The Ninety And Nine
- Words:
- Elizabeth C. Clephane
- Music:
- Ira D. Sankey
Sheet music
- 1There were ninety and nine that safely layIn the shelter of the fold,But one was out on the hills away,Far off from the gates of gold;Away on the mountains wild and bare,Away from the tender Shepherd’s care,Away from the tender Shepherd’s care.
- 2Lord, Thou has here Thy ninety and nineAre they not enough for Thee?But the Shepherd made answer This of mineHas wandered away from Me,And altho the road be rough and steep,I go to the desert to find My sheep,I go to the desert to find My sheep.
- 3But none of the ransomed ever knewHow deep were the waters crossedNor how dark was the night that the Lord passed thruEre He found His sheep that was lost.Far out in the desert He heard its cry,‘Twas sick and helpless and ready to die.‘Twas sick and helpless and ready to die.
- 4Lord, whence are those blood-drops all the wayThat marks out the mountain’s track?They were shed for one who had gone astrayEre the Shepherd could bring him back,Lord, whence are Thy hands so rent and torn?They’re pierc’d tonight by many a thorn,They’re pierc’d tonight by many a thorn.
- 5But all thru the mountains, thunder riv’nAnd up from the rocky steep,There arose a glad cry to the gate of heav’n,Rejoice I have found My sheep,And the angels echoed around the throne,Rejoice for the Lord brings back His own,Rejoice for the Lord brings back His own.
In the hymnals
- Written in 1868, the words are in 428 hymnals indexed by Hymnary.org. Their history →
Words, music and setting are in the public domain. The sheet music and words are from PDHymns.com. The piano is the FluidR3 General MIDI sound font (MIT licence). How many hymnals print a hymn, and when it was written, is from Hymnary.org.