"Herr Gott, dich loben alle" (#156)

German text in the Gesangbuch:

1 Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir

und sollen billig danken dir

für dein Geschöpf der Engel schon,

die um dich schweben in deim Thron.

2 Sie glänzen hell und leuchten klar

und sehen dich ganz offenbar,

dein Stimm sie hören allezeit

und sind voll göttlicher Weisheit.

3 Sie feiern auch und schlafen nicht,

ihr Fleiß ist gar dahin gericht,

daß sie, Herr Christe, um dich sein

und um dein armes Häuselein.

4 Der alte Drach und böse Feind

für Neid, Haß und für Zorne brennt;

sein Dichten steht allein darauf,

wie von ihm werd zertrennt dein Hauf.

5 Und wie er vor hat bracht in Noth

die Welt, führt er sie noch in Tod;

Kirch, Wort, Gesetz, all Ehrbarkeit,

zu tilgen, ist er stets bereit.

6 Darum kein Rast noch Ruh er hat,

brüllt wie ein Löw, tracht früh und spat,

legt Garn und Strick, braucht falsche List,

daß er verderb, was christlich ist.

7 Indes wachet der Engel Schar,

die Christo folget immerdar,

und schützet deine Christenheit,

wehret des Teufels Listigkeit.

8 An Daniel wir lernen das,

da er unter den Löwen saß,

desgleichen auch dem frommen Lot

der Engel half aus aller Noth.

9 Dermaßen auch des Feuers Gluth

verschont und keinen Schaden thut

den Knaben in der heißen Flamm,

der Engel ihn'n zu Hilfe kam.

10 Also schützt Gott noch heut bei Tag

fürm Uebel und für mancher Plag

uns durch die lieben Engelein,

die uns zu Wächtern geben sein.

11 Darum wir billig loben dich

und danken dir, Gott, ewiglich,

wie auch der lieben Engel Schar

dich preisen heut und immerdar.

12 Und bitten dich, wollst allezeit

dieselben heißen sein bereit,

zu schützen deine kleine Heerd,

so hält dein göttlich Wort im Werth.

Dr. Paul Eberus, 1566.

Nach dem Latein. Ph. Melanchthons.

My prose translation:

1 Lord God, we all praise You

And should properly thank You

For Your creation of the angels,

Who glide around You on Your throne.

2 They shine brightly and glow clearly

And see You quite plainly;

They always hear Your voice

And are full of divine wisdom.

3 They also celebrate and do not sleep;

Their diligence is completely directed there

So that they are around You, Lord Christ,

And around Your poor household.

4 The old dragon and evil foe

Burns for envy, hate, and for rage;

His work stands on this alone:

How Your people will be torn apart by him.

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."