[1] How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of Heaven's Armies. [2] 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. [3] 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! [4] What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises. Interlude [5] What joy for those whose strength comes from the LORD, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. [6] When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs. The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings. [7] They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem. [8] O LORD God of Heaven's Armies, hear my prayer. Listen, O God of Jacob. Interlude [9] 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.
