Psalm of David 72 in Russian and Church Slavonic languages

Text of prayer Psalm 72

Although written in Hebrew, the chant has been translated into many other languages. In Russia, the most popular versions are considered to be Church Slavonic and Russian variations on prayer 72.

In Church Slavonic

In Russian

The Psalm of Asaph, one might say, is a story for the edification of all God’s servants who have at least once envied the success of the wicked, looking at how they prosper in this age despite the violation of everything and everyone and disregard not only for the requirements of God, but also for the lives of their neighbors. The main conclusion that Asaph made after experiencing such momentary cowardice is that Jehovah God is good to all who walk in His ways, despite the apparent success and prosperity of wickedness in this age.

So, Asaph’s story about how he stumbled over the well-being of the wicked and almost fell before his God, almost left serving Him, not understanding why what was happening, and what he wrote about, comparing the lifestyle of the wicked and God-fearing people .

72:4,5 for they have no suffering until their death, and their strength is strong; 5 They are not present at human work, and with [other] people they are not subject to blows.

If you look at the lifestyle of the wicked for a long time, there is something to envy: neither special suffering, nor powerlessness with despair - in no way darken their “firmament.” They are strong in solving any problems (money, power, connections), the fate of hard workers for a piece of bread and exhaustion - they are not threatened, somehow amazingly easily they are able to adapt to the life of this century, these smart people, following the heads and interests of those around them for their well-being.

72:6 That is why pride surrounds them like a necklace, and insolence dresses them like an outfit;

Well, it’s understandable why they are arrogant and arrogant: their well-being gives them every reason to consider themselves “gods and kings” of the earth, and proudly straighten their “peacock tails”, thinking that they have achieved everything themselves and that everyone else is nonentity, those who are not capable of anything better, and that’s what they need, let them work for successful people if they themselves are not able to organize a beautiful life for themselves.

72:7,8 their eyes have rolled out of fat, thoughts are wandering in their hearts; 8 They mock everyone, they viciously spread slander, they speak condescendingly;

They have become so fat in their prosperity that their eyes have rolled out from the excess fat in their cheeks, and with such eyes you cannot see much or far, and therefore they cannot discern the greatness of God and their insignificance. But that’s not all: it would be nice to wallow in their own fat and well-being and not bother anyone, but they are not interested in living like that. Such people are also evil on earth, they like to mock people and watch how others suffer from the fact that they do not have the strength to protect themselves from the slander of the prosperous.

72:9 They raise their mouth to heaven, and their tongue walks across the earth.

The wicked even touch heaven with their lips: they curse God, in whom they do not believe. Of course, they openly violate all His principles of life and trample them openly, and God does not react to this in any way, what kind of God is He then? And if He exists, it means that He approves of all their actions, if He does not interfere or punish them in any way. This is how everyone argues, whose brains, not just their bellies, are swollen with the fat of earthly well-being.

72:10 Therefore His people turn thither, and drink a full cup of water,

That is why, looking at SUCH prosperity of the wicked, the people of God are tempted by the desire to give up all this worship of Him, which brings only worries from morning to morning about maintaining righteousness, and more - there is no use from it: neither you have freedom of movement , neither - freedom of action, nor - freedom of desires, nor - freedom of action.
And life flies so quickly that
none of God’s worshipers have time a normal

Asaph was also drawn there. It also attracts many of Jehovah’s servants at all times. And for the same reason.

72:11 and they say: “How will God know? and does the Most High have knowledge?”

And even the belief that God sees everything and knows everything that happens on earth breaks down: if there is no punishment for the wicked, then it means that God does not see all this (to admit the idea that there is no God is not in Israel they could, because they knew for sure that He was in heaven) And if God doesn’t see anything, why not leave His path and take an example from the wicked in order to grab a piece of happiness ourselves in this century? Approximately similar thoughts can sometimes appear among worshipers of God when they look with amazement at the success of the wicked in life (cf. 2 Timothy 3:13).

72:12-14 And behold, these wicked prosper in this age, increasing wealth. 13 Was it not in vain that I purified my heart and washed my hands in innocence, 14 and exposed myself to stripes every day and to reproof every morning?

The worshipers of God, who envied the prosperity of the wicked, are not limited to these thoughts; they go further in their judgments, regretting that all this time they had been working on themselves in vain, to become purer and more righteous day by day, to analyze their actions and movements of the heart and expose oneself to uncleanness.
Over time, they cease to see the point in serving God and living according to His principles in order to become righteous and defend it against the backdrop of the obesity of the wicked - since in this age all the servants of God are far from the kind of prosperity in which the wicked are (cf. 2 Timothy 2:12). This is how dangerous the way of considering the success of a neighbor is, as Solomon put it: every success in business gives rise to mutual envy between people
(Ecl. 4:4). God's people do not avoid this, IF they begin to be interested in other people's success and take a closer look at where it comes from.

72:15 [But] if I had said: “I will reason like this,” then I would be guilty before the generation of Your sons.

Asaph, fortunately, did not come to the point of continuing to be carried away by the success of the wicked. He realized that if he had reasoned THIS way and stopped there, he would have been guilty before all God’s servants who, with patience and faith, suppress such momentary thoughts in themselves and continue their path to God, despite any difficulties, working daily on so as not to sin.

72:16 And I thought how to understand this, but it was difficult in my eyes,

But Asaf did not come to this conclusion right away: he was tormented in thinking about it and could not understand what was happening to him, why he had such seditious movements of thoughts and, not finding answers in himself, he made the only correct decision - to ask about it from God.

72:17 until I entered into the sanctuary of God and understood their end.

After many thoughts, Asaph went to the sanctuary of God - to the temple - to pray to God and talk with Him about these thoughts of his, fortunately - our God is merciful and forgiving to the fact that we are weak in the flesh and can sometimes give such distressing “miracles” that then out of shame you will not know where to hide from the eyes of the Lord.
Asaph decided to open up to God and ask Him what he should do, why such thoughts and how to continue to live with them? And God answered all his questions: the lack of knowledge of the full picture of things and God’s plans sometimes confuses us, but when an understanding of the whole picture of God’s plan comes, then everything falls into place. Everything fell into place for Asaph - immediately, as soon as he comprehended the reason for the existence of the wicked on earth and the end result of their stay here. 72:18,19 Yes!
You have placed them on slippery paths and are casting them into the abyss. 19 How unexpectedly they came to ruin, disappeared, perished from horrors! God explained to him that this age is precisely for identifying the wicked, for if everyone is not allowed to walk in their own ways, then how can the sincere inclinations of the heart be revealed? All the wicked will manifest themselves fully, and it will be easy for God to weed them out in order to get rid of them before establishing His world order on earth. Asaph has nothing to worry about, he just needs to be patient and wait for the new world order: they won’t be there.

72:20 Like a dream upon awakening, so You, Lord, having awakened [them], will destroy their dreams.

An interesting idea here is that God, having awakened the wicked, will destroy their dreams (not at all necessarily, but certainly and immediately - their own) - that is, God will somehow give them the opportunity to come to their senses and wake up from the hibernation of self-forgetfulness and narcissism and they will understand that all their dreams have come to an end. Maybe God will resurrect them and since they, having died, will awaken with the same worldviews of the “gods and kings” of the earth, they will immediately manifest themselves in the new world SO, but THERE they will be immediately stopped and even, perhaps, given a chance to correct their thinking and your heart, spoiled by satiety and prosperity at the expense of others, and - accept Christ for yourself.

72:21,22 When my heart was boiling and my insides were tormented, 22 then I was ignorant and did not understand; I was like cattle before You.

Here Asaph deeply grieves over his envy and repents that it crept into his heart, but all this was due to a lack of understanding (he did not understand what was happening in the same way that cattle are not able to understand and appreciate what is happening in God’s plan). And even unexpected momentary envy can drive a servant of God to such sinful thoughts, if this process of “boiling and seething” of the insides is stopped controlled with the help of reason.

72:23-25 But I am always with You: You hold my right hand; 24 You guide me with Your counsel and then You will receive me into glory. 25 Who is in heaven for me? and with You I want nothing on earth.

Asaph, having talked with God, came to the right conclusion: only God is the meaning of his life, and he is grateful to God that in this century he is led by the hand by God’s principles, and in the future he will be able to reach God’s abodes, that is, get into HIS world order. Having such a leader, Asaph needs nothing more on earth than the prosperous and obese wicked have: it is better to tighten his belt here in order to enjoy the blessings of God THERE in eternity, His blessings will not spoil either the figure or the brains, not an eye (unlike the blessings of this age).

72:26, 27 My flesh and my heart fail: God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27 For behold, those who remove themselves from You perish; You destroy everyone who turns away from You.

Asaph, of course, was tired of being so shocked by his envy, but he was very grateful to God for helping him free himself from this burden. Asaph became even more firmly convinced that Jehovah was the only meaning of life in his heart. And there is no need to envy the wicked, it is better to feel sorry for them: it is a pity that they are blinded by themselves and can perish from this, it is better to try to help them see again than to envy them.

72:28 And it is good for me to draw closer to God! I have placed my trust in the Lord God to proclaim all Your works.

And no matter how successful the wicked were, from now on Asaph became even more firmly established in his desire to follow God’s path of life and proclaim to everyone around him the greatness of the Lord’s deeds. Who knows, maybe the wicked, having heard about this, will one day turn from their evil deeds and cleave to God. What more could you want in this life? Isn't it so that all people can be happy in God's eternity?

Asaph's reflections can help today everyone who experiences difficulties walking God's path, and along the way begins to consider the success of the wicked. It’s better not to get carried away with this: we read the psalm of Asaph whenever the temptation arises to send everything away.

Interpretation

Psalm 72 clearly exposes the injustice of this world and ungodly people. The chant is an attempt by the author to answer the question, why do ungodly people have wealth that the righteous are deprived of?

• Verse 1. From these lines the author’s position becomes clear. He is confident that the will of the Lord is on the side of the righteous.
• Verse 2-3. Here the author gives an example of how he was influenced by the sight of wicked people living in abundance. He says that madmen are much happier than them.
• Verses 4-9. Asaph begins by describing rich atheists. In them he sees people strong in body and spirit who rise above the poor. But this is their main weakness. Wealth distorts, alienates people from God, makes people equal to animals, for living creatures are deprived of the mercy of God and only man is able to perceive it. Neither gold nor jewelry can attract the attention of the Lord the way faith in Him does.
• Verses 10-15. That is why the godless live without God, because they believe that He does not exist and He does not see their sins. These poems are imbued with the pain and suffering of the author, who realizes the erroneous judgments of the rich.
• Verses 16-21. Being a man, even the author was overcome by sinful thoughts until the Lord showed him the right path. After he receives the answer to his question, lightness returns to Asaph's soul.
• Verse 22. Here Asaph is truly amazed at how far a person can go in his ignorance.
• Verse 23-28. These final verses summarize all of the above and answer whether their wealth makes ungodly people superior to God? The answer is no, because everything acquired on earth will remain on earth. Man is not eternal - sooner or later he will die. His soul will go either to heaven or hell, but his wealth will remain on earth.

So there is no point in holding on to wealth because it is fleeting. You never know on what day or time a person will die.

Future events are hidden from us, so we must firmly believe in the power of the Lord, who awaits us in His Kingdom, where the material values ​​of the earth have no power.

Hundreds of years later, this psalm continues to have meaning. Never before have material values ​​chained a person to the earth. Because of them, wars, uprisings, revolutions are committed... But it is difficult for people to understand the simple truth, which is that wealth is not everything. It is important to be ready to die when God calls us into His Kingdom. And this is the main message of Psalm 72. Wealth does not matter when we are all equal before death.

When reading the text of Christian Psalm 72

comments 2

Orthodox Psalm 72 opens the third book of psalms, consisting of seventeen songs, most of which are by Asaph, a contemporary of King David, a religious musician and singer. Psalm 72, like most of what Asaph wrote, is considered a psalm of wisdom as the author reflects on various spiritual topics based on his own life experiences.

The interpretation of the Christian Psalm 72 explains that in it Asaph recalls his own doubts about the justice of God, based on personal observations: at a certain period of his life, he noticed that life was much easier for unbelievers than for pious people.

Christian Psalm 72: Prayer for Evil People

The holy text of Psalm 72 gives us an understanding that three thousand years ago believers were interested in the same questions as today. How often do we begin to grumble in our souls, asking God why criminals and liars live prosperously, while those who fulfill all the commandments get sick and often barely make ends meet?

Psalm 72 does not answer this question, and it is unlikely that it can be answered unequivocally, but it will certainly serve as a consolation to all who suffer. Listen online and read the text of Orthodox Psalm 72: it is customary about people who do evil deeds, so that the Lord will guide them on the path of correction.

Listen to the video of the Orthodox prayer Psalm 72 in Russian

Read the text of the prayer Psalm 72 in Russian

Psalm of Asaph.

How good God is to Israel, to the pure in heart! And I - my legs almost shook, my feet almost slipped - I envied the fools, seeing the prosperity of the wicked, for they have no suffering until their death, and their strength is strong; They are not present at human work, and they are not subject to blows with other people. That is why pride surrounds them like a necklace, and insolence dresses them like an outfit; their eyes have rolled out of fat, thoughts are wandering in their hearts; They mock everyone, viciously spread slander, talk down to them; They raise their mouth to heaven, and their tongue walks across the earth. Therefore His people turn there, and drink a full cup of water, and say: “How will God know? and does the Most High have knowledge?” And behold, these wicked prosper in this age, increasing wealth. And I said: Was it not in vain that I purified my heart and washed my hands in innocence, and exposed myself to stripes every day and to reproof every morning? But if I said: “I will reason like this,” then I would be guilty before the generation of Your sons. And I thought how to understand this, but it was difficult in my eyes, until I entered the sanctuary of God and understood their end. So! You have placed them on slippery paths and are casting them into the abyss. How they accidentally fell into ruin, disappeared, died from horrors! Like a dream upon awakening, so You, Lord, having awakened them, will destroy their dreams. When my heart was boiling and my insides were tormented, then I was ignorant and did not understand; I was like cattle before You. But I am always with You: You hold my right hand; You guide me with Your counsel and then You will receive me into glory. Who is in my heaven? and with You I want nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart fail: God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For behold, those who remove themselves from You perish; You destroy everyone who turns away from You. And it is good for me to draw closer to God! I have placed my trust in the Lord God, to proclaim all Your works in the gates of the daughter of Zion.

Orthodox Psalter, text of Psalm 72 in Church Slavonic language

How good is the God of Israel with a right heart. My nose did not move for a moment; My feet did not shed in the distance; for being jealous of the lawless, the world of sinners is in vain; for there is no joy in their death and no affirmation in their wound; in human labors there is no essence, and people will not receive wounds. For this reason I will restrain their pride to the end; clothed with untruth and wickedness. Their unrighteousness will come forth from the fat; passed into the love of the heart. She thought and spoke in wickedness, lying in the height of her verb; He set his mouth in heaven, and his tongue went over the earth. For this reason my people will be converted, and the days of fulfillment will be found in them. And deciding; what will God lead? and is there any reason on high? Behold, these sinners and gobblers have retained wealth forever. And reh; did they justify my heart in vain and wash my innocent hands, and were wounded all day long, and my reproof in the morning? In other verbs, let's say taco; Behold, to the generation of your sons, you promised to them; and understand the nepshchevah; This work is before me, until I enter into the sanctuary of God and I mean their last. Moreover, because of their flattery, I put down this evil to them; I brought down this, having at times become proud. What was it like in desolation? suddenly disappeared, perished for her iniquity. Like a dream that rises, O Lord, in your city you will destroy their image. As if my heart was kindled, and my bowels were changed; and I was humiliated, and did not understand how bestial I was to you. And I will take it out with you; You held my hand on my right hand, and with your advice you guided me, and you received me with glory. What do we have in heaven? and what do you want from the earth? My heart and my flesh, O God of my heart, and my portion, O God, are gone forever. For behold, those who separate themselves from you will perish; You have consumed every fornicator from you. It is good for me to cleave to God, to place my trust in the Lord, to proclaim with me all your praises at the gates of the daughter Sioni.

Publication by the successors of A.P. Lopukhin. Explanatory Bible. Interpretation of the Psalter

Psalm 72

Psalm of Asaph

The psalm belongs to Asaph, a contemporary of David. In the circumstances of the life of this king, especially in the history of Absalom, his rapid rise and fall, the writer could find material both for the main idea of ​​​​the content of the psalm, and for some of its particular provisions (3, 4, 6, 19).

The Lord is good to the pure in heart. I doubted this truth when I saw the prosperity of the wicked, as a result of which they become arrogant and impudent (1-9). Following them are the people, who go so far as to deny the Providence of God on earth (10-13). I also experienced hesitation - why do I care about my cleanliness? But what kept me from preaching these hesitations was the consciousness of my responsibility to people (14-15). When I began to ponder and entered the sanctuary, I learned how quickly the fall of such wicked people (16-20). My hesitation was an expression of my ignorance, but now I know that only in God and drawing closer to Him is true life and reward, and those who move away from Him will perish (21-28).

