Traditional: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

Social Sin and Penitence

Traditional

“Social Sin and Penitence” as printed in The Army and Navy Hymnal (1920).

Traditional: Collected Lyrics Text 391 1920 · historical text
Public domainHymnSacred song
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from The Army and Navy Hymnal, a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

O LORD who shall sojourn in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?

He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness and speaketh truth in his heart;

He that slandereth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his friend,

Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor;

In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honoreth them that fear the Lord;

He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not;

He that putteth not out his money to interest, nor taketh reward against the innocent.

He that doeth these things shall never be moved.

Verse 2

THE Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth, and we have not obeyed his voice.

And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand.

We have sinned, we have done wickedly.

O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, let thine anger and thy wrath, I pray thee, be turned away from thy city;

Because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers,

Thy people are become a reproach to all that are round about us.

Verse 3

Now therefore, our God, hearken unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplications,

And cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.

O my God, incline thine ear, and hear;

Open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name:

For we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses,

But for thy great mercies' sake.

O Lord, hear; Lord, forgive; Lord, hearken and do; defer not,

For thine own sake, my God, because thy city and thy people are called by thy name.

Credits

Written by Traditional

Traditional words. Historical text published in The Army and Navy Hymnal (1920); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

The Army and Navy Hymnal (1920), “Social Sin and Penitence”

The 1920 published edition is in the public domain in the United States (pre-1931 publication). Entries whose credited author died more than 70 years ago are also in the public domain in life-plus-70 jurisdictions; traditional and anonymous entries are public domain. Pages whose scan quality is below the proofread threshold are held for review.

How to read this historical text and its source

Read the source on Wikisource

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Retrieved 2026-10-26. Line spacing and section labels are adapted for reading. The displayed text follows the linked edition. Editorial notes and abstract artwork are by 52lyrics.
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