This edition was prepared by Jonathan Goodliffe — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Give the king thy judgments
Staff Notation • Sacred, Anthems
Preview
0
0
Subscribed as
Want Sunday picks sent to another address too?
Free weekly email
Your choir should not be left out in what's trending
Sunday mass selections, psalms, and trending songs in your area — straight to your inbox.
Give the king thy judgments by William Croft — Lyrics
Psalmus, in Salomonem.
Deus, judicium tuum regi da, et justitiam tuam filio regis;
judicare populum tuum in justitia, et pauperes tuos in judicio.
Suscipiant montes pacem populo, et colles justitiam.
Judicabit pauperes populi, et salvos faciet filios pauperum, et humiliabit
calumniatorem.
Et permanebit cum sole, et ante lunam, in generatione et generationem.
Descendet sicut pluvia in vellus, et sicut stillicidia stillantia super terram.
Orietur in diebus ejus justitia, et abundantia pacis, donec auferatur luna.
Et dominabitur a mari usque ad mare, et a flumine usque ad terminos orbis terrarum.
Coram illo procident Aethiopes, et inimici ejus terram lingent.
Reges Tharsis et insulae munera offerent; reges Arabum et Saba
dona adducent:
et adorabunt eum omnes reges terrae; omnes gentes servient ei.
Read full lyrics
About Give the king thy judgments
This sacred anthem, set for SATBB choir, draws its text from Psalm 72, offering a prayer for righteous leadership. The opening verses implore God to grant wisdom and justice to the king, ensuring fair judgment for his people and the poor. The text continues to paint a vision of peace and justice prevailing under the king's reign, extending from generation to generation. The composer William Croft expertly crafts this powerful plea, with the Latin text sung in a manner that reflects the gravitas of the petition. The seamless integration of the Latin and English, as typically presented in editions of this work, allows directors to explore the full devotional and musical scope of this significant anthem.
