Scripture Verse

The captives shall soon be released; they shall not die and go down into the pit, nor shall they want for bread. For I am the Lord, your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; the Lord of hosts by name. Isaiah 51:14–15

Introduction

portrait
Philip Doddridge
(1702–1751)

Words: Phi­lip Dodd­ridge (1702–1751). Pub­lished post­hu­mous­ly in Hymns Found­ed on Va­ri­ous Texts in the Ho­ly Scrip­tures, by Job Or­ton (Shrop­shire, Eng­land: Jo­shua Ed­dowes & John Cot­ton, 1755), num­ber 105: God’s cap­tives re­leased; ap­plied to spir­it­ual de­liv­er­anc­es.

Music: Fes­tal Song Will­iam H. Wal­ter, in the Epis­co­pal Hym­nal with Tunes Old and New, by John I. Tuck­er, 1872 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Wal­ter (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

Lyrics

Captives of Is­rael, hear,
Who now as ex­iles mourn;
See your al­migh­ty God ap­pear
To hast­en your re­turn.

Jehovah is His name;
Lord of ce­les­ti­al hosts;
Let Heav’n that sav­ing pow­er pro­claim
In which His Is­ra­el trusts.

Tho’ help­less now ye lie,
As in a dun­geon thrown,
When parched with pain­ful thirst ye cry,
And when your bread is gone,

Deliverance comes apace;
Ye shall not there ex­pire;
Prepare to sing re­deem­ing grace
With His tri­um­phant choir.

He smote the rag­ing sea
’Midst its tu­mul­tu­ous roar,
And paved His chos­en troops a way
Safe to its dist­ant shore.

In Him let Is­ra­el hope,
At whose su­preme com­mand
Graves yield their breath­less cap­tives up,
And seas be­come dry land.