Scripture Verse

Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Psalm 50:2

Introduction

portrait
Martin Opitz
1597–1639

Words: Mar­tin Op­itz, Die Epis­teln der Son­tage und für­nem­sten Feste des gantz­en Jahrs, auff die Weisen der Frant­zö­sich­en Psalm­en in Lied­er ge­fass­et (Bres­lau [now Wro­cław, Po­land], 1628) (Brich auf, und werde Lichte). Trans­lat­ed from Ger­man to Eng­lish by Ema­nu­el Cro­nen­wett in the Ev­an­ge­li­cal Lu­ther­an Hym­nal (Co­lum­bus, Ohio: Sy­no­di­cal Print­ing House, 1880), number 51.

Music: Inns­bruck Hein­rich Is­aac, 1490, pub­lished 1539. Adapt­ed and har­mo­nized by Jo­hann S. Bach (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
Heinrich Isaac
1450–1517

Lyrics

Zion, awake and brighten!
Lo, day begins to lighten,
Thy Light draws nigh to thee;
The brightness of His glo­ry,
The morn of prophets’ story,
Now shines around and over thee.

Though earth is yet beclouded,
And Gentile nations shrouded
In darkness dense and drear,
The Lord, thy life, hath blessed thee,
With loving grace caressed thee
And crowned thy brow with honors dear.

On this broad earth the nations,
Throughout all generations,
That see the light of day,
Shall learn thy brighter glo­ry;
And men shall haste before thee,
To see thy Light and bless its ray.

Behold the surging masses!
Thy Light doth draw all classes,
The world turns unto thee,
Thy fame hath reached their hearing,
Their sons and daughters, nearing,
Haste at thy shrine to bend the knee.

Thy heart shall leap within thee
When thou shalt see th’assembly,
Th’abundance of the sea;
Thine eyes shall feast on courses
Of myriad Gentile forces,
That come converted unto thee.

There are glad delegations
From Ephah and far nations,
And clouds from Midian;
With gold shall Saba cheer thee,
And incense; all that near thee
Shall sing thy praise, O chosen One!