1 O heiligste Dreifaltigkeitvoll Majestät und Ehren,wie kann doch deine Christenheitdein Lob genug vermehren?Du bist sehr hoch und wundersam,ganz unbegrieflich ist dein Nam,dein Wesen unerforschlich.2 Wir danken dir, daß deine Gnad,auch weil wir hie noch leben,in deinem Worte so viel hatuns offenbar gegeben,daß du bist wahrer Gott und heißst:Gott Vater, Sohn und Heilger Geist,dreifaltig und doch einig.3 O Vater, aller Dinge Quellund Ursprung, sei gepreisetfür alle Wunder klar und hell,durch deine Macht erweiset;du Vater hast vor aller Zeitden eingen Sohn von Ewigkeit,dein Ebenbild, gezeuget.4 Du hast gemacht den Erdenkreisnach deinem Wohlgefallen,uns Menschen drauf, zu deinem Preis,daß wir dein Lob erschallen;auch wird durch deines Mundes Wortdies alles immer fort und forterhalten und regieret.5 Drum steh, o Vater, ferner beiuns, deinen armen Kindern,und alle Schulden uns verzeih,als bußfertigen Sündern;aus unsern Nöthen mannigfalterrette uns und hilf uns bald,wie du uns hast versprochen.6 O Jesu Christe, Gottes Sohn,von Ewigkeit geboren,uns Menschen auch ins Himmels Thronzum Mittler auserkoren,durch dich geschicht, was nur geschicht,o wahrer Gott, o wahres Lichtvom wahren Gott und Lichte!7 Du bist des Vaters Ebenbildund doch vom Himmel kommen;als eben war die Zeit erfüllt,hast du Fleisch angenommen,hast uns erworben Gottes Huld,bezahlet unsre Sünd und Schulddurch dein unschuldig Leiden.8 Nun sitzest du zur rechten Handdes Vaters, hoch erhoben,beherrschest alle Leut und Landund dämpfst der Feinde Toben.Hilf uns, o wahrer Mensch und Gott,wir wollen dir für deinen Todund alle Wohlthat danken.9 O Heilger Geist, du werthe Kron,erleuchte unsre Sinnen,der du vom Vater und dem Sohnausgehest ohn Beginnen;du bist allmächtig und ohn End,der Vater und der Sohn dich sendt,im Glauben uns zu leiten.10 Herr, du gebierest durch die Taufuns wiederum aufs neue,hernacher auch nimmst du uns auf,wenn du gibst wahre Reue;durch dich wird unsre Hoffnung fest,und wenn uns alle Welt verläßt,bleibst du bei uns im Herzen.11 Wir bitten dich demüthiglich,daß es mag ja durchdringen,was wir durch Seufzer oft vor dichin unsern Nöthen bringen;und wenn die letzte Stund da ist,so hilf, daß wir auf Jesum Christgetrost und selig sterben.12 Gott Vater, Sohn und Heilger Geist,für alle Gnad und Gütesei immerbar von uns gepreistmit freudigem Gemüthe:des Himmels Heer dein Lob erklingtund heilig! heilig! heilig! singt.Das thun wir auch auf Erden.Dr. Justus Gesenius, +1671.
My prose translation:
1 O most holy Trinity,Full of majesty and glory,How yet can Your ChristendomIncrease Your praise enough?You are very high and wondrous,Quite incomprehensible is Your Name;Your Being [is] unfathomable.2 We thank You that Your mercy,Even because we live here yet,Has clearly given usSo much in Your Word,That You are true God and are called:
God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,Threefold and yet united.3 O Father, source and originOf all things, be praisedFor all wonders clear and bright,Established by Your might;You, Father, before all timeHave from eternityBegotten the only Son, Your image.4 You have made the earthAccording 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 governAll this forever.5 Therefore stand, O Father, withUs, Your poor children,And forgive us all guiltAs repentant sinners;Out of our manifold distressSave us and help us soon,As You have promised us.6 O Jesus Christ, Son of God,From eternity begotten,Also chosen as the MediatorOn Heaven's throne for us men,Through You was made all that was made,O true God, O true LightFrom true God and Light!7 You are the image of the FatherAnd [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 guiltBy Your innocent suffering.8 Now You sit at the right handOf the Father, lifted up high;[You] govern all people and landsAnd subdue the raving of the foes.Help us, O true Man and God,We want to thank YouFor Your death and all [Your] good deeds.9 O Holy Ghost, You worthy Crown,Enlighten our minds,You Who from the Father and the SonProceed without beginning;You are omnipotent and without end;The Father and the Son send YouTo lead us in the faith.10 Lord, You have borne usAgain anew through baptism;Afterwards You also take us upWhen 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 YouThat that which we often bring before YouThrough sighs in our distressesMay indeed be passed through;And when the last hour is there,So help, that we die confidently and blessedlyIn Jesus Christ.12 God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,For all mercy and goodnessBe always praised by usWith a cheerful heart:The host of Heaven sounds your praiseAnd 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: