72:5 Septuagint; Hebrew You will be feared
  2. Psalm 72:8 That is, the Euphrates
  3. Psalm 72:16 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text Lebanon, / from the city
  4. Psalm 72:17 Or will use his name in blessings (see Gen. 48:20)
  5. Psalm 73:4 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text struggles at their death; / their bodies are healthy
  6. Psalm 73:7 Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew Their eyes bulge with fat
  7. Psalm 73:10 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.

God’s Election of Israel

I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit(A) I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own brothers and sisters, my own flesh and blood.(B) They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;(C) to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever.[a] Amen.(D)

It is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all those descended from Israel are Israelites,(E) and not all of Abraham’s children are his descendants, but “it is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you.”(F) This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as descendants. For the word of the promise is this: “About this time I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.”(G) 10 Nor is that all; something similar happened to Rebecca when she had conceived children by one husband, our ancestor Isaac:(H) 11 even before they had been born or had done anything good or bad (so that God’s purpose of election might continue, 12 not by works but by his call) she was told, “The elder shall serve the younger.”(I) 13 As it is written,

“I have loved Jacob,
    but I have hated Esau.”(J)

14 What then are we to say? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means!(K) 15 For he says to Moses,

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
    and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”(L)

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Footnotes

  1. 9.5 Or Messiah, who is God over all, blessed forever; or Messiah. May he who is God over all be blessed forever

Paul’s Anguish Over Israel

I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying,(A) my conscience confirms(B) it through the Holy Spirit— I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself(C) were cursed(D) and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people,(E) those of my own race,(F) the people of Israel.(G) Theirs is the adoption to sonship;(H) theirs the divine glory,(I) the covenants,(J) the receiving of the law,(K) the temple worship(L) and the promises.(M) Theirs are the patriarchs,(N) and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah,(O) who is God over all,(P) forever praised![a](Q) Amen.

God’s Sovereign Choice

It is not as though God’s word(R) had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.(S) Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”[b](T) In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children,(U) but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.(V) For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”[c](W)

10 Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac.(X) 11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad(Y)—in order that God’s purpose(Z) in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”[d](AA) 13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”[e](AB)

14 What then shall we say?(AC) Is God unjust? Not at all!(AD) 15 For he says to Moses,

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
    and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”[f](AE)

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 9:5 Or Messiah, who is over all. God be forever praised! Or Messiah. God who is over all be forever praised!
  2. Romans 9:7 Gen. 21:12
  3. Romans 9:9 Gen. 18:10,14
  4. Romans 9:12 Gen. 25:23
  5. Romans 9:13 Mal. 1:2,3
  6. Romans 9:15 Exodus 33:19