{{ list.is_on_list ? 'Remove from' : 'Add to' }} favorites
O Holy night
O HOLY NIGHT! THE STARS ARE BRIGHTLY SHINING;
it is the night of our dear Saviour’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
till he appeared, our Redeemer on earth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
for see: there breaks a new and glorious dawn.
Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
2 Led by his star, a light from heaven gleaming,
the wise men journey from far-distant land,
seeking a Saviour, who, the world redeeming,
pours out his grace as the Father has planned.
The King of kings who lay within a manger,
the reign of sin and death he comes to end.
He saves the lost, the outcast and the stranger:
behold your King, before him lowly bend!
Behold your King, before him lowly bend!
3 Led by his love, in loving one another,
we know the peace of our Father’s embrace;
once slaves to sin, now Christ becomes our brother
and ransomed lives are transformed by his grace.
A life of hope will overcome our sadness,
for all who trust in Jesus’ holy name.
Christ is the Lord! O praise his name with gladness!
O night divine, when saving grace was born.
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
© 2022 JIM SAYERS
ORIGINAL FRENCH TEXT: PLACIDE CAPPEAU (1808–1877),
ALTERED TEXT: JIM SAYERS after JOHN SULLIVAN DWIGHT (1812–1893)
Downloadable Items
Would you like access to our downloadable resources?
Unlock downloadable content for this hymn by subscribing today to the Christmas Praise collection. Enjoy exclusive resources with our additional curated materials!
Subscribe nowThe story behind the hymn
The original carol was written in French by Placide Cappeau (1808-1877), to a tune by Adolphe Adam, and published in 1843. A few years later it was discovered by the American pastor, John Sullivan Dwight who produced an English version to Adam’s tune, placing a strong emphasis on human solidarity in the light of the anti-slavery movement and the looming American civil war. It has been hugely popular ever since.
In reworking the lyrics for publication, we wanted to recapture the strong redemptive language of the original, with its strong ‘Voici le Rédempteur! The language of redemption and ransom is much more strongly emphasised in all three verses, while we have endeavoured to keep as much of the Dwight phraseology as we can. We were particularly keen to explain that slaves become brothers in Christ (Philemon 16), that all of us are slaves to sin until he redeems us (Gal. 3:13), and that Christmas is about the birth of saving grace in Christ (John 1:14).
A look at the author
Sayers, James (Jim) David
b Epsom, Surrey 1966. Ashcombe Sch Dorking, Univ Coll of Wales, Aberystwyth (LL.B) and Edinburgh Theological Seminary (DipTh, M.Th). After two and a half years as assistant to Brian Edwards at Hook Evangelical Ch (FIEC), Surbiton, he became Pastor of Kesgrave Grace Baptist Ch, Ipswich, Suffolk, from 1995. Then in 2009 he moved to Abingdon to become Communications Director of Grace Baptist Mission. In 2020 he moved to Didcot to lead a church-plant, Grace Church Didcot. He chaired the team selecting versions of the 150 Psalms for Praise! He became a trustee of Praise Trust in 2016, and chairman in 2018.
He has 10 published texts, as here, of which the first he wrote (1994) was based on Ps 30. Nos.2B, 30A, 39, 59, 69A, 71, 86, 719, 1013, 1249. He also wrote the revised version of O Holy Night CP47