The joy of the pilgrimage and of going up to the Temple.
① 1* 2How lovely are your rooms,
O Lord of hosts!
3My soul yearns, pines,
for the courts of the Lord.
My heart and my flesh
cry out for the living God.
4Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God!
5Happy are those who live in your house,
continually singing your praise!
6Happy the pilgrims whom you strengthen,
to make the ascent to you.
7As they pass through the Valley,
they make it a place of springs,
the early rain covers it with blessings.
8They go from strength to strength
till they appear before God in Zion.
9O Lord of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob!
10Look upon our shield, O God;
look upon the face of your anointed!
11One day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be left at the threshold
in the house of my God
than to dwell in the tents of the wicked.
12For the Lord God is a sun and a shield;
he bestows favor and glory.
The Lord withholds no good thing
from those who walk in uprightness.
13O Lord of hosts,
blessed are those who trust in you.
- Every believer is a pilgrim in search of the eternal homeland. Sometimes we feel the need to join the great marches and pilgrimages when people both relive and reaffirm their faith.
Happy are those who live in your house: the priests and Levites in charge of celebrations and music.
I would rather be left at the threshold... Better to sleep outdoor in the courtyard of the Temple than ask a citizen of Jerusalem for lodging – one who might be arrogant and unable to share the joy of a pilgrim.
