[1] How lovely is the place where you live, O LORD of Heaven's Armies! [2] I desperately want to be in the courts of the LORD's temple. My heart and my entire being shout for joy to the living God. [3] Even the birds find a home there, and the swallow builds a nest, where she can protect her young near your altars, O LORD of Heaven's Armies, my King and my God. [4] How blessed are those who live in your temple and praise you continually. (Selah) [5] How blessed are those who find their strength in you, and long to travel the roads that lead to your temple. [6] As they pass through the Baca Valley, he provides a spring for them. The rain even covers it with pools of water. [7] They are sustained as they travel along; each one appears before God in Zion. [8] O LORD God of Heaven's Armies, hear my prayer. Listen, O God of Jacob. (Selah) [9] O God, take notice of our shield. Show concern for your chosen king. [10] Certainly spending just one day in your temple courts is better than spending a thousand elsewhere. I would rather stand at the entrance to the temple of my God than live in the tents of the wicked. [11] For the LORD God is our sovereign protector. The LORD bestows favor and honor; he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity. [12] O LORD of Heaven's Armies, how blessed are those who trust in you.
