Was fürchtst du Feind Herodes sehr,daß uns geborn kommt Christ, der Herr?Er sucht kein sterblich Königreich,der zu uns bringt sein Himmelreich.Dem Stern die Weisen folgen nach,solch Licht zum rechten Licht sie bracht;sie zeigen mit den Gaben drei,dies Kind Gott, Mensch und König sei.Die Tauf im Jordan an sich nahmdas himmelische Gotteslamm,dadurch, der nie kein Sünde that,von Sünden uns gewaschen hat.Ein Wunderwerk da neu geschah,sechs steinern Krüge man da sahvoll Wassers, das verlor sein Art,rother Wein durch sein Wort draus ward.Lob, Ehr und Dank sei dir gesagt,Christ, geborn von der reinen Magd,mit Vater und dem Heilgen Geist,von nun an bis in Ewigkeit.Dr. M. Luther, 1541.(Verdeutschung von Sedulii Hymnus: Herodes hostis impie.)
My prose translation:
What do you greatly fear, enemy of HerodThat born to us comes Christ, the Lord?He looks for no mortal kingdomWho brings to us His Heavenly kingdom.The wise men follow the star;Such light brings them to the true Light;They show with the three giftsThis Child to be God, Man, and King.The heavenly Lamb of GodTook upon Himself the baptism in the JordanThrough which He Who never did any sinHas washed us of sins.A miracle there happened anew;One saw six stone jarsFull of water that lost its nature,Became red wine through His Word.Praise, honor, and thanks be said to You,Christ, born of the pure maiden,With Father and the Holy Ghost,from now on into eternity.Dr. M. Luther, 1541.(German translation of the hymn of Sedulii: Herodes hostis impie.)
I'm not exactly sure what grammatical case "Herodes" is in. I'm assuming it's genitive ("of Herod"), but this doesn't seem to make much sense in the context.
The fourth verse describes the Wedding at Cana, recounted in John 2:1-11.
As far as I can tell, this hymn isn't present in The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, or The Lutheran Service Book. According to the Gesangbuch, the text is sung to "its own melody."