84 For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.
O Lord Almighty.
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 there,
and the swallow builds her nest
and raises her young�
at a place near your altar,
O Lord Almighty, my King and my God!
4 How happy are those who can live in your house,
always singing your praises.
who 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,
where pools of blessing collect after the rains!
7 They will continue to grow stronger,
and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.
8 O Lord God Almighty, hear my prayer.
Listen, O God of Israel.
Have mercy on 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 light and protector.
He gives us grace and glory.
No good thing will the Lord withhold
from those who do what is right.
12 O Lord Almighty,
happy are those who trust in you.