Be Thou My Guardian and My Guide

Be Thou my Guardian and my Guide;
And hear me when I call;
Let not my slippery footsteps slide,
And hold me lest I fall.

The world, the flesh, and Satan dwell
Around the path I tread;
O, save me from the snares of hell,
Thou Quickener of the dead.

And if I tempted am to sin,
And outward things are strong,
Do Thou, O Lord, keep watch within,
And save my soul from wrong.

Still let me ever watch and pray,
And feel that I am frail;
that if the tempter cross my way,
Yet he may not prevail.

Author: Isaac Williams

Year: 1842

This hymn is taken from Isaac Williams' 'The Christian Scholar' (1842) or his 'Hymns on the Catechism'. It is sometimes attributed in hymnals simply as 'I. Williams' or from 'The Christian Scholar'. No strong alternate attributions exist.