NEW HOPE MUSIC - "The Baby Of Bethlehem" by Ralph Merrifield

Encouraging saints around the world since 1991 !!

Our background MIDI is "The Baby Of Bethlehem",
written by Ralph Merrifield,
arranged by Michael L. Jester (from Florida)

Ralph... your hymns and songs are great.
I think "The Baby of Bethlehem" will one day be
a standard Christmas carol across the English speaking world.
It is that good !!!!
(John, from Australia)

Several New Hope Music carols & hymns,
including this one, can be found on
"A Christmas Carol Treasury: The Hymns And Carols Of Christmas."

It is also included on several other Christmas sites,
Cyberhymnal & Songs Of Praise.

Also used on the Pennsylvania Visitor's Network Christmas site !

Choirs from India, South Africa, Canada, Finland
and across the USA have sung this. Thanks!

Here is one picture of us. It was taken for a week ago in the hall of
Jorvi Hospital. It's a big hospital in Espoo, a city close to Helsinki....

We are going to visit hospitals and old people's homes twice
a month and once a month we sing in the church service...
We have two new songs of yours in our program:
"Your Are Awesome God" and "The Baby of Bethlehem".

We are planning to sing "The Baby of Bethlehem" in the Christmas meeting
of our church and perhaps in our New Year's conference...
This song is so majestic!
(Lea, from Finland)

Hear this sung by a choir in Finland !!

I just discovered your website and your beautiful music and I'm so delighted!
It's so wonderful and worshipful!. I direct a small choir of 18 people
and we are planning to use "The Baby of Bethlehem" as part of our
Christmas program this year.
(Myra, from Montana)

NEW!!! Translated into Português (Brasil) by
Daniel Borges, from Sao Paulo, Brazil
Português (Brasil) translation

NEW!!! Recently translated into Finnish
by Lea Alaja, from Helsinki, Finland
Finnish translation

NEW!!! Just translated into Afrikaans by
Liz Van Heerden, from South Africa
Afrikaans translation

I just wanted to commend and congratulate you on a WONDERFUL song,
"The Baby Of Bethlehem". We will be using it in our Christmas Eve
services this year... (email, Lutheran Church in Michigan)

David Bentley and the Living Waters Orchestra
released two beautiful vocal/instrumental recordings
of "The Baby Of Bethlehem" Thanks !

David Bentley v1

David Bentley v2

I have been sharing your music and website with others...
A young man that just started college this year is planning on singing
"The Baby of Bethlehem" when he comes home at Christmas time.
(Janet, from Ohio)

Praise God for the song "The Baby of Bethlehem". I downloaded the song from your
website and a couple of us played the song on guitars at our Christmas Eve service.
The words and music were a blessing to our congregation.
I am from the Brethren in Christ church...
(Rick, from Ontario Canada)

THE BABY OF BETHLEHEM
Present:    Luke 2, Matt 1-2, John 1
Past:    Isaiah
Future:    Revelation

a brand new Christmas carol,
focusing on the overwhelming, awesome gift
God gave to us through Jesus

G            C             D      G
Anointed One, Messiah, Lord
Am7    C                   A7                 D
Savior, Christ, Good News, Great Joy
C        D              G                   Em
Eternal God, now dwelling with man
      Am7       D       E            Am7       D       G
The Baby of Bethlehem, the Baby of Bethlehem

   G      C         D     G
Immanuel, the Holy Son
Am7        C         A7         D
Shepherd, Ruler, Mighty One
     C              D            G               Em
Descended to Earth, according to plan
       Am7     D        E            Am7      D       G
The Baby of Bethlehem, the Baby of Bethlehem

                            BRIDGE:
                    D                               G
            With angels we sing Your glory
                    B7                                  Em
            With shepherds we give God praise
                     A7                             D
            With wisemen we come before You
                 A7                            D        D7
            To worship You all our days !

