1 How lovely is your dwelling place,Lord of heavenly forces!
2 My very being longs, even yearns,for the Lord’s courtyards.My heart and my bodywill rejoice out loud to the living God!
3 Yes, the sparrow too has found a home there;the swallow has found herself a nestwhere she can lay her young beside your altars,Lord of heavenly forces, my king, my God!
4 Those who live in your house are truly happy;they praise you constantly. Selah
5 Those who put their strength in you are truly happy;pilgrimage is in their hearts.
6 As they pass through the Baca Valley,they make it a spring of water.Yes, the early rain covers it with blessings.
7 They go from strength to strength,until they see the supreme God in Zion.
8 Lord God of heavenly forces,hear my prayer;listen closely, Jacob’s God! Selah
9 Look at our shield, God;pay close attention to the face of your anointed one!
10 Better is a single day in your courtyardsthan a thousand days anywhere else!I would prefer to stand outside the entrance of my God’s housethan live comfortably in the tents of the wicked!
11 The Lord is a sun and shield;God is favor and glory.The Lord gives—doesn’t withhold!—good thingsto those who walk with integrity.
12 Lord of heavenly forces,those who trust in you are truly happy!