Scripture Verse

Let all the earth keep silence before Him. Habakkuk 2:20

Introduction

Words: Li­tur­gy of St. James, 4th Cen­tu­ry (Σιγησάτο παρα σὰρξ βροτεία). Trans­lat­ed from Greek to Eng­lish by Ger­ard Moul­trie, 1864.

Music: Pi­ca­rdy French ca­rol tune. Har­mo­ny from The Eng­lish Hym­nal, 1906, num­ber 318 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

portrait
Gerard Moultrie (1829–1885)

Lyrics

Let all mor­tal flesh keep si­lence,
And with fear and trem­bling stand;
Ponder no­thing earth­ly mind­ed,
For with bless­ing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth des­cend­eth,
Our full hom­age to de­mand.

King of kings, yet born of Ma­ry,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in hu­man ves­ture,
In the bo­dy and the blood;
He will give to all the faith­ful
His own self for hea­ven­ly food.

Rank on rank the host of Hea­ven
Spreads its van­guard on the way,
As the Light of light des­cend­eth
From the realms of end­less day,
That the pow­ers of hell may van­ish
As the dark­ness clears away.

At His feet the six wing­èd se­raph,
Cherubim with sleep­less eye,
Veil their fac­es to the pre­sence,
As with cease­less voice they cry:
Alleluia, Al­le­lu­ia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!