To Solomon.[398]
<1> God, help the king be like you and make good decisions.
Help the king's son know what justice is.
<2> Help the king judge your people fairly.
Help him make wise decisions for your poor people.
<3> Let there be peace and justice throughout the land,
known on every mountain and hill.
<4> May the king be fair to the poor.
May he help the helpless and punish those who hurt them.
<5> May people fear and respect the king
as long as the sun shines
and the moon is in the sky.
May people fear and respect him forever!
<6> Help the king to be
like rain falling on the fields,
like showers falling on the land.
<7> Let goodness blossom while he is king.
Let peace continue as long as the moon.
<8> Let his kingdom grow from sea to sea,
from the Euphrates River to the faraway places on earth.[399]
<9> May all the people living in the desert
bow down to him.
May all his enemies bow before him
with their faces in the dirt.
<10> May the kings of Tarshish[400]
and all the faraway lands by the sea bring gifts to him.
May the kings of Sheba and Seba
bring their tribute[401] to him.
<11> May all kings bow down to our king.
May all nations serve him.
<12> Our king helps the poor
who have no one to help them.
<13> They depend on him.
He keeps them alive.
<14> The king saves them from those who are cruel to them.
Their lives are very important to him.
<15> Long live the king!
Let him receive gold from Sheba.
Always pray for the king.
Bless him every day.
<16> May the fields grow plenty of grain
and the hills be covered with crops.
May the fields be as fertile as Lebanon
and the cities be filled with people
like the fields are covered with grass.
<17> May the king be famous forever.
May people remember his name as long as the sun shines.
May the people be blessed through him,
and may they all bless him.
<18> Praise the Lord God, the God of Israel[402]!
Only God can do such amazing things.
<19> Praise his glorious name forever!
Let his glory[403] fill the whole world!
Amen and Amen[404]!
<20> (This ends the prayers of David son of Jesse.)
© Copyright 2004 World Bible Translation Center.