1 Du Volk, das du getaufet bistund deinen Gott erkennest,auch nach dem Namen Jesu Christdich und die Deinen nennest,nimms wohl in Acht und denke dran,wie viel dir Gutes sei gethanam Tage deiner Taufe.2 Du warst, noch eh du wurdst gebornund eh du Milch gesogen,verdammt, verstoßen und verlorn,darum, daß du gezogenaus deiner Eltern Fleisch und Blutein Art, die sich vom höchsten Gut,dem ewgen Gott, stets wendet.3 Dein Leib und Seel war mit der Sünd,als einem Gift, durchkrochen,und du warst nicht mehr Gottes Kind,nachdem der Bund gebrochen,den unser Schöpfer aufgericht,da er uns seines Bildes Lichtund herrlichs Kleid ertheilte.4 Der Zorn, der Fluch, der ewge Todund was in diesem allenenthalten ist für Angst und Noth,das war auf dich gefallen;du warst des Satans Sclav und Knecht,der hielt dich fest, nach seinem Recht,in seinem Reich gefangen.5 Das alles hebt auf einmal aufund schlägt und drückt es niederdas Wasserbad der heilgen Tauf,ersetzt dagegen wieder,was Adam hat verderbt gemachtund was wir selber durchgebrachtbei unserm bösen Wesen.6 Es macht dies Bad von Sünden losund gibt die rechte Schöne.Die Satans Kerker vor beschloß,die werden frei und Söhnedes, der da trägt die höchste Kron,der läßt sie, was sein einger Sohnererbt, auch mit ihm erben.7 Was von Natur vermaledeitund mit dem Fluch umfangen,das wird hier in der Tauf erneut,den Segen zu erlangen.Hier stirbt der Tod und würgt nicht mehr,hier bricht die Höll, und all ihr Heermuß uns zu Füßen liegen.8 Hier ziehn wir Jesum Christum anund decken unsre Schandenmit dem, was er für uns gethanund willig ausgestanden.Hier wäscht uns sein hochtheures Blutund macht uns heilig, fromm und gutin seines Vaters Augen.9 O großes Werk, o heilges Bad,o Wasser, dessen Gleichenman in der ganzen Welt nicht hat!kein Sinn kann dich erreichen.Du hast recht eine Wunderkraft,und die hat der, so alles schafft,dir durch sein Wort geschenket.10 Du bist ein schlechtes Wasser nicht,wies unsre Brunnen geben.Was Gott mit seinem Munde spricht,das hast du in dir leben.Du bist ein Wasser, das den Geistdes Allerhöchsten in sich schleußtund seinen großen Namen.11 Das halt, o Mensch, in allem Werthund danke für die Gaben,die dein Gott dir darin beschertund die uns alle laben,wenn nichts mehr sonst uns laben will;die laß, bis daß des Todes Zieltrifft, nicht ungepreiset.12 Brauch alles wohl, und weil du bistnun rein in Christo worden,so leb und thu auch als ein Christund halte Christi Orden,bis daß dort in der ewgen Freuder dir das Ehr- und Freudenkleidum deine Seele lege.Paul Gerhardt, 1667.
My prose translation:
1 You people who are baptizedAnd know your God,Also call yourselves and yoursAfter the Name Jesus Christ,Bear it well in mind and think aboutHow much good was done for youOn the day of your baptism.2 You were, before you were even bornAnd before you sucked milk,Condemned, cast out, and lost;Therefore, you are drawnOut of your parents' flesh and bloodTo a way that constantly turns youFrom the highest good, the eternal God.3 Your body and soul were crawled throughWith sin, as a poison,And you were no longer God's childSince the bond was broken,Which our Creator establishedWhen He granted us the Light of His ImageAnd marvelous clothing.4 The wrath, the curse, the eternal deathAnd what all these containIs for fear and distress,Which has fallen on you;You were the slave and servant of Satan,Who held you fast, according to his right,Caught in his kingdom.5 All that rises suddenly,And the waterbath of holy baptismStrikes and presses it down,Replaced against it againWhat Adam has ruinedAnd what we ourselves squanderedWith our evil nature.6 This bath frees from sinsAnd gives the true beauty.Those previously contained in Satan's prisonBecome free and sonsOf Him Who wears the highest crown,Who lets them also inheritWhat His only Son inherits.7 What is confounded by natureAnd surrounded with the curseBecomes renewed here in baptism,To gain the blessing.Here death dies and strangles no more;Here hell is broken, and all its armyMust lie at our feet.8 Here we put on Jesus ChristAnd cover our shameWith that which He has done for usAnd willingly risen.Here His very dear blood washes usAnd makes us holy, devout, and goodIn His Father's eyes.9 O great work, O holy bath,O water, whose likeOne does not have in the whole world!No mind can reach you.You truly have a wonderful strengthAnd it has that which does everything,Given to you by His word.10 You are not simple water,Having been shown to give our well.What God speaks with His mouthYou have living in you.You are water that channelsThe spirit of the Most HighAnd His great Name.11 That holds, O man, in all value,And give thanks for the giftsThat God gives to you thereinAnd that refresh us allWhen nothing else will otherwise refresh us;Until death meets youDo not let them go unpraised.12 Use everything well, and because you areNow become pure in Christ,Live and do also as a ChristianAnd keep Christ's orderUntil there in the eternal joyHe puts on your soulThe clothing of honor and joy.Paul Gerhardt, 1667.
In most verses, I had to shuffle a few elements to get smoother English translations.
I'm not sure that "crawled through" is the best translation for "durchkrochen" in the third verse, but I couldn't find anything else.
I didn't really understand the line "ersetzt dagegen wieder" in the fifth verse. I translated it as "Replaced against it again," but I don't know if this makes much sense.
I think the clause "hier bricht die Höll" in the seventh verse is in active voice, but I put it in passive voice in my translation ("Here hell is broken") because it seemed to fit the context better.
I translated "kein Sinn kann dich erreichen" in the ninth verse as "No mind can reach you," as a sort of echo of Psalm 139:6: "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it."
I'm not very confident in my translation of "wies unsre Brunnen geben" in the tenth verse as "Having been shown to give our well," particularly with regard to "wies."
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 "Es ist das Heil uns kommen [her]." Here's the TLH arrangement:
And here's an arrangement from Telemann's Fast allgemeines Evangelisch-Musicalisches Lieder-Buch: