Additional verses 4 and 5 by Dr. Justus Jonas, 1544.
I had to shuffle some elements in the first verse to get a smoother English translation. I should note that "des Pabsts und Türken Mord" ("the murder of the Pope and Turks") seems to be a partitive genitive, not an objective genitive.
The second half of the fourth verse may be based on Psalm 7:15 (or other, similar passages): "He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made."
This hymn (the first three verses only) appears as "Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Thy Word" in The Lutheran Hymnal (#261) and as "Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word" in Lutheran Worship (#334) and The Lutheran Service Book (#655). In all, and as the Gesangbuch notes, the text is sung to "its own tune." Here's the TLH arrangement:
And here's an arrangement from Telemann's Fast allgemeines Evangelisch-Musicalisches Lieder-Buch:
This is the first hymn in a new section: "Lieder am Reformations-Fest. (Am 31. October.)" "Songs for the Feast of the Reformation (on 31 October)"
German text in the Gesangbuch:
1 Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott,
ein gute Wehr und Waffen;
er hilft uns frei aus aller Noth,
die uns jetzt hat betroffen.
Der alt böse Feind,
mit Ernst ers jetzt meint,
groß Macht und viel List
sein grausam Rüstung ist,
auf Erd ist nichts seins Gleichen.
2 Mit unser Macht ist nichts gethan,
wir sind gar bald verloren;
es streit für uns der rechte Mann,
den Gott selbst erkoren.
Fragst du, wer der ist?
Er heißt Jesus Christ,
der Herr Zeboath,
und ist kein ander Gott,
das Feld muß er behalten.
3 Und wenn die Welt voll Teufel wär
und wollt uns gar verschlingen,
so fürchten wir uns nicht so sehr,
es soll uns doch gelingen.
Der Fürst dieser Welt,
wie saur er sich stellt,
thut er uns doch nicht,
das macht, er ist gericht,
ein Wörtlein kann ihn fällen.
4 Das Wort sie sollen lassen stan
und kein Dank dazu haben;
er ist bei uns wohl auf dem Plan
mit seinem Geist und Gaben.
Nehmen sie den Leib,
Gut, Ehr, Kind und Weib;
laß fahren dahin,
sie habens kein Gewinn,
das Reich muß uns doch bleiben.
Ps. 46. Dr. M. Luther, 1529.
My prose translation:
1 A sturdy fortress is our God,
A good defense and weapon;
He helps us free out of all distress,
Which has now befallen us.
The old evil foe,
He now means it with earnestness;
Great might and much cunning
Are his cruel armaments;
On earth, nothing is like he.
2 With our might is nothing done;
We are very soon lost;
For us fights the right Man,
Whom God Himself chose.
Ask you Who He is?
He is called Jesus Christ,
The Lord of hosts,
And there is no other God;
He must hold the field.
3 And if the world were full of devils
And wanted to devour us completely,
We would not fear so much;
We would still succeed.
The prince of this world,
As sour as he sets himself,
Does nothing to us at all
It's done; he is judged;
A little word can fell him.
4 They should let the Word stand
And have no thanks for it;
He is with us on the plain
With His Spirit and gifts.
[If] they take our body,
Goods, honor, child, and wife:
Let [them] go;
They have no profit for it;
The kingdom must still remain ours.
Ps. 46. Dr. M. Luther, 1529.
The structure and context of part of the second verse recalls Psalm 24:8: "Who is the King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle!" "Wer ist der König der Ehre? Es ist der HERR, stark und mächtig, der HERR, mächtig im Streit."
