Hear what God the LORD hath spoken

Book 1, Hymn 65 · William Cowper · Public-domain words

The words

Stanza 1. Hear what God the LORD hath spoken,O my people, faint and few;Comfortless, afflicted, broken,Fair abodes I build for you:Themes of heart–felt tribulationShall no more perplex your ways;You shall name your walls, Salvation,And your gates shall all be praise.
Stanza 2. There, like streams that feed the garden,Pleasures, without end, shall flow;For the LORD, your faith rewarding,All his bounty shall bestow:Still in undisturbed possession,Peace and righteousness shall reign;Never shall you feel oppression,Hear the voice of war again.
Stanza 3. Ye no more your suns descending,Waning moons no more shall see,But your griefs, for ever ending,Find eternal noon in me:God shall rise, and shining o’er you,Change to day the gloom of night;He, the Lord, shall be your glory,GOD your everlasting light.

Olney Hymns (1779), Book 1, Hymn 65. William Cowper. Public domain. CCEL transcription with modernized spelling. www.praylock.com/olney-hymns/1-65

William Cowper lived from 1731 to 1800. These historical words are public domain.

This hymn belongs to the complete three-book collection first published in 1779.

The CCEL transcription modernizes spelling and some punctuation. Read this hymn at the source. Checked 23 October 2026.

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