027 Dies iræ

Dies iræ, dies illa
Solvet sæclum in favilla
Dies iræ, dies illa
Teste David cum Sibylla

Day of wrath and desolation
All the world will turn to ash
Prophets spoke in ancient nations
Warning of the day of wrath

Oh, how great will be the quaking
When the Judge shall come at last
All of earth and heaven shaking
At the final trumpet blast

From their tombs the dead awaken
Rising from the land and sea
Summoned at His declaration
Summoned to His judgment seat

Staring at the open pages
All our hidden deeds are there
Under His evaluation
Every judgement true and fair

Who am I to stand before Him?
Righteous saints are hardly saved
They won’t help if I implore them
What do I have left to say?

Jesus, I appeal for mercy
King of fearsome majesty
Think upon Your painful journey
How You suffered so for me

God the just and God avenging
I am full of shameful guilt
Spare me from the flames unending
By the Lamb whose blood was spilled

Kneeling down I bow before You
With a contrite heart I pray
When I rise and stand before You
Lord, preserve me on that day

 

Supporting Texts

Original text: c. 1200?
Source: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dies_irae

A day of wrath is that day,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of destruction and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
A day of trumpet and battle cry
Against the fortified cities
And the high corner towers.
Zephaniah 1:16-17 ESV

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
2 Peter 3:10 NASB95

At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”
Hebrews 12:26

Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying,
…
And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.
Revelation 11:15,19 NASB95

“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
John 5:25 NASB95

“Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.
John 5:28-29 NASB95

And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.
Revelation 20:12-13 NASB95

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
2 Corinthians 5:10

Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
1 Corinthains 4:5

“For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.”
Luke 8:17 NASB95

“for his judgments are true and just…” / Revelation 19:2a ESV

And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
1 Peter 4:18 ESV

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
Romans 12:19 NIV

‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’
Mark 9:48 ESV (Cf. Isaiah 66:24)

“And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”
Revelation 12:11 ESV

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
Psalm 51:17 NASB95

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
James 4:6 ESV

Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”
Luke 21:36 ESV

Additional Info

Key: D
Tempo: 120 BPM
Drafted: Feb. 14, 2025
Published: 2/14/2025
Special thanks to Greg M. for the prompt!
Note: I may have severely butchered the latin!