This hymn appears as "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" in The Lutheran Hymnal (#262), Lutheran Worship (#297 and #298), and The Lutheran Service Book (#656 and #657). In all of these, and as the Gesangbuch notes, the text is sung to "its own melody." Here's the TLH arrangement:
And here's an arrangement from Telemann's Fast allgemeines Evangelisch-Musicalisches Lieder-Buch:
The lines "wir danken dir, daß deine Treu / bei uns ist alle Morgen neu" ("We thank You that Your faithfulness / With us is new every morning" seem to come from Lamentations 3:23: "They [the LORD's mercies] are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
I rearranged much of the second verse to get a smoother English translation. The second half of the verse is drawn from Psalm 91:12: "daß sie dich auf den Händen tragen und du deinen Fuß nicht an einen Stein stoßest." "On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone."
The first part of the third verse seems to be patterned on Psalm 8:4: "what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" In the German Psalter, though, it's Psalm 8:5: "was ist der Mensch, daß du seiner gedenkst, und des Menschen Kind, daß du dich seiner annimmst?"
I'm not sure I really understood the fifth verse.
Part of the eighth verse may refer to Psalm 34:7: "The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them."
I had to shuffle around some elements within the seventh through ninth verses (and to a lesser degree also in the tenth) to get smoother English translation, but I'm not sure I understood how "der ganzen Welt" ("the whole world") fits into the sense of the seventh verse.
Part of the tenth verse refers to Luke 16:22: "'The poor man [Lazarus] died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side.'" The "Holy! Holy! Holy!" in the same verse could come from either Isaiah 6:3 or Revelation 4:8.
As far as I can tell, this hymn isn't in The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, or The Lutheran Service Book. According to the Gesangbuch, the text is sung to the tune "Nun freut euch, lieben Chr[isten g'mein]." Here's the TLH arrangement:
And here's an arrangement from Telemann's Fast allgemeines Evangelisch-Musicalisches Lieder-Buch:
5 And as he previously brought the world into distress,
He leads it still into death;
He is always ready to destroy
Church, Word, law, [and] all respectability.
6 Therefore he has neither rest nor calm,
Roars like a lion, pursues early and late,
Lays traps and ropes, needs false cunning
So that he spoils what is Christ-like.
7 Meanwhile, the company of angels keeps watch,
Which follows Christ always,
And protects Your Christendom
[And] resists the cunning of the devil.
8 We learn that from Daniel,
When he sat among the lions,
Like also from pious Lot
[Who] the angel helpt out of all distress.
9 Such that even the heat of the fire
Is spared and does no harm
To the boys in the hot flames;
The angel came to help them.
10 So God protects us still to-day by day
From the evil one and from many plagues
By the dear angels,
Who are given to us as guards.
11 Therefore we properly praise You
And eternally thank You, God,
As also the company of the dear angels
Praises You to-day and always.
12 And to ask You [that You would] always want
To be ready to call the same
To protect Your small flock
[And] so keep Your divine word in value.
Dr. Paul Eberus, 1566.
After the Latin of Ph. Melanchthon.
I moved around a few elements in the fifth verse to get a smoother English translation.
The description "brüllt wie ein Löw" in the sixth verse seems to come from part of 1 Peter 5:8: "Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." The same words are used in my German New Testament: "denn euer Widersacher, der Teufel, geht umher wie ein brüllender Löwe und sucht, wen er verschlinge."
Also in the sixth verse, the word spät (late) is purposely misspelled ("spat") so that it rhymes with "hat" from the previous line.
This hymn appears as "Lord God, We All to Thee Give Praise" in The Lutheran Hymnal (#254) as "Lord God, to You We All Give Praise" in Lutheran Worship (#189), and as "Lord God, to Thee We Give All Praise" in The Lutheran Service Book (#522). In all, the hymn is abbreviated from the above form: TLH has verses 1-7 and 11; LW has verses 1-3 and 11; LSB has verses 1-7 and 11.
According to the Gesangbuch, the text is sung to "its own tune." Here's an arrangement from Telemann's Fast allgemeines Evangelisch-Musicalisches Lieder-Buch:
TLH pairs the text with "Old Hundredth," which is very similar to "Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir," but LW pairs it with "Komm, Gott Schöpfer," and LSB pairs it with "Erhalt uns, Herr."
This is the first hymn in a new section: "Lieder am Michaelis-Fest. (Am 29. September.)" "Songs for the Feast of Michael (On 29 September)"
German text in the Gesangbuch:
1 Aus Lieb läßt Gott der Christenheit
viel Gutes widerfahren,
aus Lieb hat er ihr zubereit
viel tausend Engelscharen,
darum man fröhlich singen mag:
Heut ist der lieben Engel Tag,
die uns gar wohl bewahren.
2 Sie lagern sich, wenn kommt die Noth,
in Eil gefaßt sich machen
und reißen die, so fürchten Gott,
aus ihrer Feinde Rachen,
darum man fröhlich singen mag:
Heut ist der lieben Engel Tag,
die immer für uns wachen.
3 Sie führen auf den Straßen wohl
die Großen samt den Kleinen,
daß keiner Schaden leiden soll
an Füßen oder Beinen,
darum man fröhlich singen mag:
Heut ist der lieben Engel Tag,
die uns mit Treuen meinen.
Dr. G. Reimann, +1615.
My prose translation:
1 Out of love, God lets
Much good happen to Christendom;
Out of love He has prepared for it
Many thousand companies of angels;
Therefore one may sing cheerfully:
To-day is the day of the dear angels,
Who protect us very well.
2 They position themselves when distress comes,
Prepare themselves in a hurry
And snatch those who fear God
Out of the revenge of their enemies;
Therefore one may sing cheerfully:
To-day is the day of the dear angels,
Who always keep watch for us.
3 They lead well on the streets
The great along with the small,
So that no one should suffer injury
To foot or leg;
Therefore one may sing cheerfully:
To-day is the day of the dear angels,
Who regard us with faithfulness.
Dr. G. Reimann, +1615.
The lines "daß keiner Schaden leiden soll / an Füßen oder Beinen" ("So that no one should suffer injury / To foot or leg") in the third verse seem to refer to Psalm 91:11-12: "11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. 12 On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone." The phrase "Füßen oder Beinen" contains plurals ("Feet or legs"), but I translated them as singulars.
I translated "meinen" in the same verse as "regard" based more on the context than anything else. In other circumstances, I would translate it as mean or think, but those didn't seem to fit here.
As far as I can tell, this hymn isn't in The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, or The Lutheran Service Book. According to the Gesangbuch, the text is sung to "its own tune."
This is the first hymn (actually, the only hymn) in a new section: "Am Fest der Heimsuchung Maria (Am 2. Juli.)" "On the feast of the Visitation of Mary (on 2 July)"
German text in the Gesangbuch:
1 Mein Seel, o Gott, muß loben dich,
du bist mein Heil, des freu ich mich,
daß du nicht fraget nach weltlich Pracht
und hast mich Arme nicht veracht.
2 Und angesehn mein Niedrigkeit,
von jetzt an wird nun weit und breit
mich selig preisen jedermann,
du hast groß Ding an mir gethan.
3 Du bist auch mächtig, lieber Herr,
dein göttlich Macht stirbt nimmermehr,
dein Nam ist aller Ehren werth,
drum man dich billig lobt und ehrt.
4 Du bist barmherzig ingemein,
wer dich von Herzen fürcht allein,
und hilfst dem Armen immerdar,
wenn er muß leiden groß Gefahr.
5 Der Menschen Hoffart muß vergehn,
für deinem Arm kann nichts bestehn;
wer sich verläßt auf seine Pracht,
des hast du bald ein End gemacht.
6 Du machst zunicht der Menschen Rath,
das sind, Herr, deine Wunderthat;
was sie gedenken wider dich,
das gehet alles hinter sich.
7 Wer niedrig ist und klein geacht,
an dem übst du dein göttlich Macht
und machest ihn den Fürchten gleich,
den Reichen arm, den Armen reich.
8 Das thust du, Herr, zu dieser Zeit
und denkest der Barmherzigkeit,
Israel willst du helfen auf,
das ist dein auserwählter Hauf.
