I was not aware that Handel's Messiah was a Biblical Gospel Presentation in song. I have never seen a performance. I came across the "lyrics" and was impressed because of the faithfulness to Scripture. Click on the title link for a news article about the wealth of word painting the artist incorporated into this masterpiece. Apparently I have been missing something I might enjoy. I hope those who have attended a performance, participated in one, or who listen to a recording fully appreciate the truths conveyed.
Handel's Messiah
George Frederic Handel (1695-1759)
[The libretto for Messiah was designed and selected from the New and Old Testaments with utmost care by Charles Jennens (1700-73), a literary scholar and editor of Shakespeare's plays who was educated at Balliol College, Oxford.]
Part I
(1) Overture
(2) Comfort Ye
Isaiah 40:1-3
1. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned. . . .
3. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
(3) Every Valley
Isaiah 40:4
4. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.
(4) And the Glory of the LORD
Isaiah 40:5
5. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
(5) Thus Saith the LORD
Haggai 2:6,7
6. For thus saith the LORD of Hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; 7. And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come
Malachi 3:1
1. The LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: Behold, He shall come, saith the LORD of Hosts.
(6) But Who May Abide the Day of His Coming?
Malachi 3:2
2. But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner's fire.
(7) And He shall Purify
Malachi 3:3
3. And He shall purify the sons of Levi. . . that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
(8) Behold A Virgin Shall Conceive
Isaiah 7:14 (Matthew 1:23)
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call his name EMMANUEL, God with us.
(9) O Thou that Tellest Good Tidings to Zion
Isaiah 40:9
9. O Zion that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
Isaiah 60:1
1. Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
(10) For Behold, Darkness shall Cover the Earth
Isaiah 60:2,3
2. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. 3. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
(11) The People that Walked in Darkness
Isaiah 9:2 (Matthew 3:16)
2. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
(12) For Unto Us a Child is Born
Isaiah 9:6
6. For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
(13) Pastoral Symphony
(14) There were Shepherds Abiding in the Field
Luke 2:8
8. There were.....shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night.
Luke 2:9
9. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
(15) And the Angel Said unto Them
Luke 2:10,11
10. And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
(16) And Suddenly there was with the Angel
Luke 2:13
13. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
(17) Glory to God
Luke 2:14
14. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
(18) Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion
Zechariah 9:9,10 (Matthew 21:5)
9. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee. He is just, and having salvation... 10. . . And he shall speak peace unto the heathen.
(19) Then Shall the Eyes of the Blind
Isaiah 35:5,6
5. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing.
(20) He Shall Feed his Flock like a Shepherd
Isaiah 40:11
11. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
Matthew 11:28, 29
28. Come unto [Him], all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and [He shall] give you rest. 29. Take [His] yoke upon you, and learn of [Him]; for [He is] meek and lowly of heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
(21) His Yoke is Easy
Matthew 11:30
30. [His] yoke is easy, and [His]burden is light.
Part II
(22) Behold the Lamb of God
John 1:29
29.Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world.
(23) He was Despised
Isaiah 53:3
3. He is despised and rejected of men: a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. . . Isaiah 50:6 [He]gave [His] back to the smiters, and [His] cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: [He] hid not [His] face from shame and spitting.
(24) Surely He Hath Borne our Griefs
Isaiah 53:4,5
4. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. . . . 5. . . He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him,
(25) And With His Stripes we are Healed
Isaiah 53:5b
5. And with His stripes we are healed
(26) All we Like Sheep have Gone Astray
Isaiah 53:6
6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
(27) All They that See Him Laugh him to Scorn
Psalm 22:7
7. All they that see [Him] laugh [Him] to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying:
(28) He Trusted in God
Psalm 22:8 (Matthew 27:43)
He trusted [in God] that he would deliver Him: let Him deliver Him, if He delight in Him.
(29) Thy Rebuke hath Broken His Heart
Psalm 69:20
20. Reproach hath broken [His] heart; [He is] full of heaviness. [He] looked for some to take pity [on Him], but there was none; and for comforters, but [He] found none.
(30) Behold, and See if There be any Sorrow
Lamentations 1:12
12. Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto [His] sorrow. . .
(31) H He was Cut Off out of the Land of the Living
Isaiah 53:8b
8. He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of [Thy] people was He stricken.
(32) But Thou Didst Not Leave His Soul in Hell
Psalm 16:10 (Acts 2:27)
10. [But] thou [didst] not leave [His] soul in hell; neither [didst] thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
(33) Lift Up Your Heads, O Ye Gates
Psalm 24:7-10
7. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in. 8. Who is this King of Glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. 9. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in. 10. Who is this King of Glory? The LORD of Hosts, He is the King of Glory.
(34) Unto Which of the Angels Said He at Any Time
Hebrews 1:5 (Psalm 2:7)
5. For unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?
(35) Let All the Angels of God Worship Him
Hebrews 1:6b
6. "Let all the angels of God worship Him."
(36) Thou art Gone Up on High
Psalm 68:18 (Ephesians 4:8)
18. Thou hast ascended on high, Thou hast led captivity captive, Thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.
(37) The Lord Gave the Word
Psalm 68:11
11. The LORD gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.
(38) How Beautiful are the Feet
Romans 10:15 (Isaiah 52:7)
15. How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
(39) Their Sound is Gone Out
Romans 10:18 (Psalm 19:4)
18. Their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
(40) Why Do the Nations so Furiously Rage Together?
Psalm 2:1,2 (Acts 4:25-26)
1. Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His Anointed, saying
(41) Let us Break their Bonds Asunder
Psalm 2:3
3. Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
(42) He that Dwelleth in Heaven
Psalm 2:4
4. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision.
(43) Thou Shalt Break Them
Psalm 2:9
9. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
(44) Hallelujah
Revelation 19:6
6. Hallelujah! for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Revelation 11:15
15. . . . the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ: and He shall reign for ever and ever.
Revelation 19:16
16. . . . KING OF KINGS, LORD OF LORDS.
Part III
(45) I Know that my Redeemer Liveth
Job 19:25, 26
25. I know that my redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.
1 Corinthians 15:20
20. [For] now is Christ risen from the dead. . . the firstfruits of them that [sleep].
(46) Since by Man came Death
1 Corinthians 15:21,22
21. Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
(47) Behold I Tell you a Mystery
1 Corinthians 15:51,52
51. Behold, I shew you a mystery: We shall not all sleep; but we shall all be changed, 52. In a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trump;
(48) The Trumpet Shall Sound
1 Corinthians 15:52b-53
52. The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
(49) Then Shall be Brought to Pass
1 Corinthians 15:54b (Isaiah 25:8)
54. Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, 'Death is swallowed up in victory.'
(50) O Death Where is Thy Sting?
1 Corinthians 15:55-56 (Hosea 13:14)
55. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56. The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
(51) But Thanks be to God
1 Corinthians 15:57
57. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(52) If God Be For Us
Romans 8:31, 33, 34
31. If God be for us, who can be against us?
33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
34. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is at the right hand of God, who makes intercession for us.
(53) Worthy is the Lamb
Revelation 5:12, 13
12. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 13. . . . Blessing, and honour, and glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. Amen.
Credit to Bruce Johnson for the lyrics and basic format. I made some slight edits to conform to KJV text.
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