Scripture Verse

Return ye, and get you unto your tents. Joshua 22:4

Introduction

portrait
Thomas Kelly (1769–1855)

Words: Tho­mas Kel­ly, Hymns on Va­ri­ous Pas­sages of Scrip­tures, sec­ond edi­tion, 1806.

Music: Gros­tette Hen­ry W. Great­or­ex, 1851 (🔊 pdf nwc).

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

Lyrics

O Israel, to thy tents re­pair!
Why thus se­cure on hos­tile ground?
Thy King com­mands thee to be­ware;
For ma­ny foes thy camp sur­round.

The trum­pet gives a mar­tial strain:
O Israel, gird thee for the fight!
Arise, the combat to main­tain,
And put thine ene­mies to flight.

Thou shouldst not sleep, as oth­ers do;
Awake! be vi­gi­lant, be brave!
The cow­ard, and the slug­gard too,
Must wear the fet­ters of the slave.

A nob­ler lot is cast for thee:
A king­dom waits thee in the skies;
With such a hope, shall Is­ra­el flee,
Or yield through wea­ri­ness the prize?

No! let a care­less world re­pose,
And slum­ber on through life’s short day,
While Is­ra­el to the con­flict goes,
And bears the glo­ri­ous prize away.