Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb of God

Gather ‘round, ye children come, listen to the old, old story
Of the power of death undone by an infant born of glory
Son of God, son of man

Gather ‘round, remember now, how creation held its breath
How it let out a sigh and it filled up the sky with the angels
Son of God, son of man

So, sing out with joy for the brave little boy
who was God but he made himself nothing
Well, he gave up his pride and he came here to die like a man

Therefore, God exalted him to the place of highest praises
And he gave him a name above every name, that at the very name of Jesus
Son of God

We would sing out with joy for the brave little boy
who was God but he made himself nothing
Well, he gave up his pride and he came here to die like a man

So in heaven and earth and below, every knee would bow and worship
And every tongue would proclaim that Jesus, he reigns with the angels

So, sing out with joy for the brave little boy
who was God but he made himself nothing
Well, he gave up his pride and he came here to die like a man

Gather ‘round, ye children come, listen to the old, old story
Of the power of death undone by an infant born of glory
Son of God, son of man

Well, we all remember Moses on the banks of the river
He said, Pharaoh, you’ve got to let my people go
You don’t want me to have to tell you this ten times over
Denial ain’t just a river you know

So we all remember Pharaoh, He just wouldn’t do it
So the plagues they came upon Egypt one by one
His heart was hard and the other nine just couldn’t move it
So the last was the worst, the death of the firstborn sons

Oh, but the Lord he gave to Moses a word for the people
He said their firstborn sons would live to see another day
Put the blood of a lamb on the doorway and death will pass right over
That night all of the children of Israel prayed

Lord, let your judgement passover us
Lord, let your love hover near
Don’t let your sweet mercy passover us
Let this blood cover over us here

So the years went by and the people they whined and they wandered
And only sacrifice atoned for the sins of the land
So you see the priest he placed upon the holy altar
The body of a spotless lamb… And he prayed

Lord, let your judgement passover us
Lord, let your love hover near
Don’t let your sweet mercy passover us
Let this blood cover over us here

So long, Moses Hello, Promised Land
It was a long, long road but your people are home
So long, Moses

Hello, Joshua Goodbye, Canaanites
We're coming to town, twelve tribes and no crown
No crown, oh Lord

We want a king on a throne, full of power, with a sword in his fist
Will there ever be, ever be a king like this?

Hello, Saul, first king of Israel
You were foolish and strong so you didn't last long
Goodbye, Saul

Hail, King David, shepherd from Bethlehem
Set the temple of God In mighty Jerusalem

He was a king on a throne, full of power, with a sword in his fist
Has there ever been, ever been a king like this?

Full of wisdom, full of strength, the hearts of the people are his
Hear, O Israel, was ever there a king like this?

Hello, prophets The kingdom is broken now
The people of God Have been scattered abroad
How long, O Lord?

So speak, Isaiah, prophet of Judah
Can you tell of the One? This king who's going to come

Will he be a king on a throne, full of power, with a sword in his fist?
Prophet, tell us, will there be another king like this?

Full of wisdom, full of strength, the hearts of the people are his
Prophet, tell us, will there be another king like this?

Isaiah said:, “he will bear no beauty or glory, rejected, despised
A man of such sorrow, we’ll cover our eyes
He'll take up our sickness, carry our tears
For his people, he will be pierced
He'll be crushed for our evils
Our punishment, feel
By his wounds, we will be healed."

"From you, O Bethlehem, small among Judah
A ruler will come ancient and strong..."

Our enemy, our captor, is no pharaoh on the Nile
Our toil is neither mud, nor brick, nor sand
Our ankles bear no calluses from chains yet Lord we're bound
Imprisoned here, we dwell in our own land

Deliver us, deliver us, oh, Yahweh, hear our cry
And gather us beneath your wings tonight

Our sins they are more numerous than all the lambs we slay
Our shackles they were made with our own hands
Our toil is our atonement and our freedom yours to give
So, Yahweh, break this silence if you can

Deliver us, deliver us, oh, Yahweh, hear our cry
And gather us beneath your wings tonight

Deliver us, deliver us, oh, Yahweh, hear our cry
And gather us beneath your wings tonight

Jerusalem, Jerusalem
How often I have longed to gather you beneath my gentle wings

Abraham had Isaac
Isaac, he had Jacob
Jacob, he had Judah and his kin

Then Perez and Zerah came from Judah's woman, Tamar
Perez, he brought Hezron up and then came