9 Wir habens nichts verdient um dich,
du fährest mit uns gnädiglich;
zu unsern Vätern ist geschehn ein Wort,
das hast du angesehn.
10 Ja, Abraham, dem theuren Mann,
dem hast du selbst ein Eid gethan
und ihm geredt das Himmelreich
und seinem Samen ewiglich.
11 Ehr sei jetzund und allezeit
der heiligen Dreifaltigkeit,
Gott Vater, Sohn, Heiligem Geist,
der uns sein Gnad täglich beweist.
12 Der woll uns Sündern gnädig sein,
behüten für der Höllen Pein
und nach dieser Vergänglichkeit
geben die ewge Seligkeit.
Barth. Gesius, 1601.
My prose translation:
1 My soul, O God, must praise You;
You are my Salvation; therefore I rejoice
That You do not ask for worldly splendor
And have not despised poor me.
2 And having seen my lowliness
From now on, far and wide,
Everone will hail me [as] blessed
[For] You have done great things for me.
3 You are also mighty, dear Lord;
Your divine might dies nevermore;
Your Name is worthy of all honor
Therefore one properly praises and honors You.
4 You are compassionate [ingemein]
[To him] who fears You alone from the heart,
And [You] always help the poor
When he must suffer great danger.
5 The pride of humans must pass away;
Nothing can withstand Your arm;
You have soon made an end
Of him who relies on his splendor.
6 You bring to ruin the counsel of humans;
Those are Your miracles, Lord;
What they think against You,
All that deceives them.
7 You practice Your divine might
On him who is humble and little respected
And make him like the [God-]fearing,
The rich [You make] poor; the poor [You make] rich.
8 You do that, Lord, at this time
And think of mercy;
You want to help Israel;
That is Your chosen people.
9 We have not earned it for You;
You go with us mercifully;
To our fathers a word has come;
You have seen that.
10 Yes, to Abraham, the dear man,
Have You Yourself sworn an oath
And promised the kingdom of Heaven to him
And to his offspring eternally.
11 Glory be now and always
To the holy Trinity,
God Father, Son, Holy Ghost,
Who shows us His mercy daily.
12 Who will be merciful to us sinners,
Protect from the anguish of hell,
And after this transience
Give eternal salvation.
Barth. Gesius, 1601.
I couldn't find a translation for "ingemein" (in the fourth verse) that fit this context.
I flipt the last two lines of the fifth verse and the first two lines of the seventh to get smoother English translations.
The last line of the seventh verse ("The rich [You make] poor; the poor [You make] rich") may allude to Luke 1:53: "'he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.'"
In the tenth verse, "geredt" means merely spoken, but that didn't seem to fit this context (especially with "das Himmelreich" as its direct object), so I translated it as "promised." Similarly, I translated "gethan" (done, made) as "sworn" because it fit the context better.
As far as I can tell, this hymn isn't in The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, or The Lutheran Service Book. According to the Gesangbuch, the text is sung to the tune "Herr Gott, dich loben alle." Here's an arrangement from Telemann's Fast allgemeines Evangelisch-Musicalisches Lieder-Buch:
I'm not sure I have the right sense of the third verse.
As far as I can tell, this hymn isn't in The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, or The Lutheran Service Book. According to the Gesangbuch, the text is sung to the tune "Herr Jesu Christ, meins." Here's the TLH arrangement (transposed from Bb major to C major):
And here are two arrangements from Telemann's Fast allgemeines Evangelisch-Musicalisches Lieder-Buch:
5 The defiance of the foes, the hand of the haters,
Although they have burned equally for wrath,
Want to break us, as man,
Death, and devil can coerce.
6 For this purpose has His heart moved Him,
[His heart] which carries itself with grace and goodness;
He has thought of His covenant,
Made long ago with Abraham.
7 As also on this, what He has
Sworn to him instead of an oath,
To give to those who are
Begotten by him, even the child's child.
