Israel in Egypt, HWV 54 is a biblical oratorio by George Frideric Handel, widely believed to be based on a text by C. Jennens (also the compiler of the Messiah text). Premiered in 1739, it recycles music for previous compositions and reworks melodies by other composers. The first version of the piece is in three parts rather than two, the first part more famous as The ways of Zion do mourn, with altered text as "The sons of Israel do mourn" lamenting the death of Joseph. This section precedes the Exodus, which in the tripartite version is Part II rather than Part I.
