Zion Exalted

¹The Lord is great and highly praised

in the city of our God.

His holy mountain,

²rising splendidly,

is the joy of the whole earth.

Mount Zion #– #the summit of Zaphon #– #

is the city of the great King.

³God is known as a stronghold

in its citadels.

⁴Look! The kings assembled;

they advanced together.

⁵They looked and froze with fear;

they fled in terror.

⁶Trembling seized them there,

agony like that of a woman in labour,

⁷as you wrecked the ships of Tarshish

with the east wind.

⁸Just as we heard, so we have seen

in the city of the Lord of Armies,

in the city of our God;

God will establish it for ever. Selah

⁹God, within your temple,

we contemplate your faithful love.

¹⁰Like your name, God, so your praise

reaches to the ends of the earth;

your right hand is filled with justice.

¹¹Mount Zion is glad.

Judah’s villages rejoice

because of your judgements.

¹²Go round Zion, encircle it;

count its towers,

¹³note its ramparts; tour its citadels

so that you can tell a future generation:

¹⁴‘This God, our God for ever and ever –

he will always lead us.’ ,