1 O Herr, dein seligmachend Wortist lang verdunkelt blieben,da sie fast nichts an allem Ort,als Menschensatzung trieben;des Glaubens Kraft ward nicht gedacht,wie man dir fest soll trauenund alles andern ungeachtallein auf Christum bauen.2 Die Heilgen wurden immerdarzu Fürbitt hergezähletund endlich überdies noch garzu helfen auserwählet,da du doch, Gott, der Helfer bistim Himmel und auf Erden,der nur im Namen Jesu Christwill angerufen werden.3 Im Nachtmahl Christi Leib und Blutist eingesetzt zu gebenmit Brod [sic] und Wein, kommt uns zu gut,stärkt uns zum ewgen Leben;ein Opfer wards hernach genennt,die Hostie sie umtragen,das heilge Blut im Sacramentden Laien sie versagen.4 Die Werke, die man da befahl,hat eigen Witz erfunden;der Aberglaub ward allzumalsaufs strengste eingebunden;was aber du geboten hast,das war nicht noth zu wissen,wenn man nur sonst die Menschenlastzu tragen war beflissen.5 Dies zu erlangen, ist die Listvornehmlich die gewesen:die Schrift, die doch die Richtschnur ist,hat man nicht dürfen lesen;so waren denn die meisten Leutgar leichtlich zu betrügen,sie wußten nicht den Unterschiedder Wahrheit und der Lügen.6 Drauf hat man viel nach eignem Sinnzum Gottesdienst erdichtet,denselben auch blos auf Gewinnund Gleißnerei gerichtet.Das göttlich Wort verborgen lag,man konnt es selten hören,der Menschentand mußt alle Tagmit Haufen sich vermehren.7 Und wenn man gleich das schwere Jochhatt lange Zeit getragen,so bleib man doch im Zweifel nochund konnte keiner sagen,ob er damit hätt gnug gethan,den Himmel zu erwerben,und wenn die letzte Noth trat an,mußt er im Zweifel sterben.8 Dir, Herr, sei ewig Preis und Ehr,daß wir zur Wahrkeit kommen,und daß du hast durch reine Lehrdie Blindkeit weggenommen,.Wir wissen, wer auf Christum traut,dem wird das ewge Leben;wenn er im Glauben den anschaut,ist ihm die Sünd vergeben.9 Er thut drauf durch des Höchsten Gnadund dessen Geistes Stärke,was Gott zu thun befohlen hat,als rechte gute Werke.Daß er im Fried, Geduld und Freud,in Keuschheit, Demuth, Liebe,Güt, Sanftmuth und Bescheidenheitohn Heuchlei sich übe.10 So viel sagt uns des Herren Mund,dabei wir müssen bleiben,wir lassen uns von diesem Grundauch keinen Engel treiben,und wird von uns die große Güt,die Gott uns hat erwiesen,allzeit mit dankbarem Gemütherkannt und hoch gepriesen.11 O Herr, in Gnaden doch bekehr,die noch im Irrweg gehen,und denen mächtig steur und wehr,die dir, Gott, widerstehen.Laß niemand zu, daß er dein Wortund seinen Lauf kann hindern,erhalt es lauter fort und fortnach uns auch unsern Kindern.Dr. Justus Gesenius, +1671.
My prose translation:
1 O Lord, Your sanctifying WordHas long remained darkened,As they have driven it from every placeAs nothing more than statutes of men;The strength of faith is no longer remembered,As one should firmly trust in YouAnd pay no attention to anything else[And] build only on Christ.2 The holy ones will alwaysBe counted in the intercessionAnd finally, moreover,Still chosen to help,Since You, God, are the HelperIn heaven and on earth,Who only in the name of Jesus ChristWill be called.3 In the evening meal, the body and blood of ChristIs used, given with bread and wine;[It] comes to our good,Strengthens us for eternal life;Afterwards, it is called a sacrifice;The host they carry away;The holy blood in the SacramentThey deny to the laymen.4 The works that one has ordered thereHave made up their own joke;The superstition became altogetherBound most severely;But that which You have offeredWas not to know misery,When one otherwiseWas only keenTo carry the burden of man.5 To attain thisHas been the main trick:One has not been allowed to readThe Scripture, which indeed is the guiding principle;So most people thenCame to utter carelessness;They did not know the difference[Between] the truth and the lies.6 Based on them, one has fabricated muchFor the church service according to his own sense;By the same [he has] also directed muchMerely to profit and hypocrasy.The divine word lay hidden;One could rarely hear it;All day, the rubbish of menMust increase with crowds.7 And when one has carriedThe heavy yoke for a long time,Still one remained in doubtAnd could say to no oneWhether he had done enough with itTo earn Heaven,And when the last plight started,He must die in doubt.8 To You, Lord, be eternal praise and gloryThat we have come to the truthAnd that through pure teachingYou have taken the blindness away.We know that whoever trusts in ChristWill [have] eternal life;When he looks at Him in faith,His sin is forgiven.9 He does, then, by the mercy of the Most HighAnd the strength of the SpiritWhat God has commanded [him] to do,As true good works.So that in peace, patience, and joy,In chastity, humility, love,Goodness, gentleness, and modestyWithout hypocrasy, he trains himself.10 The mouth of the Lord says so much to us;We must stick to it;We do not let even an angelDrive us from this ground,And the great goodThat God has shown to usWill always be recognized and highly praisedBy us with a thankful heart.11 O Lord, in mercy reclaimThose who still go astrayAnd those who mightily pilot and defendThose who resist You, God.Allow that no one can hinderYour word and its course;Maintain it pure continuallyFor us and also for our children.Dr. Justus Gesenius, +1671.
I shuffled some elements in the first verse to get a smoother English translation, but there are parts that I'm unsure about, chiefly "sie," which I reluctantly translated as an indefinite "they." The last line may refer to Matthew 7:24-27, where Jesus explains that the one who hears His words and does them is like a man who built his house on a rock.
I'm not sure I translated (or even understood) the second or third verses correctly.
I flipt two lines in the fifth verse so that it's a bit easier to understand ("One has not been allowed to read / The Scripture..." instead of the inverted "The Scripture... one has not been allowed to read"). The only translation I could find for "leichtlich" was "easy," but that didn't really fit this context. I translated it as "carelessness."
I'm not sure if I have the line breaks in the right places in the second half of the ninth verse.
I also had to shuffle some elements in the tenth and eleventh verses to get smoother English translations. Part of the eleventh verse may refer to Isaiah 55:11: "'so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.'"
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 "Durch Adams Fall ist ganz." Here are two arrangements from Telemann's Fast allgemeines Evangelisch-Musicalisches Lieder-Buch: