I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say

This hymn by Horatius Bonar (1808 - 1889) can be sung to several tunes, including KINGSFOLD which is very similar to the folk-tune for Star of the County Down.

It is often presented as a Celtic piece, but there are also a number of Southern-gospel renditions - as seen in some of the examples below.

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Examples

Small group with lead singers:

Solo singer with guitar and violin / woodwind backing.

Choral arrangement, unaccompanied

Lyrics

I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto Me and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down Thy head upon My breast.”
I came to Jesus as I was, weary and worn and sad;
I found in Him a resting place, and He has made me glad.

I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Behold, I freely give
The living water; thirsty one, stoop down, and drink, and live.”
I came to Jesus, and I drank of that life giving stream;
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived, and now I live in Him.

I heard the voice of Jesus say, “I am this dark world’s Light;
Look unto Me, thy morn shall rise, and all thy day be bright.”
I looked to Jesus, and I found in Him my Star, my Sun;
And in that light of life I’ll walk, till traveling days are done.