Many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 8:11
Words: Magnus B. Landstad, Kirkesalmebog, 1861 (Der mange skal komme fra øst og fra vest). Translated from Norwegian to English by Peer O. Strömme, 1909.
Music: Stockholm Riddarholmskyrkan handskrivna Koralbok, 1694 (🔊 pdf nwc).
Full many shall come from the east and the west
And sit at the feast of salvation,
With Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob the blest,
Obeying the Lord’s invitation.
Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!
But they who have always resisted His grace
And on their own virtue depended
Shall then be condemned and cast out from His face,
Eternally lost and unfriended.
Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!
May we too give heed when our Savior doth call
In accents persuasive and tender,
And may we be guests at His feast, one and all,
Our praise and obeisance to render.
Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!
Oh, that we the throng of the ransomed may swell,
To whom He hath granted remission!
God graciously make us in Heaven to dwell
And save us from endless perdition.
Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!
God grant that I may of His infinite love
Remain in His merciful keeping
And sit with the King at His table above
When here in the grave I am sleeping.
Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!
Then ended will be, like a dream that is past,
All trial and trouble and sorrow;
All questions and doubts will be answered at last,
When dawneth eternity’s morrow.
Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!
Then Heaven will ring with an anthem more grand
Than ever on earth was recorded,
When all of the saved shall receive at His hand
The crown to the victors awarded.
Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!