Belshazzar's Feast: Then sing aloud to God (2) - London Philharmonic Orchestra, Уильям Уолтон

Thus spake Isaiah —

Thy sons that thou shalt beget

They shall be taken away

And be eunuchs

In the palace of the King of Babylon

Howl ye, howl ye, therefore:

For the day of the Lord is at hand!

By the waters of Babylon

By the waters of Babylon

There we sat down: yea, we wept

And hanged our harps upon the willows

For they that wasted us

Required of us mirth;

They that carried us away captive

Required of us a song

Sing us one of the songs of Zion

How shall we sing the Lord’s song

In a strange land?

If I forget thee, O Jerusalem

Let my right hand forget her cunning

If I do not remember thee

Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth

Yea, if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy

By the waters of Babylon

There we sat down: yea, we wept

O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed

Happy shall he be that taketh thy children

And dasheth them against a stone

For with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down

And shall be found no more at all

Babylon was a great city

Her merchandise was of gold and silver

Of precious stones, of pearls, of fine linen

Of purple, silk and scarlet

All manner vessels of ivory

All manner vessels of most precious wood

Of brass, iron and marble

Cinnamon, odours and ointments

Of frankincense, wine and oil

Fine flour, wheat and beasts

Sheep, horses, chariots, slaves

And the souls of men

In Babylon

Belshazzar the King

Made a great feast

Made a feast to a thousand of his lords

And drank wine before the thousand

Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine

Commanded us to bring the gold and silver vessels:

Yea!

the golden vessels, which his father, Nebuchadnezzar

Had taken out of the temple that was in Jerusalem

He commanded us to bring the golden vessels

Of the temple of the house of God

That the King, his Princes, his wives

And his concubines might drink therein

Then the King commanded us:

Bring ye the cornet, flute, sackbut, psaltery

And all kinds of music: they drank wine again

Yea, drank from the sacred vessels

And then spake the King:

Praise ye

The God of Gold

Praise ye

The God of Silver

Praise ye

The God of Iron

Praise ye

The God of Wood

Praise ye

The God of Stone

Praise ye

The God of Brass

Praise ye the Gods!

Thus in Babylon, the mighty city

Belshazzar the King made a great feast

Made a feast to a thousand of his lords

And drank wine before the thousand

Belshazzar whiles he tasted the wine

Commanded us to bring the gold and silver vessels

That his Princes, his wives and his concubines

Might rejoice and drink therein

After they had praised their strange gods

The idols and the devils

False gods who can neither see nor hear

Called they for the timbrel and the pleasant harp

To extol the glory of the King

Then they pledged the King before the people

Crying, Thou, O King, art King of Kings:

O King, live for ever…

And in that same hour, as they feasted

Came forth fingers of a man’s hand

And the King saw

The part of the hand that wrote

And this was the writing that was written:

'MENE, MENE, TEKEL UPHARSIN'

'THOU ART WEIGHED IN THE BALANCE

AND FOUND WANTING'

In that night was Belshazzar the King slain

And his Kingdom divided

Then sing aloud to God our strength:

Make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob

Take a psalm, bring hither the timbrel

Blow up the trumpet in the new moon

Blow up the trumpet in Zion

For Babylon the Great is fallen, fallen

Alleluia!

Then sing aloud to God our strength:

Make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob

While the Kings of the Earth lament

And the merchants of the Earth

Weep, wail and rend their raiment

They cry, Alas, Alas, that great city

In one hour is her judgement come

The trumpeters and pipers are silent

And the harpers have ceased to harp

And the light of a candle shall shine no more

Then sing aloud to God our strength

Make a joyful noise to the God of Jacob

For Babylon the Great is fallen

Alleluia!