Scripture Verse

He dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to Heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. Genesis 28:12

Introduction

portrait
John Newton (1725–1807)

Words: John New­ton, Ol­ney Hymns (Lon­don: W. Ol­iv­er, 1779), Book 1, num­ber 9.

Music: St. George’s Wind­sor George J. El­vey, 1858 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Lyrics

If the Lord our lead­er be,
We may fol­low with­out fear;
East or west, by land or sea,
Home, with Him, is ev­ery­where:
When from Esau Ja­cob fled,
Tho’ his pil­low was a stone,
And the ground his hum­ble bed,
Yet he was not left alone.

Kings are oft­en wak­ing kept,
Racked with cares on beds of state;
Never king like Ja­cob slept,
For he lay at Hea­ven’s gate:
Lo! he saw a lad­der reared,
Reaching to the heav’n­ly throne;
At the top the Lord ap­peared,
Spoke and claimed him for His own.

Fear not, Ja­cob, thou art Mine,
And My pre­sence with thee goes;
On thy heart My love shall shine,
And My arm sub­due thy foes:
From My pro­mise com­fort take,
For My help in trou­ble call;
Never will I thee for­sake,
’Till I have ac­comp­lished all.

Well does Jacob’s lad­der suit
To the Gos­pel throne of grace;
We are at the lad­der’s foot,
Every hour, in ev­ery place:
By as­sum­ing flesh and blood,
Jesus Heav’n and earth unites;
We by faith as­cend to God,
God to dwell with us de­lights.

They who know the Sav­ior’s name,
Are for all events pre­pared;
What can chang­es do to them,
Who have such a guide and guard?
Should they tra­verse earth around,
To the lad­der still they come;
Every spot is ho­ly ground,
God is there—and He’s their home,

illustration
Jacob’s Ladder
William Blake, 1805
Wikimedia Commons