1 Alleluia! sing to Jesus!
His the scepter, His the throne;
Alleluia! His the triumph,
His the victory alone:
Hark! the songs of peaceful Zion
Thunder like a mighty flood;
Jesus, out of every nation
Hath redeemed us by His blood.

Alleluia! not as orphans
Are we left in sorrow now;
Alleluia! He is near us,
Faith believes, nor questions how;
Though the cloud from sight received Him,
When the forty days were o'er:
Shall our hearts forget His promise,
"I am with you evermore"?

3 Alleluia! Bread of angels,
Thou on earth our Food, our Stay;
Alleluia! here the sinful
Flee to thee from day to day:
Intercessor, Friend of sinners,
Earth's Redeemer, plead for me,
Where the songs of all the sinless
Sweep across the crystal sea.

Alleluia! sing to Jesus!
His the scepter, His the throne;
Alleluia! His the triumph,
His the victory alone;
Hark! the songs of peaceful Zion
Thunder like a mighty flood;
Jesus, out of every nation
Hath redeemed us by his blood.

Amen.

The Hymnal: Published by the authority of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., 1895

Scripture References:
st. 1 = Rev. 5:9
st. 2 = John 14:18, Acts 1:9, Matt. 28:20

In 1866 William C. Dix (PHH 358) wrote this text for the celebration of the Lord's Supper at Ascension services. Originally entitled "Redemption by the Precious Blood," the five-stanza text, in which stanza 5 was a repeat of stanza 1, was published in Dix's Altar Songs, Verses on the Eucharist (1867). The original stanza 4 as well as the repeated stanza are omitted here. As in earlier editions of the Psalter Hymnal, stanza 3 changes the original text, which was "Alleluia! Bread of heaven, Thou on earth our food, our stay."

The "alleluias" that begin each stanza create a joyful tone of praise for the entire hymn. As we sing, we acclaim the glory of Christ now that the work of redemption is finished (st. 1); we are reminded that Christ has ascended but is always present with his people by his Spirit (st. 2); and we petition Christ to hear the cry of sinners and be our Intercessor" (st. 3).

Liturgical Use:
Ascension Day, many other occasions.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook