1O God! our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
2Under the shadow of thy throne
Still may we dwell secure;
Sufficient is thine arm alone,
And our defence is sure.
3Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting thou art God,
To endless years the same.
4A thousand ages in thy sight,
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
5The busy tribes of flesh and blood
With all their cares and fears,
Are carried downward by the flood,
And lost in following years.
6Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.
7Oh God! our help in ages past
Our hope for years to come;
Be thou our guard while life shall last,
And our perpetual home.