With joy I heard my friends ex­claim,
Come, let us in God’s tem­ple meet;
Within thy gates, O Zi­on blest,
Shall ev­er stand our will­ing feet.

How beau­ti­ful doth Zi­on stand,
A ci­ty built com­pact and fair;
The peo­ple of the Lord unite
With joy and praise to wor­ship there.

They come to learn the will of God,
To pay their vows, His grace to own;
For there is judg­ment’s royal seat,
Messiah’s sure and last­ing throne.

For Zion’s peace let pray­er be made;
May all that love thee pros­per well;
Within thy walls let peace abide,
And glad­ness with thy child­ren dwell.

For sake of friends and kin­dred dear,
My heart’s desire is Zi­on’s peace;
And for the house of God, the Lord,
My lov­ing care shall ne­ver cease.