8 So that, when we are redeemed
From the devil, death, and the torment of hell,
Everyone [would] serve Him his life long
Without fear and compulsion.
9 Righteous and holy in the world,
According to such kind that pleases Him,
Not as the wit of man conceives it,
With which one hurts himself in vain.
10 You child, you will be called a prophet
Of the Most High, who goes
Before his Lord
And prepares His way for Him.
11 Out of affectionate mercy,
By His strength, the sunrise visits us
Out of the heights in our suffering;
That is the gift and fruit of love.
12 So that those He finds in the darkness
And those who are in the shadow of death
Can be children of the light
Through His bright glow and shine.
13 That their feet stand rightly
And go on the way of peace,
Yes finally altogether at the same time
With joy go into the kingdom of Heaven.
Joh. Heermann, 1630.
I shuffled a few lines within a number of the verses to get smoother English translations.
Part of the third verse seems to come from Luke 1:69 ("and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David"), although the text in my German New Testament isn't very similar ("und hat uns aufgerichtet eine Macht des Heils im Hause seines Dieners David").
"Vor Zeiten" in the fourth verse literally means "before times," but I think it's intended with a meaning something like "long ago."
I'm not sure I really understood the fifth or seventh verses.
The tenth verse paraphrases Luke 1:76: "Und du, Kindlein, wirst ein Prophet des Höchsten heißen. Denn du wirst dem Herrn vorangehen, daß du seinen Weg bereitest." Similarly, the eleventh verse seems to be drawn from Luke 1:78: "durch die herzliche Barmherzigkeit unseres Gottes, durch die uns besuchen wird das aufgehende Licht aus der Höh." This similarity helpt greatly in the translation; I was pretty lost working from just the hymn text alone. Parts of the twelfth and thirteenth verses come from Luke 1:79 ("to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace"), although there isn't much resemblance between the hymn text and my German New Testament ("damit es erscheine denen, die sitzen in Finsternis und Schatten des Todes, und richte unsere Füße auf den Weg des Friedens"). The phrase "des Lichtes Kinder" ("children of the light") in the twelfth verse may come from Ephesians 5:8.
As far as I can tell, this hymn isn't in The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, or The Lutheran Service Book. According to the Gesangbuch, the text is sung to the tune "Herr Gott, dich loben all." Here's an arrangement from Telemann's Fast allgemeines Evangelisch-Musicalisches Lieder-Buch:
This is the first hymn in a new section: "Lieder am Fest Johannis des Täufers (Am 24. Juni.)" "Songs on the Feast of John the Baptist (on 24 June)"
German text in the Gesangbuch:
1 Es war die ganze Welt
von Mosis Fluch erschrecket,
bis St. Johannes hat
den Finger ausgestrecket
auf Jesum, welchen er
zum Heiland aller Welt
als sein Vorläufer hat
gezeigt und vorgestellt.
2 Vor dem er ungeborn
mit Freuden aufgesprungen,
zu dem er sich bekannt
mit unberedter Zungen
in seiner Mutter Leib
und mit Elias Geist
bei Groß und Kleinen ihn
gepredigt und geweist:
3 Sieh, das ist Gottes Lamm,
das unsre Sünde träget,
das sich der ganzen Welt
zum Opfer niederleget;
sieh, das ist Gottes Lamm,
bei dem man aller Sünd
Vergebung, Friede, Ruh
und alle Gnade findt.
4 Wohl dem, der dieses Lamm,
das uns Johannes weiset,
im Glauben fest ergrieft
und in dem Leben preiset.
Wer dieser Tauf gedenkt
und wahre Buße übt,
der wird von ihm auch sein
begnadet und geliebt.
5 So gib, du großer Gott,
daß wir Johannis Lehre
von Herzen nehmen an,
daß sich in uns bekehre,
was bös und sündlich ist,
bis wir nach dieser Zeit
mit Freuden gehen ein
zu deiner Herrlichkeit.
Dr. Joh. Gottfr. Olearius, +1711.
My prose translation:
1 The whole world was
Frightened by Moses' curse
Until St. John
Stretched out his finger
To Jesus, Whom he,
As his forerunner,
Showed and prefigured
As Savior of the world.
2 Before Him, he, unborn,
Leapt with joy;
He professed Him
With unspeaking tongue
In the womb of his mother
And with Elijah's spirit
To great and small
Preached and pointed to Him:
3 Look, that is God's Lamb,
Who bears our sin,
Who lies down as the sacrifice
For the whole world;
Look, that is God's Lamb,
With Whom one finds
Forgiveness of all sin,
Peace, rest, and all mercy.
4 Well is he who in faith
Firmly grasps this Lamb,
To Whom John points for us,
And praises in his life.
He who has thought of this baptism
And practices true repentance
Will by Him also be
Blessed and loved.
5 So grant, You great God,
That we take John's teaching
To heart
So that in us, it converts
What is evil and sinful
Until we, after this time
With joy, enter
Your splendor.
Dr. Joh. Gottfr. Olearius, +1711.
I shuffled some lines near the ends of the first and third verses and the beginning of the fourth verse to get smoother English translations.
The first part of the second verse summarizes the events in Luke 1:39-45. "Bei Groß und Kleinen" ("To great and small") is a merism.
The first two lines of the third verse ("Sieh, das ist Gottes Lamm, / das unsre Sünde träget" "Look, that is God's Lamb, / Who bears our sin") come nearly verbatim from part of John 1:29: "Siehe, das ist Gottes Lamm, das der Welt Sünde trägt!" "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" I translated them a bit less formally.
This hymn appears as "When All the World Was Cursed" in The Lutheran Hymnal (#272), Lutheran Worship (#187), and The Lutheran Service Book (#346), although the LSB version omits the fourth verse. In all of these, and as the Gesangbuch notes, the text is sung to the tune "Was frag' ich nach der Welt." Here's the TLH arrangement:
I don't know why the clauses "daß er alleine König sei" in the first verse and "daß du alleine König seist" in the eight have subjective verbs ("that He alone would be King," "that You alone would be King"), unless it's just to set up the rhymes with "treu" and "Geist." In my translation, I rendered them as a regular indicatives ("that He alone is King," "that You alone are King").
I think it's interesting that in the line "Ein Wesen, drei Personen" at the end of the first and eighth verses, "Ein" is capitalized to mark it as the numeral (one) rather than the indefinite article (a).
I couldn't find a translation for "eräuget" in the third verse. I translated it as "made visible" based partly on the word's resemblance to Augen (eye) and partly on the context, which seems to draw from Galatians 4:4: "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law."
Usually, I would translate "wendet" as "turns," but that didn't quite fit the context here (in verse 6). Instead, I translated it as "assigns" ("And assigns His glory to creatures!").
I couldn't find a translation for "dermaleins" in the eighth verse. I translated it as "once" (the conjunction, not the adverb) based more on the context and to some degree on the word's constituent parts, too.
As far as I can tell, this hymn isn't in The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, or The Lutheran Service Book. According to the Gesangbuch, the text is sung to the tune "Christ, unser Herr, zum J[ordan kam]." Here's an arrangement from Telemann's Fast allgemeines Evangelisch-Musicalisches Lieder-Buch:
That You are true God and are called: God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Threefold and yet united.
3 O Father, source and origin
Of all things, be praised
For all wonders clear and bright,
Established by Your might;
You, Father, before all time
Have from eternity
Begotten the only Son, Your image.
4 You have made the earth
According to Your pleasure
[And] us people on it, for Your praise,
So that we ring out Your praise;
Also by the word of Your mouth
[You] maintain and govern
All this forever.
5 Therefore stand, O Father, with
Us, Your poor children,
And forgive us all guilt
As repentant sinners;
Out of our manifold distress
Save us and help us soon,
As You have promised us.
