"Herr Zebaoth, dein heilges" (#173)

German text in the Gesangbuch:

1 Herr Zebaoth, dein heilgens Wort,

welchs du uns hast gegeben,

daß wir darnach an allem Ort

solln richten Lehr und Leben,

ist worden kund

aus deinem Mund

und in der Schrift beschrieben rein,

schlecht und recht

durch deine Knecht,

vom Heilgen Geist getrieben.

2 Dies Wort, welchs jetzt in Schriften steht,

ist fest und unbeweglich;

zwar Himmel und die Erd vergeht,

gotts Wort bleibt aber ewig;

kein Höll, kein Plag,

noch jüngster Tag

vermag es zu vernichten,

drum denen soll

sein ewig wohl,

die sich darnach recht richten.

3 Es ist vollkommen, hell und klar,

die Nichtschnur reiner Lehre;

es zeigt uns auch ganz offenbar

Gott, sein Dienst und Ehre

und wie man soll

hier leben wohl,

Lieb, Hoffnung, Glauben üben;

drum fort und fort

wir dieses Wort

von Herzen sollen lieben.

4 Im Kreuz gibts Luft [sic], in Traurigkeit

zeigt es die Freudenquelle;

den Sünder, dem sein Sünd ist leid,

entführet es der Hölle,

gibt Trost an Hand

und macht bekannt,

wie man soll willig sterben,

und wie zugleich

das Himmelreich

durch Christum zu ererben.

5 Sieh, solchen Nutz, so große Kraft,

die nimmer ist zu schätzen,

des Herrn Wort in uns wirkt und schafft,

darum wir sollen setzen

zurück Gold, Geld,

und was die Welt

sonst herrlich pflegt zu achten,

und jederzeit

in Lieb und Leid

nach dieser Perle trachten.

6 Nun, Herr, erhalt dein heilig Wort,

laß uns sein Kraft empfinden,

den Feinden steur an allem Ort

und laß es frei verkünden,

so wollen wir

dir für und für

von ganzen Herzen danken.

Herr, unser Hort,

laß uns dein Wort

fest halten und nicht wanken!

My prose translation:

1 Lord of hosts, Your holy word,

Which You have given us,

According to which we in every place

Should direct [our] teaching and life,

Is declared

Out of Your mouth

And in the purely written script,

Badly and rightly

By Your servants,

Driven by the Holy Ghost.

2 This word, which now stands in writing,

Is firm and immovable;

Indeed, heaven and the earth pass away;

God's word, however, remains eternally;

No hell, no plague,

Nor Judgement Day

Is able to eradicate it

Therefore they

Should be eternal

Who rightly direct themselves according to it.

3 It is perfect, bright and clear,

The [Nichtschnur] of pure teaching;

It shows us too quite clearly

God, His service and glory,

And how one should

Live well here;

Practice love, hope, faith;

Therefore continually

We should love

This word from the heart.

4 In the cross there is pleasure; in sadness

It shows the source of joy;

It abducts the sinner who is sorry for his sin

From hell,

Gives comfort on hand

And makes known

How one should willingly die

And at the same time

How to inherit

The kingdom of heaven through Christ.

5 Look, such benefit, such great strength

That is never to be treasured;

The word of the Lord works and is active in us

Therefore we should set

Behind gold, money,

And whatever the world

Otherwise marvelously tends to pay attention to,

And [we should] always

In love and suffering

Strive after this pearl.

6 Now, Lord, preserve Your holy word;

Let us feel its strength;

Drive the enemy from every place;

And let it be announced freely

So we want

Forever

To thank You from our whole heart.

Lord, our refuge,

Let us

Firmly hold Your word and not waver!

The lines "zwar Himmel und die Erd vergeht, / Gotts Wort bleibt aber ewig" in the second verse seem to be drawn from Luke 21:33:  "'Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.'"

I couldn't find a translation for "Nichtschnur" in the third verse.  The group "love, hope, and faith" seems to be drawn from 1 Corinthians 13:13.  At the end of the verse (and at the end of the fourth verse), I had to shuffle some elements to get a smoother English translation.

While the f and medial s are sometimes difficult to distinguish in the Gothic German script, I'm pretty sure the text does read "Im Kreuz gibts Luft" at the beginning of the fourth verse.  Obviously, this is an error, though, since "In the cross there is air" doesn't make any sense.

I also had to shuffle some elements in the shorter lines near the end of the sixth verse.

There are no author or time data accompanying this text.

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 "O Herre Gott, dein göttlich [Wort]."  Here's the TLH arrangement:

And here's an arrangement from Telemann's Fast allgemeines Evangelisch-Musicalisches Lieder-Buch:

"Gott sei uns gnädig und" (#172)

German text in the Gesangbuch:

1 Gott sei uns gnädig und barmherzig,

und geb uns seinen göttlichen Segen.

2 Er laß über uns sein Antlitz leuchten,

daß wir auf Erden erkennen seine Wege.

3 Es segne uns Gott, unser Gott,

es segne uns Gott und geb uns seinen Frieden.  Amen.

My prose translation:

1 May God be merciful and compassionate to us

And give us His divine blessing.

2 He lets His face shine over us

So that we on earth recognize His ways.

3 God, our God, blesses us;

God blesses us and gives us His peace.  Amen.

Part of the second verse refers to Numbers 6:25:  "The LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you."

There are no author or publication data for this text.

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 "its own tune."

"Es wollt uns Gott genädig" (#171)

German text in the Gesangbuch:

1 Es wollt uns Gott genädig sein

und seinen Segen geben;

sein Antlitz uns mit hellem Schein

erleucht zum ewgen Leben,

daß wir erkennen seine Werke

und was ihm liebt auf Erden,

und Jesus Christus Heil und Stärk

bekannt den Heiden werden

und sie zu Gott bekehren.

2 So danken, Gott, und loben dich

die Heiden über alle,

und alle Welt die freue sich

und sing mit großem Schalle,

daß du auf Erden Richter bist

und läßst die Sünd nicht walten,

dein Wort die Hut und Weide ist,

die alles Volk erhalten,

in rechter Bahn zu wallen.

3 Es danke, Gott, und lobe dich

das Volk in guten Thaten;

das Land bringt Frucht und bessert sich,

dein Wort is wohl gerathen.

Uns segen Vater und der Sohn,

uns segen Gott der Heilig Geist,

dem alle Welt die Ehre thu,

für ihm sich fürchte allermeist.

Nun sprecht von Herzen:  Amen.

Ps. 67.  Dr. M. Luther, 1524.

My prose translation:

1 God wants to be merciful to us

And give His blessing;

With bright light His face

Shines on us to eternal life

So that we recognize His works

And what loves Him on earth

And [so that] Jesus Christ as salvation and strength

Will be confessed to the heathens

And convert them to God.

2 So, God, the heathens praise You

Above all,

And the whole world [praises You], which rejoices

And sings with a great sound,

That You are judge on the earth

And do not let sin prevail;

Your Word is protection and pasture,

Which preserves all people

To go in the right path.

3 The people thank and praise You, God,

In good deeds;

The land brings forth fruit and improves;

Your word is well met.

The Father and the Son bless us;

God the Holy Ghost blesses us,

To Whom all the world does honor;

Fear Him most of all.

Now speak from the heart:  Amen.

Ps. 67.  Dr. M. Luther, 1524.

Part of the first verse ("sein Antlitz uns mit hellem Schein / erleucht" "With bright light His face / Shines on us") seems to be taken from Numbers 6:25:  "The LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you."

This hymn appears as "May God Bestow on Us His Grace" in The Lutheran Hymnal (#500) and The Lutheran Service Book (with two tunes, #823 and #824) and as "May God Embrace Us with His Grace" in Lutheran Worship (#288).  In all of these, and as the Gesangbuch notes, the text is sung to "its own tune," although somehow it changed from "Es wollt..." to "Es wolle..." in LW and LSB.  LSB also pairs it with "Elvet Banks" (#824).

I haven't gotten that far yet in recording the tunes in TLH, but here's an arrangement of the tune from Telemann's Fast allgemeines Evangelisch-Musicalisches Lieder-Buch:

"Es spricht der Unweisen M." (#170)

German text in the Gesangbuch:

1 Es spricht der Unweisen Mund wohl:

den rechten Gott wir meinen;

doch ist ihr Herz Unglaubens voll,

mit That sie ihn verneinen.

