1 The people who in darkness walked
have seen a glorious light;
the heavenly dawn broke forth on those
who dwelt in death and night,
who dwelt in death and night.

2 To greet you, Sun of Righteousness,
the gathering nations come,
rejoicing as when reapers bring
their harvest treasures home,
their harvest treasures home.

3 To us the promised child is born,
to us a son is given;
and on his shoulders ever rests
all power in earth and heaven,
all power in earth and heaven.

4 His name shall be the Prince of Peace
forevermore adored,
the Wonderful, the Counselor,
the Mighty God and Lord,
the Mighty God and Lord.

5 His peace and righteous government
shall over all extend;
on judgment and on justice based,
his reign shall never end,
his reign shall never end.

Scripture References:
st. 1 = Isa. 9:2
st. 2 = Isa. 9:3
st. 3 = Isa. 9:6
st. 4 = Isa. 9:6
st. 5 = Isa. 9:7

The well-known messianic prophecy from Isaiah 9:2-7 was fulfilled in the coming of Christ and in the rule of his kingdom. This passage was versified by John Morison (b. Cairne, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, 1750; d. Canisbay, Caithness, Scotland, 1798) for the 1781 version of the Scottish Paraphrases; it originally began “The race that long in darkness pined.” Morison's text has since been altered by many hymnal editors; it is published in the Psalter Hymnal without the stanza for Isaiah 9:4-5. This text is one of a handful of the sixty¬-seven Scottish Paraphrases still in popular use today.

Morison studied at King's College in Aberdeen and at the University of Edinburgh. A schoolteacher before he became ordained in the Presbyterian Church, he served as pastor in Canisbay from 1780 until his death. Morison served on the editorial committee of the 1781 Scottish Paraphrases and contributed seven of the sixty-seven paraphrases to that popular collection, which added significantly to the exclusively psalm-song repertoire of the Scottish Presbyterian tradition.

Liturgical Use:
Advent; Epiphany.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook