In Judah God of Old Was Known

In Ju­dah God of old was known;

His name in Is­ra­el great;

In Sa­lem stood His ho­ly throne

And Zi­on was His seat.

Among the prais­es of His saints

His dwell­ing there He chose;

There He re­ceived their just com­plaints

Against their haugh­ty foes.

From Zi­on went His dread­ful word

And broke the threat­en­ing spear

The bow

the ar­rows

and the sword

And crushed th’As­sy­ri­an war.

What are the earth’s wide king­doms else

But migh­ty hills of prey?

The hill on which Je­ho­vah dwells

Is glo­ri­ous more than they.

’Twas Zi­on’s king that stopped the breath

Of cap­tains and their bands;

The men of might slept fast in death

And nev­er found their hands.

At Thy re­buke

O Ja­cob’s God

Both horse and cha­ri­ot fell:

Who knows the ter­rors of Thy rod?

Thy ven­geance who can tell?

What pow­er can stand be­fore Thy sight

When once Thy wrath ap­pears?

When Heav’n shines round with dread­ful light

The earth lies still and fears.

When God in His own sov­er­eign ways

Comes down to save th’op­pressed

The wrath of man shall work His praise

And He’ll re­strain the rest.

Vow to the Lord

and tri­bute bring

Ye princ­es

fear His frown;

His ter­ror shakes the proud­est king

And cuts an ar­my down.

The thun­der of His sharp re­buke

Our haugh­ty foes shall feel;

For Ja­cob’s God hath not for­sook

But dwells in Zi­on still.