O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (stanza 2)

Yesterday I posted stanza 1 of the ninth-century Latin hymn "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," a Christian hymn for Advent and Christmas, translated by John Mason Neale (1818-1866). Here below is stanza 2. The Bible says in part, "But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.' Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 'Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel,' which being interpreted is, 'God with us.'" So reads Matthew 1:20-23 (King James Version). Tomorrow I will post stanza 3 of this Latin hymn.

O come, thou Wisdom from on high,

Who ord'rest all things mightily;

To us the path of Knowledge show,

And teach us in her ways to go.

          Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

          Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (stanza 1)

 This is Advent Sunday, the first Sunday in Advent. Advent is the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas and observed by some Christians as a season of prayer and fasting. This week I am posting all seven stanzas of the ninth-century Latin hymn "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," translated by John Mason Neale (1818-1866), one stanza per diem. Here is stanza 1 of that Christian hymn for Advent and Christmas. The official lyric video of Enya singing "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" in both English and Latin follows the stanza. Tomorrow I will post stanza 2.

O come, o come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

          Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

          Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Vote

Vote, n. The instrument and symbol of a freeman's power to make a fool of himself and a wreck of his country.

--from The Devil's Dictionary (1911) by Ambrose Bierce (1842-ca. 1914)

Louis L'Amour (1908-1988)