There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
Psalm 91:10
Words: Thomas Jervis, in A Selection of Psalms and Hymns, edited by William Emerson (Boston, Massachusetts: Munroe, Francis & Parker, 1808), page 40, alt.
Music: Timna Lowell Mason, Carmina Sacra (Boston, Massachusetts: John H. Wilkins & Richard B. Carter, 1841), page 231 (🔊 pdf nwc).
Alternate Tune:
If you know where to get a good picture of Jervis (head & shoulders, at least 200×300 pixels),
How vast is the tribute I owe
Of gratitude, homage, and praise
To God, who gives all I possess,
The life and the length of my days!
Thou only, great Author of all!
The faithful, unchangeable Friend!
Thou only our griefs canst remove,
Thou only from evil defend.
When sorrows I dreaded were come,
I poured out my sighs and my tears;
To Him, who alone can relieve,
My soul breathed her vows and her prayers.
My heart throbbed with pain and alarm,
And paleness my cheek overspread;
When sickness pervaded my frame,
My soul on my maker was stayed.
When death’s awful image was nigh,
No mortal was able to save;
Thou brightened the valley of death,
And lit up the gloom of the grave.
In mercy Thy presence dispels
The shades of calamity’s night,
And turns the sad scene of despair
To morning of joy and delight.
Great source of my comforts restored!
Thou healer and balm of my woes!
Thou hope and desire of my soul!
Thy mercy no plague can oppose.
How boundless the gratitude due
To Thee, O Thou God of my praise!
The fountain of all I possess,
The life and the light of my days!