Scripture Verse

O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon His name: make known His deeds among the people. Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him: talk ye of all His wondrous works. Psalm 105:1–2

Introduction

Words: From Scot­tish Psal­ter and Pa­ra­phras­es, 1650. Re­frain from Me­lo­dies of Sal­va­tion, by John R. Swe­ney et al. (San Fran­cis­co, Ca­li­for­nia: San Fran­cis­co Book Com­pa­ny, 1901), num­ber 1.

Music: Hugh E. Smith, 1899 (🔊 pdf nwc).

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

Lyrics

Give thanks to God, call on His name;
To men His deeds make known.
Sing ye to Him, sing psalms; pro­claim
His won­drous works each one.

Refrain

Sing ye to Him, sing ye to Him,
Sing to Him with a psalm;
Sing ye to Him, sing ye to Him,
Sing psalms to Him.

See that ye in His ho­ly name
To glo­ry do ac­cord;
And let the heart of ev­ery one
Rejoice that seeks the Lord.

The Lord Al­migh­ty, and His strength,
With stead­fast hearts seek ye:
His blessed and His gra­cious face
Seek ye con­tin­ual­ly.

Think on the works that He hath done,
Which ad­mi­ra­tion breed;
His wond­ers, and the judg­ments all
Which from His mouth pro­ceed;

O ye that are of Ab­r’ham’s race,
His ser­vant well ap­prov’n;
And ye that Ja­cob’s child­ren are,
Whom He chose for His own.

Because He, and He on­ly, is
The migh­ty Lord our God;
And His most right­eous judg­ments are
In all the earth abroad.

His co­ve­nant He re­mem­bered hath,
That it may ev­er stand:
To thou­sand ge­ne­ra­tions
The word He did com­mand.

Which co­ve­nant He firm­ly made
With faith­ful Ab­ra­ham,
And un­to Is­aac, by His oath,
He did re­new the same:

And un­to Jacob, for a law,
He made it firm and sure,
A co­ve­nant to Is­ra­el,
Which ev­er should en­dure.

He said, I’ll give Ca­naan’s land
For her­it­age to you
;
While they were stran­gers there, and few,
In num­ber very few:

While yet they went from land to land
Without a sure ab­ode;
And while through sun­dry king­doms they
Did wan­der far abroad;

Yet, not­with­stand­ing suf­fered He
No man to do them wrong:
Yea, for their sakes, He did re­prove
Kings, who were great and strong.

Thus did He say, Touch ye not those
That Mine an­oint­ed be,
Nor do the pro­phets any harm
That do per­tain to Me.

He called for fa­mine on the land,
He brake the staff of bread:
But yet He sent a man be­fore,
By whom they should be fed;

Ev’n Joseph, whom un­na­tur­al­ly
Sell for a slave did they;
Whose feet with fet­ters they did hurt,
And He in ir­ons lay;

Until the time that His word came
To give him li­ber­ty;
The word and pur­pose of the Lord
Did him in pri­son try.

Then sent the king, and did com­mand
That he en­larged should be:
He that the peo­ple’s rul­er was
Did send to set him free.

A lord to rule his fa­mi­ly
He raised him, as most fit;
To him of all that He pos­sessed
He did the charge com­mit:

That he might at his plea­sure bind
The princ­es of the land;
And he might teach his se­na­tors
Wisdom to un­der­stand.

The peo­ple then of Is­ra­el
Down in­to Egypt came;
And Ja­cob also so­journed
Within the land of Ham.

And He did great­ly by His pow’r
Increase His peo­ple there;
And strong­er than their ene­mies
They by His bless­ing were.

Their heart he turned to en­vy
His folk ma­li­cious­ly,
With those that His own ser­vants were
To deal in sub­tle­ty.

His ser­vant Mos­es He did send,
Aaron His chos­en one.
By these His signs and won­ders great
In Ham’s land were made known.

Darkness He sent, and made it dark;
His word they did ob­ey.
He turned their wa­ters in­to blood,
And He their fish did slay.

The land in plen­ty brought forth frogs
In cham­bers of their kings.
His word all sorts of flies and lice
In all their bor­ders brings.

He hail for rain, and flam­ing fire
Into their land He sent:
And He their vines and fig-trees smote:
Trees of their coasts He rent.

He spake, and ca­ter­pil­lars came,
Locusts did much ab­ound;
Which in their land all herbs con­sumed,
And all fruits of their ground.

He smote all first-born in their land,
Chief of their strength each one.
With gold and sil­ver brought them forth,
Weak in their tribes were none.

Egypt was glad when forth they went,
Their fear on them did light.
He spread a cloud for co­ver­ing,
And fire to shine by night.

They asked, and He brought quails: with bread
Of Heav’n He filled them.
He op­ened rocks, floods gushed and ran
In de­serts like a stream.

For on his ho­ly pro­mise He,
And ser­vant Ab­r’ham, thought.
With joy His peo­ple, His elect
With glad­ness, forth he brought.

And un­to them the plea­sant lands
He of the hea­then gave;
That of the peo­ple’s la­bor they
Inheritance might have.

That they His sta­tutes might ob­serve
According to His word;
And that they might His laws ob­ey.
Give praise un­to the Lord.