Once in Royal David`s city

"Once in Royal David's city" is a well known Christmas carol

Once in Royal David's City

Words

Once in Royal David's city

Stood a lowly cattle shed,

Where a mother laid her baby

In a manger for His bed:

Mary was that mother mild,

Jesus Christ her little child.

He came down to earth from heaven,

Who is God and Lord of all,

And His shelter was a stable,

And His cradle was a stall;

With the poor, and mean, and lowly,

Lived on earth our Saviour holy.

And through all His wondrous childhood

He would honor and obey,

Love and watch the lowly Maiden,

In whose gentle arms He lay:

Christian children all must be

Mild, obedient, good as He.

For He is our childhood's pattern; (1)

Day by day, like us He grew;

He was little, weak and helpless,

Tears and smiles like us He knew;

And He feeleth for our sadness,

And He shareth in our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see Him,

Through His own redeeming love;

For that Child so dear and gentle

Is our Lord in heaven above,

And He leads His children on

To the place where he has gone.

Not in that poor lowly stable,

With the oxen standing by,

We shall see Him; but in heaven,

Set at God's right hand on high;

Where like stars His children crowned (2)

All in white shall wait around.

(1) or: "Jesus" is our childhood's pattern

(2) or: "When" like stars His children crown'd

"The City" that the song speaks of is Bethlehem, which the New Testament records as the historical birthplace of Jesus and slso of his ancestor King David.

External link

• Wikipedia - Once In Royal David's City

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