Ihr Wesen ist verderbet zwar,

für Gott ist es ein Greuel gar,

es thut ihr keiner kein gut.

2 Gott selbst vom Himmel sah herab

auf aller Menschen Kinden;

zu schauen sie, er sich begab,

ob er jemand würd finden,

der sein Verstand gerichtet hätt,

mit Ernst nach Gottes Worten thät

und fragt nach seinem Willen.

3 Da war niemand auf rechter Bahn,

sie warn all ausgeschritten;

ein jeder ging nach seinem Bahn

und hielt verlorne Sitten.

Es thät ihr keiner doch kein gut,

wiewohl gar viel betrog der Muth,

ihr Thun sollt Gott gefallen.

4 Wie lang wollen unwissen sein,

die solche Müh aufladen,

und fressen dafür das Volk mein

und nährn sich mit seim Schaden?

Es steht ihr Trauen nicht auf Gott,

sie rufen ihm nicht in der Noth,

sie wolln sich selbst versorgen.

5 Darum ist ihr Herz nimmer still

und steht allzeit in Furchten;

Gott bei den Frommen bleiben will,

dem sie mit Glauben g'horchen.

Ihr aber schmäht des Armen Rath

und höhnet alles, was er sagt,

daß Gott sein Trost ist worden.

6 Wer soll Israel, dem armen,

zu Zion Heil erlangen?

Gott wird sich seins Volks erbarmen

und lösen die Gefangen.

Das wird er thun durch seinen Sohn,

davon wird Jakob Wonne han

und Israel sich freuen.

Ps. 14. Dr. M. Luther, 1524.

My prose translation:

1 The mouth of the unwise speaks:

We refer to the true God;

Yet their heart is full of unbelief;

With deeds, they deny Him.

But their being is corrupted;

For God, it is an absolute horror;

It does no one any good.

2 God Himself lookt down from heaven

On all the children of men;

He proceeded to consider them,

Whether He would find someone

Who had directed his mind,

Would act with earnestness according to God's words,

And asks after His will.

3 There was no one on the right path;

They had all walkt out;

One went after his own path

And kept lost customs.

But it does none of them any good,

Although daring completely deceived many;

Their actions should please God.

4 How long will those loaded with such trouble

Be unknowing

And for it devour my people

And feed themselves with its harm?

Their trust does not stand in god;

They do not call Him in their distress;

They want to take care of themselves.

5 Therefore, their heart is never still

And always stands in fear;

God will remain with the devout,

Those who obey in faith.

You, however, disparage the advice of the poor

And mock everything that he says,

That God is become his comfort.

6 Who should attain salvation

For Israel, for the poor, in Zion?

God will have pity on His people

And release the captives.

He will do this through His Son;

From this Jacob will have delight

And Israel will rejoice.

Ps. 14. Dr. M. Luther, 1524.

I left "wohl" out of my translation of the first verse.  I often don't know quite how to translate it (translating it as "well" certainly doesn't fit this context), and its purposes here seem to be just to fill out the line and set up the rhyme for "voll."

Normally, I would translate "schauen" (in the second verse) as "look."  I'd already translated "sah" as "lookt," though, so I translated "schauen" as "consider."

I had to shuffle some elements in the first two lines of the fourth verse to get a smoother English translation.  I'm not sure if it's very clear, but the antecedent of "its" ("And feed themselves with its harm?") is "my people" from the previous line.

I also shuffled some elements in the first two lines of the sixth verse.

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 "its own tune."  Here's an arrangement from Telemann's Fast allgemeines Evangelisch-Musicalisches Lieder-Buch:

"Erhalt uns deine Lehre" (#169)

German text in the Gesangbuch:

1 Erhalt uns deine Lehre,

Herr, zu der letzten Zeit,

erhalt dein Reich, vermehre

dein edle Christenheit;

erhalt standhaften Glauben,

der Hoffnung Leitsternstrahl;

laß uns dein Wort nicht rauben

in diesem Jammerthal.

2 Erhalt dein Ehr und wehre

dem, der dir widerspricht,

erleucht, Herr, und bekehre,

allwissend ewig Licht,

was dich bisher nicht kennet,

entdecke doch der Welt

(der du dich Licht genennet),

was einig dir gefällt.

