"Nun komm, der Heiden" (#36)

German text in the Gesangbuch:

Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland,

der Jungfrauen Kind erkannt,

des sich wunder alle Welt,

Gott solch Geburt ihm bestellt.

Nicht von Manns Blut noch vom Fleisch,

allein von dem Heilgen Geist,

ist Gotts Wort worden ein Mensch

und blüht ein Frucht Weibesfleisch.

Der Jungfrau Leib schwanger ward,

doch blieb Keuschheit rein bewahrt,

leucht herfür manch Tugend schon,

Gott da war in seinem Thron.

Er ging aus der Kammer sein,

dem könglichen Sal so rein,

Gott von Art und Mensch ein Held,

sein Weg er zu laufen eilt.

Sein Lauf kam vom Vater her

und kehrt wieder zum Vater,

fuhr hinunter zu der Höll

und wieder zu Gottes Stuhl.

Der du bist dem Vater gleich,

führ hinaus den Sieg im Fleisch,

daß dein ewig Gottsgewalt

in uns das krank Fleisch enthalt.

Dein Krippen glänzt hell und klar,

die Nacht gibt ein neu Licht dar,

dunkel muß nicht kommen drein,

der Glaub bleibt immer im Schein.

Lob sei Gott dem Vater g'than,

Lob sei Gott seim eingen Sohn,

Lob sei Gott dem Heilgen Geist,

immer und in Ewigkeit.

Dr. M. Luther, 1524.

(Nach dem Latein. des Ambrosius.)

My prose translation:

Now come, Savior of the nations,

Recognized as child of the virgin.

All the world is surprised that

God appointed such a birth for Him.

Not of man's blood nor of flesh,

Only from the Holy Ghost,

Is God's Word become a man

And grows as a fruit of woman.

The virgin became pregnant

Yet retained pure chastity,

For this, many virtues already shone,

God was there on His throne.

He went out of His chamber,

Of the royal hall so pure,

God by nature of a champion of men.

He hurries to walk His way.

His course came from the Father here

And turns again to the Father,

Led down to hell

And again to God's throne.

You are alike to the Father,

Led to the victory in the flesh

So that Your eternal divine strength

May restrain the sick flesh in us.

Your manger shines bright and clear.

The night gives a new light to it.

Darkness must not come in there.

Faith always remains in the light.

Praise be to God the Father given,

Praise be to God His only Son,

Praise be to God the Holy Ghost,

Always and in eternity.

Dr. M. Luther, 1524.

(After the Latin of Ambrosius.)

I'm not too confident about my translation of the line "Leucht herfür manch Tugend schon," which I rendered as "For this, many virtues already shone."

The line "Lob sei Gott dem Vater g'than" is actually "Praise be to God the Father done," but "Praise to God the Father given" sounds better.

This hymn appears as "Savior of the Nations, Come" in The Lutheran Hymnal (#95), Lutheran Worship (#13), and The Lutheran Service Book (#332), although the TLH version lacks the fourth verse.  I was already pretty familiar with the LSB version, and I'll admit that at times, I was thinking about it as I was doing my own translation.  In all three of these hymnals and as the Gesangbuch notes, the text is sung to "its own melody."  Because it's one of my favorite tunes, I'm embedding a couple different recordings I've done.

The TLH arrangement done on stringed instruments:

The TLH arrangement done on three recorders:

Georg Philipp Telemann's arrangement from Fast allgemeines Evangelisch-Musicalisches Lieder-Buch, done on organ: