How dark the night in Bethlehem
Where trav'lers sought for rest;
How crude the cave they sheltered in
While sheep and oxen slept.
Yet Light burst forth int the world,
Dispelling sin and strife.
The Child born to a virgin girl
Was Christ, the Light of Life.

How dark the night o'er pastures bleak}
Where shepherds kept their watch;
How cold the wind which stole their sleep
And stung their weary flock.
But glory pierced the midnight sky
And melts the heart of stone;
"All praise to God in heaven's height,
And peace to men below."

How dark the night of fallen souls,
By sin and guilt oppressed;
How hopeless our unspoken woe
Of God and good bereft;
Till Jesus breaks our moral night
And melts the heart of stone:
:All praise to God in heaven's height,
And peace to men below."

How dark the night that shrouds the world 
Where war and anguish reign:
How fierce our swords, how sharp our words,
How piercing is our pain.
O Chris, return like blazing dawn
The Morning Star of Light!
The Lord Himself will be our Sun,
And day eclipse the night!