O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory o'er the grave.
Refrain
O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by thine advent here.
And drive away the shades of night,
And pierce the clouds and bring us light!.
Refrain
O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Refrain
O come, Desire of nations, bind
All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife and quarrels cease;
Fill all the world with heaven's peace.
Refrain
Words: Latin hymn; trans. by John M. Neale, 1851;
st. 5 Henry Sloane Coffin, 1916
Music: Plainsong; adapt. Thomas Helmore, 1854
© Public Domain