Verse 1
Sing, ye ransom’d nations, sing
Praises to our new-born King,
Son of man our Maker is,
Lord of hosts and Prince of Peace.

Verse 2
Lo! He lays his glory by,
Emptied of his majesty!
See the God who all things made,
Humbly in a manger laid.

Verse 3
Cast we off our needless fear,
Boldly to his cratch[1] draw near,
Jesus is our flesh and bone,
God-with-us[2] is all our own.

Verse 4
Let us then with angels gaze
On our new-born monarch’s face,
With the quire[3] celestial join’d,
Shout the Saviour of mankind.

Verse 5
Son of man, will he despise
Man’s well-meaning sacrifice?
No; with condescending grace
He accepts his creature’s praise.

Verse 6
Will his majesty disdain
The poor shepherd’s simple strain?
No; for Israel’s shepherd he
Loves their artless melody.

Verse 7
He will not refuse the song
Of the stammering infant’s tongue,
Babes he hears humanely mild,
Once himself a little child.

Verse 8
Let us then our Prince proclaim,
Humbly chant[4] Immanuel’s name,
Publish at his wondrous birth
Praise in heaven and peace on earth:

Verse 9
Triumph in our Saviour’s love,
Till he takes us up above,
All his majesty displays,
Shews us all his glorious face.

[1] Wesley changed “cratch” (manger) to “church” in 1761.
[2] Wesley changed “God-with-us” to “God with us” in 1745.
[3] Wesley changed “quire” to “choir” in 1750.
[4] Wesley changed “chant” to “chaunt” in 1750 and some following editions.