1 How good God is to Israel, to the pure in heart!

1 tbsp. represents an introduction to the entire content of the psalm, containing the conclusion to which the author came through his doubts and hesitations.

2 And I - my legs almost shook, my feet almost slipped - 3 I envied the foolish, seeing the prosperity of the wicked, 4 for they have no suffering until their death, and their strength is strong; 5 They are not present at human work, and with other people they are not subject to blows. 6 Therefore pride has surrounded them like a necklace, and insolence has clothed them like a robe;

6. The pride of the wicked and their arrogance towards others are the result of their outward prosperity.

7 their eyes have rolled out of fat, thoughts are wandering in their hearts;

7. “Thoughts wander in the heart” - they freely surrender to their inclinations, not caring about checking their purity and consistency with the instructions of the will of God.

8 They mock everyone, they viciously spread slander, they speak condescendingly; 9 They lift up their mouth to heaven, and their tongue walks upon the earth.

9. “They raise their lips to heaven” - they look arrogantly at the Commandments of God, considering themselves to have the right to evaluate and criticize them, that is, they test the will of God with their judgment, thereby elevating themselves to the place of the supreme legislator.

10 Therefore His people turn there and drink a full cup of water, 11 and say: “How will God know? and does the Most High have knowledge?”

11. The impunity of the wicked and their outward dominance evokes imitation among the people. The latter also begins to “drink a full cup”, to give in uncontrollably to his evil desires, and even to the point of doubt: “how will God know?” and “Does the Most High have knowledge?” i.e., is man under Divine influence and is there justice on earth?

12 And behold, these wicked prosper in this age, increasing wealth. 13 [And I said:] Was it not in vain that I purified my heart and washed my hands in innocence, 14 and exposed myself to stripes every day and to reproof every morning? 15 But if I had said, “I will reason thus,” then I would have been guilty before the generation of Your sons.

13-15. “To purify your heart, to wash your hands in innocence, to expose yourself to wounds and chastisement” means to vigilantly monitor not only your actions, but also the purity of your thoughts. Such concern for spiritual neatness requires constant and strong restriction of one’s sinful impulses, which causes pain. The facts of the prosperity of the wicked, living according to their own desires and not caring about their moral purity, raised the question before the writer - is there any point in his self-restraints? Doubts tormented him, but he considered himself not to have the right to publicize these doubts and instill them in others; if he himself does not have firmness in his convictions, then it is his direct duty not to instill hesitation in others. An act of the latter kind makes him “guilty before the generation of Your sons,” that is, before the Jews, whom the Lord loves and cares for as a father cares for his children. To instill in them your doubts would mean turning your children away from the Father, depriving them of His beneficial and loving care, depriving others of a benefit to which you yourself have no right.

16 And I thought how to understand this, but it was difficult in my eyes, 17 until I entered into the sanctuary of God and understood the end of them.

16-17. The author's hesitation was resolved "in the sanctuary." Probably here we mean the prayer with which he turned to the Lord before the altar and when he received from Him in revelation the resolution of his doubts.

18 Yes! You have placed them on slippery paths and are casting them into the abyss. 19 How unexpectedly they came to ruin, disappeared, perished from horrors! 20 Like a dream upon awakening, so You, O Lord, having awakened them, will destroy their dreams.

18-20. The writer was one-sided in his observations of reality; he judged only on the basis of the facts of the prosperity of the wicked, and did not pay attention to how quickly and unexpectedly they perish, how often their dreams of happiness are deceived.

21 When my heart was boiling and my insides were torn, 22 then I was ignorant and did not understand; I was like cattle before You. 23 But I am always with You: You hold my right hand; 24 You guide me with Your counsel and then You will receive me into glory. 25 Who is in heaven for me? and with You I want nothing on earth.

25. “Who is in heaven for me?” What can heaven give me if I am not there with God? - “And with you I don’t want anything on earth” - I don’t want anything else on earth except You. The meaning of the whole expression is that the writer does not want to have any other attachments besides God, since apart from Him nothing can give him satisfaction.

26 My flesh and my heart fail: God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27 For behold, those who remove themselves from You perish; You destroy everyone who turns away from You. 28 And it is good for me to draw closer to God! I have placed my trust in the Lord God, that I may proclaim all Thy works [at the gates of the daughter of Zion].

27-28. Since those who live outside God perish, the true good is to draw closer to Him. Then the person receives “a portion forever” (26), that is, an eternal, inalienable reward that remains after his death, or eternal life.