1The Lord is supreme! He deserves praise in the city of our God on his holy mountain.

2Mount Zion is high and beautiful, bringing happiness to all the earth; on the northern side ¹⁴⁵is the city of the great King.

3God himself is in the city's fortresses; he is recognized as its defender.

4Look at what happened when foreign kings joined forces and came to attack the city.

5As soon as they saw it they were astonished and ran away terrified.

6They shook all over, and were in agonizing pain like a woman giving birth,

7just as the strong east wind wrecks the ships from Tarshish.

8Just as we had heard, but now we have seen the city of the Lord Almighty. This is the city of our God; he makes it secure forever. Selah.

9God, we recall your trustworthy love as we worship in the Temple.

10As is fitting for your reputation, ¹⁴⁶God, praises to you stretch all around the world. What you do is always right!

11Let the people of Mount Zion be glad; let the people of Judah celebrate because your judgments are always fair!

12Go and take a look at Zion. Count the towers as you walk around.

13Inspect the fortifications. Examine the citadels, so you can describe everything to the next generation, telling them:

14“This is who our God is. He is our God forever and ever. He himself will lead us until the very end.” ¹⁴⁷