I was glad when they said to me,
"Let us go to the House¹ of YAHUEH.²"

Our feet were standing
Within your*³ gates⁴, Jerusalem--
Jerusalem!--the one built as a city
That was joined together with her,⁵

That there the tribes might go up,⁶
The tribes of YAH,⁷
A testimony given to Israel,⁸ to give thanks
To the name of YAHUEH.

For there were placed
Thrones for judgment,⁹
Thrones for the house of David.¹⁰

Ask¹¹ for peace for Jerusalem.
Those who love you* will prosper.
May peace be within your* wall,
Prosperity in your* citadels.

Because of my brothers
And my friends, now I speak:
"Peace be within you*."

Because of the House of YAHUEH our God,
I desire good for you*.

¹ The Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem is called the "House" of the LORD in the Hebrew Bible. You can see the ruined walls of the Temple Mount platform just left of center in the photo above.
² The personal name of God.  Its pronunciation is uncertain, replaced with "Adonai" when reading by the Jewish people.  This is one of several possible reconstructions.  For more on God's Name, click here.
³ A "*" indicates a second person singular form in the original Hebrew. In this Psalm, these are all feminine, referring to Jerusalem.
⁴ "Courts" in the Old Greek (Septuagint, LXX).
⁵ The final two lines of this section refer to the large new section of Jerusalem added in the time of Solomon. This walled area with its stately stone structures was as large as all the rest of Jerusalem put together, a city in its own right, that was added to the older city (click here to see interactive photo). Here in this new section, above and to the north of the older part of the city, were the Temple with its large, open courts (at the peak of the hill) and the palaces of the House of David (just south of, and slightly below the Temple). The poetic repetition of the name "Jerusalem" (Yerushalayim) emphasizes the dual ending (-ayim) which indicates, even in the name of the city, its dual character. Jerusalem could almost be seen as two Jerusalems in one.
⁶ The goal of those coming up to the city for the three great pilgrim festivals (see introductory heading above) was the new section of Jerusalem added by Solomon (see previous note).
⁷ YAH is a short form of the name of God (YAHUEH).
⁸ The going up of the tribes for the pilgrim festivals is a law (a "testimony") given to Israel by God. This use of the word "testimony" traces back to God's spoken word recorded in the tablets of the Ten Commandments, though later it came to be used of the Law in general.
⁹ In ancient Israel, judgment was considered the right of kings and one of their most important duties. The throne room of the king was the highest court in the land.
¹⁰ These were the thrones of the ruling Davidic line, located in the palaces of the new section of the city. The construction of the Temple right beside the royal palace was a physical expression of the link between religion and ruler that is at the foundation of the Messianic idea in Israel.
¹¹ Ask of God, i.e. pray.