Great Shepherd of Thine Israel

Great Shep­herd of Thine Is­ra­el

Who didst be­tween the cher­ubs dwell

And lead the tribes

Thy chos­en sheep

Safe through the de­sert and the deep.

Thy Church is in the de­sert now

Shine from on high and guide us through;

Turn us to Thee

Thy love re­store

We shall be saved and sigh no more.

Great God

whom heav’n­ly hosts ob­ey

How long shall we la­ment and pray

And wait in vain Thy kind re­turn?

How long shall Thy fierce an­ger burn?

Instead of wine and cheer­ful bread

Thy saints with their own tears are fed:

Turn us to Thee

Thy love re­store

We shall be saved

and sigh no more.

Hast thou not plant­ed with Thy hands

A love­ly vine in hea­then lands?

Did not Thy pow­er de­fend it round

And heav’n­ly dews en­rich the ground?

How did the spread­ing branch­es shoot

And bless the na­tions with the fruit!

But now

dear Lord

look down and see

Thy mourn­ing vine

that love­ly tree.

Why is its beau­ty thus de­faced?

Why hast Thou laid her fenc­es waste?

Strangers and foes against her join

And ev­ery beast de­vours the vine.

Return

Almigh­ty God

re­turn

Nor let Thy bleed­ing vine­yard mourn;

Turn us to Thee

Thy love re­store

We shall be saved

and sigh no more.

Lord

when this vine in Ca­naan grew

Thou wast its strength and glo­ry too;

Attacked in vain by all its foes

Till the fair Branch of Pro­mise rose:

Fair Branch

or­dained of old to shoot

From Da­vid’s stock

from Ja­cob’s root;

Himself a no­ble vine

and we

The less­er branch­es of the tree.

’Tis Thy own Son; and He shall stand

Girt with Thy strength at Thy right hand;

Thy first-born Son

adorned and blest

With pow­er and grace above the rest.

O for His sake at­tend our cry

Shine on Thy church­es lest they die;

Turn us to Thee

Thy love re­store

We shall be saved

and sigh no more.