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The Joy of Worship in the Temple

To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

84 How lovely is thy dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, yea, faints
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
    to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home,
    and the swallow a nest for herself,
    where she may lay her young,
at thy altars, O Lord of hosts,
    my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in thy house,
    ever singing thy praise!Selah

Blessed are the men whose strength is in thee,
    in whose heart are the highways to Zion.[a]
As they go through the valley of Baca
    they make it a place of springs;
    the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
    the God of gods will be seen in Zion.

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
    give ear, O God of Jacob!Selah
Behold our shield, O God;
    look upon the face of thine anointed!

10 For a day in thy courts is better
    than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    he bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does the Lord withhold
    from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
    blessed is the man who trusts in thee!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 84:5 Heb lacks to Zion

Korah's sons wrote this song for the music leader. Use special music.

The journey to Zion

84 Lord Almighty,
    the temple where you live is beautiful!
I want very much to go to the Lord's temple.
    I very much want to be in the temple yards.
With all that I am, and with great joy,
    I sing to you, the God who lives for ever!
In your temple,
    even sparrows[a] have their homes.
Swallows builds their nests there,
    to take care of their babies.
They can be near to your altars,
    Lord Almighty, my king and my God.
You have truly blessed those people
    who live in your temple.
They can praise you all the time!
Selah.
You have blessed those people
    who come to you to make them strong.
They love to travel to your temple in Zion.
As they go through the dry Baka valley,
    springs of water appear there!
The autumn rain covers the valley with pools.
The people become stronger as they travel,
    until each one meets with God in Zion.[b]
Lord God Almighty,
    please listen to my prayer!
God of Jacob, hear me!
Selah.
God, look at our king,
    the one who protects us like a shield!
Take care of the king that you have chosen.
10 I would rather be near your temple for one day
    than have a thousand days anywhere else.
I would rather stand near the door of God's temple
    than live among wicked people.
11 The Lord God is like a sun
    and a shield for his people.
He is kind to his people
    and he gives glory to them.
To those who do what is right,
    he gives every good thing that they need.
12 Lord Almighty,
    you have truly blessed everyone who trusts in you!

Footnotes

  1. 84:3 ‘sparrows’ are small birds that are not valuable.
  2. 84:7 God helped the people who were travelling to his temple in Jerusalem. Baka Valley was a dry place. Even there, God gave the people water to drink. He took care of them so that they arrived safely at his temple to worship him there.