6 O Jesus Christ, Son of God,
From eternity begotten,
Also chosen as the Mediator
On Heaven's throne for us men,
Through You was made all that was made,
O true God, O true Light
From true God and Light!
7 You are the image of the Father
And [are] come from Heaven;
Just when the time was fulfilled,
You have taken on flesh,
Have acquired God's grace for us,
[And] paid for our sin and guilt
By Your innocent suffering.
8 Now You sit at the right hand
Of the Father, lifted up high;
[You] govern all people and lands
And subdue the raving of the foes.
Help us, O true Man and God,
We want to thank You
For Your death and all [Your] good deeds.
9 O Holy Ghost, You worthy Crown,
Enlighten our minds,
You Who from the Father and the Son
Proceed without beginning;
You are omnipotent and without end;
The Father and the Son send You
To lead us in the faith.
10 Lord, You have borne us
Again anew through baptism;
Afterwards You also take us up
When You give true repentance;
Through You, our hope becomes firm,
And when all the world leaves us,
You remain with us in [our] hearts.
11 We humbly ask You
That that which we often bring before You
Through sighs in our distresses
May indeed be passed through;
And when the last hour is there,
So help, that we die confidently and blessedly
In Jesus Christ.
12 God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
For all mercy and goodness
Be always praised by us
With a cheerful heart:
The host of Heaven sounds your praise
And sings, "Holy! Holy! Holy!"
We do that also on earth.
Dr. Justus Gesenius, +1671.
I had to shuffle some elements within the many of the verses to get smoother English translations.
"Erdenkreis" in the fourth verse is something like "circle of the earth," but I translated it simply as "earth."
"Ferner" in the fifth verse seems to be present merely to add some syllables to that line, so I left it out of my translation. It means "moreover," and this seemed unnecessary since "therefore" is already in the line. Initially, I got confused because it's similar to fern, which means distant (or further as a comparative adjective or adverb), but "stand further with us" doesn't make any sense.
I couldn't find a translation for "geschicht" in the sixth verse. I ended up translating the whole line ("durch dich geschicht, was nur geschicht") as "Through You was made all that was made" based more on its resemblance to John 1:3 ("All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made."), although there's no resemblance here with the text of my German New Testament.
A line in the seventh verse ("als eben war die Zeit erfüllt" "Just when the time was fulfilled") seems to be drawn from part of Galatians 4:4: "Als aber die Zeit erfüllt war..." "But when the fullness of time had come...."
I translated "ausgehest" in the ninth verse as "proceed," based more on the Nicene Creed's "who proceeds from the Father and the Son" than from any suggestions my dictionary provided.
The "Holy! Holy! Holy!" in the twelfth verse comes from either Isaiah 6:3 or Revelation 4:8.
As far as I can tell, this hymn isn't in The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, or The Lutheran Service Book. According to the Gesangbuch, the text is sung to the tune "Nun freut euch, lieben Chr[isten g'mein]." Here's the TLH arrangement:
And here's an arrangement from Telemann's Fast allgemeines Evangelisch-Musicalisches Lieder-Buch:
"Früh und spat" ("early and late") in the first verse is a temporal merism. Spät is purposely altered so that it rhymes with "hat" in a later line.
I'm not confident in my translation of "dem billig" as "fairly." Usually, I would translate "billig" as cheap, but that certainly doesn't fit the context here. My dictionary suggests "just" and "fair," but I think those are more in a commercial sense of trade or bartering. The preceding "dem" indicates that it's in the dative case, which I can't make any sense out of.
I had to shuffle some lines in the fourth verse to get a smoother English translation. The image of the vine is similar to that in John 15:5.
As far as I can tell, this hymn isn't in The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, or The Lutheran Service Book. According to the Gesangbuch, the text is sung to the tune "Helft mir Gotts Güte pr[eisen]." Here's the TLH arrangement: