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The Joy of Worshiping in the Temple

For the music director; on the Gittith.

Of the sons of Korah. A psalm.[a]

84 How lovely are your dwelling places,
O Yahweh of hosts!
My soul longs and even fails
for the courtyards of Yahweh.
My heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
Even a bird finds a home, and a swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
near your altars, O Yahweh of hosts,
my king and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;[b]
they can ever praise you. Selah
Blessed is the man whose strength is in you;
in their heart are the highways to Zion.
Passing through the Valley of Baca,[c]
they make it a spring.
The early rain covers it with blessings[d] as well.
They go from strength to strength,
until each appears before God in Zion.[e]
O Yahweh, God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah
Look at our shield, O God,
and have regard for the face of your anointed one.
10 Because better is a day in your courtyards
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be at the threshold of the house[f] of my God
than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 Because Yahweh God is a sun and a shield;
Yahweh gives grace and honor.
He does not withhold good from those who walk blamelessly.
12 O Yahweh of hosts,
blessed is the man who trusts you.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 84:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
  2. Psalm 84:4 Or “temple”
  3. Psalm 84:6 Or “Valley of Weeping”
  4. Psalm 84:6 A change in vocalization of the Hebrew yields “it with pools”
  5. Psalm 84:7 Or “the God of gods will be seen in Zion”
  6. Psalm 84:10 Or “temple”

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.