      G                C           D         G
The Word, now flesh, in Him is life
Am7      C       A7        D
One and Only, shining Light
      C               D                    G       Em
Full grace and truth, we now understand
      Am7      D        E            Am7      D       G
The Baby of Bethlehem, the Baby of Bethlehem

      G         C           D             G
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace
Am7          C               A7         D
Wonderful Couns'lor, King of Kings
     C                    D      G          Em
No end there will be to Your increase
      Am7       D       E            Am7      D       G
The Baby of Bethlehem, the Baby of Bethlehem

                            (bridge)

         G        C       D                  G
Alpha and Omega, Master and Friend
Am7 C         A7         D
All in all, Forgiver of sin
     C           D             G                 Em
Creator, Designer, Beginning and End
      Am7       D       E            Am7      D       G
The Baby of Bethlehem, the Baby of Bethlehem

    G        C         D                  G
All glory, honor, blessing and strength
Am7      C          A7              D
Wisdom, power, mercy and grace
        C                 D              G                  Em
Past, present and future contained in His hands
      Am7       D       E            Am7       D       E
The Baby of Bethlehem, the Baby of Bethlehem
               Am7      D       G
         The Baby of Bethlehem

Right click title below and "Save Target As"
to download Michael L. Jester's
MIDI arrangement of
The Baby Of Bethlehem

NEW !! KARAOKE VERSION !!! NEW !!
by Johan Komrij, from the Netherlands

Right click title below and "Save Target As"
to download Adrian V. Miller's
MIDI performance of
The Baby Of Bethlehem (key of C)
The Baby Of Bethlehem (key of D)
The Baby Of Bethlehem (key of G)

Right click title below and "Save Target As"
to download Adrian V. Miller's
PDF Sheet Music of
The Baby Of Bethlehem (key of C)
The Baby Of Bethlehem (key of D)
The Baby Of Bethlehem (key of G)

(Acrobat Reader 5.0 version)

Richard Garber has offered three MP3
accompaniment tracks for "The Baby Of Bethlehem"

full orchestra with piano
full orchestra without piano
piano only

Rich Garber's description of his arrangement:
When I first listened to "The Baby of Bethlehem" MIDI, and then read the lyrics,
I was struck by the majesty of His master plan...   Such a ceremonial event that our Savior for all eternity should wrap Himself in a simple child. The inspiration of the moment led me to think the arrangement should be joyous, ceremonial and majestic though a baby is so small.
Celestial strings trumpet the start the arrangement and a tympani crescendo ushers in the melody. Upper strings dance about the melody giving way to a stately chorus upheld by pompous brass.
In the second stanza the lower strings do a pizzicato tip-toe countering the upper string dance while percussion beat out a march like cadence.
In the third stanza all joy breaks loose and the brass sing out their own anthem in tribute to Him. Bells toll the tiny victorious king as all evil soon will be defeated by His hand and the music speaks of a hope and joy when we will reign triumphantly with Him in a final salvo of tribute and frenzy.

I have been blessed. I found "The Baby Of Bethlehem" and thought that was sooooo beautiful!
I had to pleasure to play "The Baby Of Bethlehem" for a church in a
county North of me and the church paid me a good amount...
I donated it right back to the church. I play flute and... am starting a lot of
professional performance in churches... Keep up the great work.
The music is AWESOME! (email from Lisa)

You have our encouragement and permission
to duplicate and share this song for all "not-for-profit" purposes
(ie. corporate worship, overheads, songbooks, web sites, give-away copies).
Please contact New Hope for other uses. Thanks !!!

After listening to SATB arrangement from your site, I selected
two of your beautiful Carols "He Shall Be Called" & "The Baby Of Bethlehem"
and presented by my Choir during the Christmas programmes in
December 2003 and 2004. These were the best enjoyed among the
seventeen carols we presented. The tune and arrangement were indeed
exceptional and the effort is really commendable. May God bless you
and let you create more such carols to enable attracting many souls to His Kingdom.

(K.M.Thomas, Choir Director, CNI Immanuel Church, Mayur Vihar, New Delhi, India)

See Other Christmas Songs & Hymns

Our Family Immanuel
New lyrics by Kay Moreland

I plan to make a Christmas program for this year based around "The Baby Of Bethlehem"
and we are going to have a small orchestral ensemble of Jr/Sr High students playing
before, after and in parts of the program. I am actually a high
school science teacher and do the organization for the program with
another person doing the music parts with the children.

The Grades 5/6 are learning all verses and the Grades 1/2 and 3/4 are learning the
bridge and then we will have high school singers joining in on the bridge as well.
Our Grades 5/6 want to also sing "He Shall Be Called" as part of this year's program
as well; they like it so much so we will also make it part of the program.

We love your songs, thank you for allowing us to share them with others. (Sandy, from New York)

This page was last updated on 3/10/08

visits since 7/20/04

Ralph, you are blessed with such talent. I was first introduced to your music
and the New Hope web site when I was writing our Sunday School Christmas Eve
program for my church, Immanuel Lutheran in Orange, California. I was researching
Christmas music and came across your site. I fell in love with "The Baby of Bethlehem"
and the music played in my ear for days after.
(Kay, from California)