Aram, then Amminadab, then Nahshon who was then the dad
of Salmon who, with Rahab, fathered Boaz

Ruth, she married Boaz, who had Obed, who had Jesse
Jesse, he had David, who we know as king

David, he had Solomon by dead Uriah's wife
Solomon, well, you all know him, he had good old Rehoboam
Followed by Abijah, who had Asa

Asa had Jehoshaphat, had Joram, had Uzziah
Who had Jotham, then Ahaz, then Hezekiah

Followed by Manasseh, who had Amon, who was a man
Who was father of a good boy named Josiah

Who grandfathered Jehoiachin who caused the Babylonian captivity
Because he was a liar

(Which isn't really true but it rhymes...)

Then he had Shealtiel, who begat Zerubbabel
Who had Abiud, who had Eliakim

Eliakim had Azor, who had Zadok, who had Akim
Akim was the father of Eliud then

He had Eleazar, who had Matthan, who had Jacob
Now listen very closely, I don't want to sing this twice

Jacob was the father of Joseph
The husband of Mary, The mother of Christ!

It came to pass back in those days that Caesar, he decreed
A census would be taken of the Roman world, you see
So everyone packed up and headed back to their home towns
And this couple up from Galilee to Bethlehem was bound

So it came to pass this man named Joe was with his fiance
Back when her pregnancy began to show, he planned to go away
But it came to pass that, in a dream, an angel of the Lord
Said, "Joseph, don't you be afraid to marry Mary for
The little baby in her womb it is the Holy Spirit's work
You may have read the prophet said a virgin would give birth

So it came to pass that Joseph was the noblest of men
With a woman on a donkey on their way to Bethlehem
And I wonder whether either was aware enough that day
To know the child would bring a Kingdom
And the old would come to pass away

Yes, it came to pass that Joseph was the noblest of men
With a woman on a donkey on their way to Bethlehem...

It was not a silent night
There was blood on the ground
You could hear a woman cry
In the alleyways that night
On the streets of David's town

And the stable was not clean
And the cobblestones were cold
And little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
Had no mother's hand to hold

It was a labor of pain , it was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love

Noble Joseph, by her side
Callused hands and weary eyes
There were no midwives to be found
On the streets of David's town
In the middle of the night

So he held her and he prayed
Shafts of moonlight on his face
But the baby in her womb
He was the maker of the moon
He was the author of the faith
That could make the mountains move

It was a labor of pain, it was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love

For little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
It was a labor of love

While shepherds watched their flocks by night all seated on the ground
The angel of the Lord came down and glory shone around

“Fear not!” said he for mighty dread had seized their troubled minds
Glad tidings of great joy I bring to you and all mankind

To you in David's house this day is born of David's line
The Savior Who is Christ the Lord and this shall be the sign

The heavenly babe you there shall find to human view displayed
All meanly wrapped In swaddling bands and in a manger laid

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Christ is born
Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah Christ is born

All glory be to God on high and to the earth be peace
Good will henceforth from God to man begin and never cease

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Christ is born
Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah Christ is born

All glory be to God on high and to the earth be peace
Good will henceforth from God to man begin and never cease

Behold the Lamb of God who takes away our sin
Behold the Lamb of God, the life and light of men
Behold the Lamb of God who died and rose again
Behold the Lamb of God who comes to take away our sin

Broken hearts (behold our broken hearts)
Fallen far (we need You)
Behold the sin of man

Behold the Lamb of God who takes away our sin
Behold the Lamb of God, the life and light of men
Behold the Lamb of God who died and rose again
Behold the Lamb of God who comes to take away our sin

Son of God (Emmanuel), Son of Man (we need you)
Behold the Lamb, the hope of man
Behold the Lamb of God

Behold the Lamb of God who takes away our sin
Behold the Lamb of God, the life and light of men
Behold the Lamb of God who died and rose again
Behold the Lamb of God who comes to take away our sin

Glory to Jesus, ancient and strong, giver of love and the theme of my song
Glory to Jesus, ancient and strong, come to your people, carry us home...

Sing out with joy for the brave little boy
who was God but he made Himself nothing
Well, he gave up his pride and he came here to die like a man

Now, sing out with joy for the brave little boy
Who was God, but he made himself nothing
'Cause he gave up his pride and he came here to die like a man

So rejoice, ye children, sing and remember now his mercy
And sing out with joy for the brave little boy is our Savior
Son of God , Son of man

HALLELUJAH! SING HALLELUJAH!