Psalm 84

¹How lovely is your dwelling place,

LORD of heavenly forces!

²My very being longs, even yearns,[#84.2 Or soul]

for the LORD ’s courtyards.

My heart and my body

will rejoice out loud to the living God!

³Yes, the sparrow too has found a home there;

the swallow has found herself a nest

where she can lay her young beside your altars,

LORD of heavenly forces, my king, my God!

⁴Those who live in your house are truly happy;

they praise you constantly. Selah

⁵Those who put their strength in you are truly happy;

pilgrimage is in their hearts.

⁶As they pass through the Baca Valley,[#84.6 LXX; Vulg Valley of Tears]

they make it a spring of water.

Yes, the early rain covers it with blessings.

⁷They go from strength to strength,

until they see the supreme God in Zion.

⁸LORD God of heavenly forces,

hear my prayer;

listen closely, Jacob’s God! Selah

⁹Look at our shield, God;

pay close attention to the face of your anointed one!

¹⁰Better is a single day in your courtyards

than a thousand days anywhere else!

I would prefer to stand outside the entrance of my God’s house

than live comfortably in the tents of the wicked!

¹¹The LORD is a sun and shield;

God is favor and glory.

The LORD gives—doesn’t withhold!—good things

to those who walk with integrity.

¹²LORD of heavenly forces,

those who trust in you are truly happy!