3 Erhalt, was du gebauet

und durch dein Blut erkauft,

was du dir hast vertrauet,

die Kirch, auf welch anlauft

der grimme Sturm des Drachen,

sei du ihr Schutz und Wall,

daß, ob die Welt will krachen,

sie nimmermehr verfall.

4 Erhalt, Herr, deine Schafe,

der grimme Wolf kommt an;

erwach aus deinem Schlafe,

weil niemand retten kann

ohn dich, du großer Hirte.

Leit uns auf gute Weid,

treib, nähr, erfreu, bewirthe

uns in der wüsten Haid.

5 Erhalt uns, Herr, dein Erbe,

dein werthes Heiligthum;

zerreiß, zerschmeiß, verderbe,

was wider deinen Ruhm.

Laß dein Gesetz uns führen,

gönn uns dein Himmelbrod [sic],

laß deinen Schmuck uns zieren,

heil uns durch deinen Tod.

6 Erhalt und laß uns hören

dein Wort, das selig macht,

den Spiegel deiner Ehren,

das Licht in dieser Nacht;

daß dieser Brunn uns tränke,

der Himmelsthau uns netz,

daß diese Richtschnur lenke,

der Honigseim ergötz.

7 Erhalt in Sturm und Wellen

dein Häuslein, laß doch nicht

uns Wind und Wetter fällen,

steur selbst dein Schiff und richt

den Lauf, daß wir erreichen

die Anfurt nach der Zeit,

und hilf uns Segel streichen

in selger Ewigkeit.

Adam Greigen, +1660.

My prose translation:

1 Preserve Your teaching for us,

Lord, to the last time;

Preserve Your kingdom; increase

Your noble Christendom;

Preserve steadfast faith,

The light of the guiding star of hope;

Let Your word not be taken away from us

In this vale of tears.

2 Preserve Your glory and resist

Those who speak against You;

Enlighten, Lord, and convert,

All-knowing, eternal Light,

Those who did not know You so far;

Discover still of the world

(Of which You are called the Light)

Those who please You.

3 Preserve what You have built

And bought by Your blood,

What You trust in for Yourself,

The church, on which runs

The fierce storm of the dragon;

May You be her protection and rampart

So that, if the world will burst,

She will nevermore fall.

4 Preserve, Lord, Your sheep;

The fierce wolf approaches;

Wake from Your sleep

Because no one can save

Without You, You great shepherd.

Lead us on good pasture,

Guide, nurture, gladden, feed

Us in the desolate heath.

5 Preserve us, Lord, Your heirs,

Your dear sacred ones;

Tear, smash, ruin

Whatever is against Your glory.

Let Your law lead us;

Allow us Your bread of Heaven;

Let Your jewelry adorn us;

Heal us by Your death.

6 Preserve and let us hear

Your word, which makes blessed,

The mirror of Your glory,

The light in this night;

So that this well waters us,

The dew of Heaven moistens us,

So that this guiding principle pilots;

The honey delights.

7 Preserve in storm and waves

Your household; let not

Wind and weather cut us down;

Pilot Your ship Yourself and direct

Its course, so that we reach

The haven after the time

And help us spread the sail

In blessed eternity.

Adam Greigen, +1660.

I translated "widerspricht" in the second verse as "speak against," which is somewhere in between my dictionary's suggestions of contradict and oppose.  At the end of the verse, I translated "was einig dir gefällt" as "those who please You," but it's literally something more like "what few please You."

"Erwach aus deinem Schlafe" ("wake from Your sleep") in the fourth verse sort of contradicts Psalm 121:4:  "Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep."  For "treib" later in the verse, my dictionary suggested "drive," but this seemed too intense for this context, so I translated it as "guide."

For "Heiligthum" in the fifth verse, my dictionary suggested "(holy) shrine," "(sacred) relic," and "something sacred."  I translated it as "sacred ones."

This hymn appears as "Preserve Thy Word, O Savior" in The Lutheran Hymnal (#264), albeit with the fourth verse omitted.  As far as I can tell, it's not in Lutheran Worship or The Lutheran Service Book.  The Gesangbuch notes that the text is sung to the tune "Herzlich thut mich verlang[en]."  Here's the TLH arrangement: