Description: First published in Plain Psalmody, 1800, p. 18. Words by Anna Barbauld, 1772, in four stanzas.
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Original text and translations
English text
1. Jehovah reigns! Let every nation hear,
And at His footstool bow with holy fear.
Jehovah reigns, unbounded and alone,
And all creation hangs beneath His throne:
He reigns alone, let no inferior nature
Usurp or share the throne of the Creator.
2. This earthly globe, the creature of a day,
Though built by God's right hand, must pass away;
And long oblivion creep over mortal things,
The fate of empires, and the pride of Kings;
Eternal night shall veil their proudest story,
And drop the curtain o'er all human glory.
3. But fixed, O God! Forever stands Thy throne,
Jehovah reigns, a universe alone;
The eternal fire that feeds each vital flame,
Collected or diffused, is still the same;
He dwells within His own unfathomed essence,
And fills all space with His unbounded presence.
4. But O! Our highest notes the theme debase;
And silence is our least injurious praise;
Cease, cease your songs: the daring flight control;
Revere Him in the stillness of your soul;
With silent duty meekly bend before Him;
And deep within your inmost heart adore Him.