Scripture Verse

Let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded. 2 Chronicles 15:7

Introduction

portrait
Bryan W. Procter (1787–1874)

Words: Bry­an W. Procter (1787–1874). Some hym­nals give the au­thor as Bar­ry Corn­wall, Proc­ter’s pseu­do­nym.

Music: Ball­win Dun­can C. M. Hume, in Hymns for Ele­men­ta­ry Schools (Lon­don: Grif­fith, Far­ran, Ok­ed­en & Welsh: 1889), num­ber 39 (🔊 pdf nwc).

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

Lyrics

Labor’s strong and mer­ry child­ren
Comrades of the ris­ing sun;
Let us sing some songs to­ge­ther,
Now our toil is done.

No de­spond­ing, no re­pin­ing,
Leisure must by toil be sought;
Never yet was good ac­comp­lished
Without toil or thought.

Even God’s all ho­ly la­bor
Framed the sky, the stars, the sun,
Built our earth on deep foun­da­tions,
And the world was won.