Scripture Verse

Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Micah 5:2

Introduction

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Horatius Bonar (1808–1889)

Words: Ho­ra­ti­us Bo­nar, Hymns of Faith and Hope, sec­ond ser­ies (Lon­don: James Nis­bet, 1861), pag­es 296–97, alt.

Music: I Speak of Beth­le­hem Scott Wer­de­baugh, 2019 (🔊 pdf nwc).

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Scott Werdebaugh (1951–)

Lyrics

They speak to me of prince­ly Tyre,
That old Phoe­ni­cian gem,
Great Si­don’s daugh­ter of the north;
But I will speak of Beth­le­hem.

They speak of Rome and Ba­by­lon―
What can com­pare with them?
So let them praise their pride and pomp;
But I will speak of Beth­le­hem.

They praise the hun­dred-gat­ed Thebes,
Old Miz­ra­im’s di­adem,
The ci­ty of the sand-girt Nile,
But I will speak of Beth­le­hem.

They speak of Ath­ens, star of Greece,
Th’Acropolis of fame;
Its haunts of wis­dom, art so fair,
But I will speak of Beth­le­hem.

Dear town, where Heav’n came down to earth,
Where Jes­se’s stem did bloom,
Where Ja­cob’s star first shone; of thee
I’ll speak, O hap­py Beth­le­hem!