Scripture Verse

God is the King of all the earth. Psalm 47:7

Introduction

Words: From the Clu­niac Bre­vi­ary, 1686, page 506 (Su­preme Rec­tor coe­li­tum). Trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by Will­iam J. Blew in The Church Hymn and Tune Book (Lon­don: Fran­cis & John Riv­ing­ton, 1852), Ember weeks sec­tion, num­ber 8.

Music: St. Ma­me­re­tus The Church Hymn and Tune Book, 1852 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tune:

  • Ach Gott und Herr As Hym­no­dus Sa­cer, 1625 (🔊 pdf nwc)

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

Lyrics

O King most high of earth and sky,
On pros­trate Death Thou tread­est;
And with Thy blood dost mark the road
Whereby to Heav’n Thou lead­est.

Lord of our love, en­throned above,
Beside th’Al­migh­ty Fa­ther,
Thou wilt not leave Thy flock to grieve,
But to Thy­self wilt ga­ther.

O Christ, be­hold Thine or­phaned fold,
Which Thou hast borne with ang­uish,
Steeped in the tide from Thy rent side—
O leave us not to lang­uish.

The glo­ri­ous gain of all Thy pain
Henceforth dost Thou in­her­it;
Now comes the hour, then great­ly show­er
On us Thy pro­mised Spir­it.

Jesu, to Thee all glo­ry be,
With Sire, and Spir­it ascend­ing;
Thy throne doth stand at God’s right hand,
Through ages with­out end­ing.