1 Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me;
Bless Thy little lamb to-night:
Through the darkness be Thou near me,
Keep me safe till morning light.

2 All this day Thy hand has led me,
And I thank Thee for Thy care;
Thou hast warmed me, clothed and fed me;
Listen to my evening prayer!

3 Let my sins be all forgiven;
Bless the friends I love so well:
Take us all at last to heaven,
Happy there with Thee to dwell.

Hymnal: according to the use of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, 1871

This beautiful little hymn was composed for her children in 1839, and first published in 3 stanzas of 4 lines in herMemoir, 1841 (edition 1843, p. 311). It is No. 3 in her Rhymes for my Children, 1842, entitled “An Evening Prayer.” It has been included in England in the BaptistPsalms & Hymns, 1858, the Hymnal Companion, 1876, and others; in America, in the Episcopal Hymn Book, 1871, the Evangelical Hymnal, N. Y., 1880, theSongs of Christian Praise, N. Y., 1881, and in other collections. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.]

–John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)