Psalm 45

W. van der Kamp, 1972

1. With noble themes my heart and mouth are ringing,
   And to the honor of the king I’m singing.
   Into a hymn of praise my thoughts are strung,
   And nimble as a scribe’s pen is my tongue.
   In beauty you surpass all men around you;
   With glory, O our king, the LORD has crowned you.
   Your lips are graced, your wisdom we adore;
   So you are blest by God for evermore.
   
2. O mighty one, our hero and defender,
   Gird on your sword, ride forth in pomp and splendor
   To execute true sentence and to speak
   Just judgment, shielding all the poor and weak.
   Let your right hand teach you dread deeds of power:
   Sharp are your arrows, humbled nations cower
   Beneath your feet; they fear your terror’s sway,
   The courage of the king’s foes melts away.
   
3. Your throne is like God’s throne; it stands forever.
   Your scepter is a righteous scepter ever.
   You love the right and hate all wickedness.
   Hence God, your God, with oil of happiness
   Has you above all other kings anointed,
   Myrrh and sweet spices for your robes appointed.
   Hear! From a palace walled in ivory
   Stringed instruments greet you with melody.
   
4. The queen, arrayed in Ophir’s gold, is seated
   At your right hand, by noble women greeted.
   O daughter, hear the words my mouth avows:
   Forget your people and your father’s house;
   So will the king desire your beauty’s splendor.
   He is your lord, to him your homage render.
   The men of Tyre, your favor coveting,
   Shall with the richest men gifts to you bring.
   
5. In the king’s palace honor shall await her,
   The daughter of a king; her maids arrayed her
   In cloth-of-gold and rich embroidery
   To meet the king in glorious pageantry;
   And greeted with the noise of great rejoicing,
   Her train of virgins joy and gladness voicing
   As they are entering the palace gate,
   Her escort leads her to the king in state.
   
6. You shall have sons, O king, and you shall call them
   In place of their forefathers to install them,
   To hand to them your scepter’s might and worth,
   To make them rulers over all the earth.
   Your name I will make known among the nations
   And celebrated in all generations;
   They will remember you and sing your praise
   Forever and forever, all their days.