Scripture Verse

Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me One who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. Micah 5:2

Introduction

portrait
John Brownlie (1857–1925)

Words: From a Be­ne­dict­ine pro­ces­sion­al, ear­ly 14th Cen­tu­ry, for­mer­ly be­long­ing to the mon­as­te­ry of St. Ge­org at Hrad­isch (now Uher­ské Hrad­iště, Czech­ia) (Pu­er na­tus in Beth­le­hem). Trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by John Brown­lie, Hymns of the Ear­ly Church (Lon­don: Mor­gan & Scott, 1913), pag­es 60–61.

Music: Tru­ro, from Psal­mo­dia Ev­an­ge­li­ca, by Tho­mas Will­iams, 1789 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Lyrics

Zion is glad this glo­ri­ous morn:
A babe in Beth­le­hem is born.
See where He lies in man­ger low,
Whose king­ly reign no end shall know.

The ox and ass that filled the stall,
Knew that the Babe was Lord of all.
Out from the east the sag­es bring
Their treasur­es for an of­fer­ing.

They hum­bly seek the low­ly place,
And wor­ship there the King of grace:
The Son of God, who made the earth,
A vir­gin mother gave Him birth.

No poi­son from the ser­pent stains
The hu­man blood that fills His veins;
And though our flesh He meek­ly wears,
No mark of sin His na­ture bears;

That He might man to God re­store,
And give the grace that once he wore.
Come, while our hearts are full of mirth,
And bless the Lord of low­ly birth.

Last verse, which can be used with tunes of a dif­fer­ent me­ter:

The Holy Tri­ni­ty we’ll praise,
And give our thanks to God al­ways.