Longing for the House of the Lord
For the Chief Musician. On an instrument of Gath. A Psalm by the sons of Korah.
1 How lovely are your dwellings,
Lord of Hosts!
2 My soul longs, and even faints for the courts of the Lord.
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
3 Yes, the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young,
near your altars, Lord of Hosts, my King, and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house.
They are always praising you.
Selah.
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on a pilgrimage.
6 Passing through the valley of Weeping,
they make it a place of springs.
Yes, the autumn rain covers it with blessings.
7 They go from strength to strength.
Every one of them appears before God in Zion.
8 Lord, God of Hosts, hear my prayer.
Listen, God of Jacob.
Selah.
9 God, our shield,
look on the face of your anointed with favor.
10 For one day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God,
than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and a shield.
The Lord will give grace and glory.
He withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly.
12 The Lord of Hosts,
blessed is the man who trusts in you.