There came a mes­sage from the sky:
God has the earth be­friend­ed;
His Son who dwells in Hea­ven high,
By an­gel hosts at­tend­ed,
Will now your flesh and blood put on
As Da­vid’s Son;
Your wretch­ed state is ended.

It first to Na­za­reth did come
By Ga­bri­el ex­pound­ed;
To Mary, in her hum­ble home,
So won­der­ful it sound­ed:
“O Ma­ry, hail, thou shalt not fear,
The Lord is near,
To thee hath grace abound­ed!

“Thou shalt a son con­ceive and bear,
Who is the Prince of Hea­ven,
Who shall to Da­vid’s throne be heir
And Ja­cob’s house be giv­en;
He shall ex­tend to ev­ery race
His reign of grace,
His king­dom, like a leav­en.

The Ho­ly Spi­rit shall to thee
His bound­less power ren­der,
Abundant shall the mer­cy be
From Him, thy strong de­fend­er;
This child is there­fore from above,
Whom thou shalt love
As mo­ther kind and tender.

Come, Christ­mas-Child, and be my guest,
Give me Thy Ho­ly Spi­rit;
Prepare my heart and make it blest
Forever through Thy mer­it,
That I at last may dwell with Thee,
Thy king­dom see,
And all its gifts in­her­it.