"Hallelujah chorus" from Messiah - George Frederic Handel

Translated into ASL by David Bar-Tzur

Created 18 March 2008, links updated monthly with the help of LinkAlarm.

EXPLANATION OF THE GLOSSING SYSTEM
(to understand how I describe the signs in this translation).

||: (3x) HALLELUJAH-lf, HALLELUJAH-rt, HALLELUJAH-ctr. :|| HALLELUJAH-ctr.

||: KNOW-THAT THE-rt LORD GOD ALL-POWERFUL REIGNS.
HALLELUJAH-lf, HALLELUJAH-rt, HALLELUJAH-ctr. HALLELUJAH-ctr. :||

KNOW-THAT THE-rt LORD GOD ALL-POWERFUL REIGNS.
||: (4x) HALLELUJAH-lf, HALLELUJAH-rt, HALLELUJAH-ctr. :|| HALLELUJAH-lf, HALLELUJAH-rt.

KINGDOM HERE OUR WORLD BECOME
OUR LORD HIS-rt KINGDOM ||: AND HIS-rt CHRIST; :||
||: (4x) AND HE-lf SHALL REIGN FOREVER-AND-EVER. :||

||: (3x) KING SUPREME FOREVER-AND-EVER. HALLELUJAH-lf, HALLELUJAH-rt.
AND LORD SUPREME FOREVER-AND-EVER. HALLELUJAH-lf, HALLELUJAH-rt. :||

KING SUPREME AND LORD SUPREME,
||: AND HE-lf SHALL REIGN FOREVER-AND-EVER. :||

KING SUPREME FOREVER-AND-EVER.
HALLELUJAH-lf, HALLELUJAH-rt!

AND HE-lf SHALL REIGN ||: FOREVER-AND-EVER, :||
||: KING SUPREME AND LORD SUPREME. :||
AND HE-lf SHALL REIGN FOREVER-AND-EVER.

KING SUPREME AND LORD SUPREME
||: HALLELUJAH-lf, HALLELUJAH-rt. :||
(pause, then very drawn out) HALLELUJAH-ctr.


Notes: The signs between "||:" and ":||" are to be repeated.

HALLELUJAH-lf, HALLELUJAH-rt, HALLELUJAH-ctr - Twist > lf and sign Hallelujah! (CLAP-HANDS~CELEBRATE + open hands into (2h)[5] while lifting), twist > rt and sign Hallelujah!, finally come back to center and sign Hallelujah!

KNOW-THAT - Starts like KNOW but twists and descends, looking almost like DON'T-KNOW except the hand twists down at the end.

THE - Underlined words are honorific indices ("indexes"), using the FT of the upturned palm to indicate who is being honored.

ALL-POWERFUL - COMPLETE POWERFUL, that is, (2h)[B^], DH circles around and lands in the palm of NDH, PO up, FO > DS + FT of [C] strike biceps and immediately pull away. For a QuickTime file of COMPLETE, see ASL Pro: Whole.

REIGNS - CONTROL.

KINGDOM - KING + [5], PO down, FO away, circles horizontally. For an animated gif of this sign, see Valley Bible Church - ASL dictionary: Kingdom.

FOREVER-AND-EVER - ALWAYS + DH [Y], PO > signer, FO up, swings outwards with PO turning away. With DH still held in its final position, NDH [Y], PO > signer, FO up, swings outwards with PO turning away.

SUPREME - (2h)[A], FOs away, DH starts below NDH and arcs around it until it is on top.

Lyrics:

||: (10x) Hallelujah! :||

For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.
||: (4x) Hallelujah! :||

For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.
||: (4x) Hallelujah! :||

For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.
||: (14x) Hallelujah! :||

The kingdom of this world is become
the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and of His Christ;
||: (4x) and He shall reign for ever and ever. :||

||: (3x) King of Kings, for ever and ever. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
and Lord of Lords, for ever and ever. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! :||

King of Kings, and Lord of Lords,
||: and He shall reign for ever and ever. :||

King of Kings
for ever and ever. ||: Hallelujah!:||

And He shall reign ||: for ever and ever, :||
||: King of Kings,
and Lord of Lords, :||
and He shall reign for ever and ever,

King of Kings,
and Lord of Lords.
||: (5x) Hallelujah! :||

treble clef as a symbol for musicTo hear a performance of this song, go to Hallelujah - G.F. Handel "Messiah" - Bethany College Choir.

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