As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.
Joshua 24:15

Words: Christoph C. L. von Pfeil (1712–1784). Translated from German to English by Catherine Winkworth, The Chorale Book for England (London: Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, and Green, 1863), number 175.
Music: Wo Gott zum Haus Geistliche Lieder (Wittenberg, Germany, 1535) (🔊 pdf nwc).

Oh blest the house, whate’er befall,
Where Jesus Christ is All in All;
Yea, if He were not dwelling there,
How poor and dark and void it were!
Oh blest that house where faith ye find,
And all within have set their mind
To trust their God and serve Him still,
And do in all His holy will.
Blest, where their prayers shall daily rise
As fragrant incense to the skies,
While in their lives the world is taught
That forms without the heart are nought.
Blest, where the busy hands fulfill
Their proper task with ready skill,
While through their different works ye see
One spirit run of unity.
Blest such a house, it prospers well,
In peace and joy the parents dwell,
And in their children’s lot is shown
How richly God can bless His own.
Then here will I and mine today
A solemn covenant make, and say—
Though all the world forsake Thy Word,
I and my house will serve the Lord.