Psalm 84
Amplified Bible
Longing for the Temple Worship.
To the Chief Musician; set to a [a]Philistine lute. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
84 How lovely are Your dwelling places,
O Lord of hosts!
2 
My soul (my life, my inner self) longs for and greatly desires the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
3 
The bird has found a house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young—
Even Your altars, O Lord of hosts,
My King and my God.
4 
Blessed and greatly favored are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence;
They will be singing Your praises all the day long. Selah.
5 
Blessed and greatly favored is the man whose strength is in You,
In [b]whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 
Passing through the Valley of Weeping ([c]Baca), they make it a place of springs;
The early rain also covers it with blessings.
7 
They go from strength to strength [increasing in victorious power];
Each of them appears before God in Zion.
8 
O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
Listen, O God of Jacob! Selah.
9 
See our shield, O God,
And look at the face of Your anointed [the king as Your representative].
10 
For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand [anywhere else];
I would rather stand [as a doorkeeper] at the threshold of the house of my God
Than to live [at ease] in the tents of wickedness.
11 
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord bestows grace and favor and honor;
No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
12 
O Lord of hosts,
How blessed and greatly favored is the man who trusts in You [believing in You, relying on You, and committing himself to You with confident hope and expectation].
Footnotes
- Psalm 84:1 A technical musical term, meaning uncertain.
- Psalm 84:5 Lit their.
- Psalm 84:6 Possibly a kind of plant.
Psalm 84
English Standard Version
My Soul Longs for the Courts of the Lord
To the choirmaster: according to (A)The Gittith.[a] A Psalm of (B)the Sons of Korah.
84 How (C)lovely is your (D)dwelling place,
    O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul (E)longs, yes, (F)faints
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
    to (G)the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
    and the swallow a nest for herself,
    where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
    (H)my King and my God.
4 (I)Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
    ever (J)singing your praise! Selah
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
    (K)in whose heart are the highways to Zion.[b]
6 As they go through the Valley of Baca
    they make it a place of springs;
    (L)the early rain also covers it with (M)pools.
7 They go (N)from strength to strength;
    each one (O)appears before God in Zion.
8 O (P)Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
    give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 (Q)Behold our (R)shield, O God;
    look on the face of your anointed!
10 For a day (S)in your courts is better
    than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be (T)a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is (U)a sun and (V)shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor.
(W)No good thing does he withhold
    from those who (X)walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
    (Y)blessed is the one who trusts in you!
Footnotes
- Psalm 84:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
- Psalm 84:5 Hebrew lacks to Zion
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The New Testament in Modern English by J.B Phillips copyright © 1960, 1972 J. B. Phillips. Administered by The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England. Used by Permission.

