Ke, ku la ia, ku la.
Pilia, ku lalani, ku la.
O pouli la, poeleele la.
Opu kalakala, lau ia, e ku’ la.
He Akua nui, he Akua mana,
He Akua ola, he Akua mau
O’Iehova he Kamahele mai ka lani mai;
He Akua noho i ka iuiu,
O ka welelau o ka makani,
Iloko o ke ao kaa lelewa.
He ohu ku i ka honua,
He onohi ku i ka moana,
Ieku, ko makou Kalahala.
Arise, stand up, stand.
Fill up the ranks, stand in rows, stand.
Lest we be in darkness, in black night.
Ye thorny-hearted, assemble, a multitude, stand.
A great God, a mighty God,
A living God, an everlasting God,
Is Jehovah, a Visitor from the skies;
A God dwelling afar off, in the heights,
At the further end of the wind,
In the rolling cloud, floating in the air.
A light cloud resting on the earth,
A rainbow standing in the ocean,
Is Jesus, Our Redeemer.
(Portion of Hewahewa’s Prayer)
At the close of a Makahiki ceremony marking the time of Lono, the Hawaiian god of peace, agriculture, the weather and healing, a prophecy was given that Lono would return in a small black box and the people would not know him or recognize the language he spoke. (alohakeakua)
“I knew the wooden images of deities, carved by our own hands, could not supply our wants, but worshipped them because it was a custom of our fathers … My thought has always been, there is one only great God, dwelling in the heavens.” (Hewahewa; Thurston)
Hewahewa, the last high priest of the ancient regime in these islands, was a great favorite with the high chiefs and the royal family.
He foresaw the coming of the missionaries and instructed his awa-chewer to run in front of the house, near the shore where the royal family were living, and call out, “E ka lani e, ina aku ke akua a pae mai.” O King, the god will soon land yonder, pointing, as he spoke.
A few days later, April 4, 1820, the Pioneer Company of missionaries arrived at that very spot aboard the brig Thaddeus, bringing with them the new god.
In commemoration of this incident the spot received the name, “Kai-o-ke-akua,” the sea of the god, by which name it has ever since been called (it is now more commonly called Kailua.)
During the next few days the missionaries had audience with royalty and earnestly presented the claims of their god for the worship of the people.
Their pleading made such an impression on the high chiefess, Kapiʻolani nui, that she told Hewahewa that the god had really landed, and expressed her willingness to accept the new religion.
This led Hewahewa, the chief religious leader of the kingdom, to prepare his prayer as a welcome to the new god who had so recently arrived. (Emerson)
Reportedly, the missionaries carried a ‘black box’ (a box or baggage holding the Bible.)
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