O why should I wander a stranger from Thee

1 Oh, why should I wander a stranger from Thee,
Or cry in the desert for bread?
My foes will rejoice all my sorrows to see,
And smile at the tears I have shed.
Ye daughters of Zion, declare, have you seen
The star that on Israel shone?
Say, if in your tents my beloved has been,
And where with His flocks He has gone.
Ye daughters of Zion, declare, have you seen
The star that on Israel shone?
Say, if in your tents my beloved has been,
And where with His flocks He has gone.

2 Oh Thou, in whose presence my soul takes delight
On whom in affliction I call;
My comfort by day and my song in the night
My hope, my salvation, my all.
Where dost Thou at noontime reside with Thy sheep
To feed on the pastures of love?
Say why in the valley of death should I weep,
Or lonely the wilderness rove?
Where dost Thou at noontime reside with Thy sheep
To feed on the pastures of love?
Say why in the valley of death should I weep,
Or lonely the wilderness rove?

Source: The Sacred Harp: the best collection of sacred songs, hymns, odes, and anthems ever offered the singing public for general use (1991 rev.) #571