Celebration of a Royal Wedding
For the music director; according to The Lilies. Of the sons of Korah.
A maskil. A song of love.[a]
45 My heart is moved with a good word;
I recite my compositions[b] to the king.
My tongue is the pen of a skilled scribe.
2 You are the most handsome of the sons of humankind;
grace is poured out on your lips;
therefore God has blessed you forever.
3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
in your splendor and your majesty.
4 And in your majesty ride victoriously,[c]
because of truth and humility and righteousness.
And let your right hand teach you awesome deeds.
5 Your arrows are sharp;
peoples fall under you
in the midst of the king’s enemies.
6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
A scepter of uprightness is
the scepter of your kingdom.
7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
from among your companions with festive oil.
8 All your robes are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
From palaces of ivory stringed instruments gladden you.
9 Kings’ daughters are among your noble ladies.
The queen stands at your right hand in gold of Ophir.
10 Hear, O daughter, and discern[d] and incline your ear,
and forget your people and your father’s house.
11 Let the king desire your beauty.[e]
Because he is your lord, therefore[f] bow down to him.
12 Even the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift.
The rich from among people will seek your favor.[g]
13 The king’s daughter is all glorious within;[h]
her garment is of gold embroidered cloth.
14 She is brought to the king in colorful garments.
The young women behind her, her attendants,
are being brought to you.
15 They are led with joy and gladness.
They enter the palace of the king.
16 In place of your[i] fathers will be your sons.
You will make them princes in all the land.[j]
17 I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;
therefore peoples will praise you forever and ever.
Footnotes
- Psalm 45:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
- Psalm 45:1 Literally “works,” that is, the song he has composed
- Psalm 45:4 Literally “Succeed! Ride!”
- Psalm 45:10 Literally “see”
- Psalm 45:11 Or “Should the king desire … then bow down …”
- Psalm 45:11 Hebrew “and”
- Psalm 45:12 Literally “face”
- Psalm 45:13 That is, within her bridal chamber
- Psalm 45:16 The pronouns and verbal forms are masculine in this verse
- Psalm 45:16 Or “earth”