Classic Poem

Remember David, Lord; remember Thou
His troubles, Thy redemptions, and the vow
He to the Mighty God of Jacob made,
Bound by an oath, and in these words convey'd:
No roof shall cover me, nor sweet repose
Refresh my limbs, or sleep my eyelids close,
'Till I have found a place for His abode,
Ev'n for the temple of the Living God.
The ark, we heard, in Ephrata long stood,
And found it in the valley cloth'd with wood.
We will into Thy tabernacle go,
And there ourselves before Thy footstool throw.
Ascend to Thy eternal rest at length,
Thou, and the Ark of Thy admired strength.
O let Thy priests be cloth'd with sanctity,
And all Thy saints sing with triumphant joy.
For David's sake, receive into Thy grace;
From Thy anointed never turn Thy Face.
For thus Thou swor'st Who never wilt forget;
Thy son shall long possess thy royal seat,
And if thy children My commands observe,
Nor from the rules of My prescription swerve,
Their offspring shall the Hebrew sceptre sway,
Ev'n while the sun illuminates the day.
For Sion I have chosen; Sion great
In My affections; My eternal seat.
I will abundantly increase her store,
And with the flow'r of wheat sustain her poor.
Her priests shall blessings to her people bring,
Her joyful saints in sacred measures sing.
There shall the horn of David freshly sprout,
Their lamp of glory never shall burn out.
His diadem shall flourish on his head,
But nets of shame his foes shall over-spread.