1 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,--
2 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.
3 Hast Thou not planted with Thy hands
A lovely vine in this our land?
Did not Thy power defend it round,
And heavenly dew enrich the ground?
4 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.
Source: The Book of Worship #118
First Line: | Great Shepherd of thine Israel |
Title: | The Church's Prayer under Affliction; or, The Vineyard of God Wasted |
Author: | Isaac Watts |
Meter: | 8.8.8.8 |
Language: | English |
Copyright: | Public Domain |
Great Shepherd of Thine Israel. I. Watts. [Psalm lxxx.] Appeared in his Psalms of David, &c, 1719, in 12 stanzas of 4 lines, and entitled, "The Church's Prayer under Affliction; or, The Vineyard of God wasted." It is usually given in modern hymnals, both in Great Britain and America, in an abbreviated form, and sometimes as, "Great Leader of Thine Israel." In the Irvingite Hymns for the Use of the Churches, 1864, No. 68, stanzas v.-viii., slightly altered, are given as, "Lord, Thou hast planted with Thine hands." The opening lines of this version of Psalm lxxx.:—
”Great Shepherd of Thine Israel,
Who didst between the cherubs dwell,"
are from Sir J. Denham's version of the same Psalm, 1714.
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)