Longing for the Temple Worship.

For the music director; [a]on the Gittith. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

84 How lovely are Your (A)dwelling places,
Lord of armies!
My (B)soul longed and even yearned for the courtyards of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the (C)living God.
The bird also has found a house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may put her young:
Your (D)altars, Lord of armies,
(E)My King and my God.
(F)Blessed are those who dwell in Your house!
They are (G)ever praising You. Selah

Blessed is the person whose (H)strength is in You,
In [b]whose heart are the (I)roads to Zion!
Passing through the Valley of [c]Baca they make it a [d]spring;
The (J)early rain also covers it with blessings.
They (K)go from strength to strength,
[e]Every one of them (L)appears before God in Zion.

(M)Lord God of armies, hear my prayer;
Listen, (N)God of Jacob! Selah
See our (O)shield, God,
And look at the face of (P)Your anointed.
10 For (Q)a day in Your courtyards is better than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than live in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is (R)a sun and (S)shield;
The Lord gives grace and (T)glory;
(U)He withholds no good thing [f]from those who walk with integrity.
12 Lord of armies,
(V)Blessed is the person who trusts in You!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 84 Title Or according to
  2. Psalm 84:5 Lit their
  3. Psalm 84:6 Prob. Weeping; or Balsam-shrubs
  4. Psalm 84:6 Or place of springs
  5. Psalm 84:7 Some ancient versions The God of gods will be seen in Zion
  6. Psalm 84:11 Lit with regard to

Psalm 84

For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.[a]

How lovely is your dwelling place,
    O Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
I long, yes, I faint with longing
    to enter the courts of the Lord.
With my whole being, body and soul,
    I will shout joyfully to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
    and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young
at a place near your altar,
    O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God!
What joy for those who can live in your house,
    always singing your praises. Interlude

What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord,
    who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
When they walk through the Valley of Weeping,[b]
    it will become a place of refreshing springs.
    The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings.
They will continue to grow stronger,
    and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.[c]

O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, hear my prayer.
    Listen, O God of Jacob. Interlude

O God, look with favor upon the king, our shield!
    Show favor to the one you have anointed.

10 A single day in your courts
    is better than a thousand anywhere else!
I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God
    than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.
11 For the Lord God is our sun and our shield.
    He gives us grace and glory.
The Lord will withhold no good thing
    from those who do what is right.
12 O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
    what joy for those who trust in you.

Footnotes

  1. 84:Title Hebrew according to the gittith.
  2. 84:6 Or Valley of Poplars; Hebrew reads valley of Baca.
  3. 84:7 Hebrew Zion.