"Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der von" (#205)

German text in the Gesangbuch:

1 Jesus Christus, unser Heiland,

der von uns den Gotteszorn wandt,

durch das bitter Leiden sein

half er uns aus der Höllen Pein.

2 Daß wir nimmer des vergessen,

gab er uns sein Leib zu essen,

verborgen im Brod [sic] so klein,

und zu trinken sein Blut im Wein.

3 Wer sich will zu dem Tisch machen,

der hab wohl Acht auf sein Sachen;

wer unwürdig hinzu geht,

für das Leben den Tod empfäht.

4 Du sollt Gott den Vater preisen,

daß er dich so wohl wollt speisen

und für deine Missethat

in den Tod sein Sohn geben hat.

5 Du sollt glauben und nicht wanken,

daß ein Speise sei den Kranken,

den'n ihr Herz von Sünden schwer

und für Angst ist betrübet sehr.

6 Solch groß Gnad und Barmherzigkeit

sucht ein Herz in großer Arbeit.

Ist dir wohl, so bleib davon,

daß du nicht kriegest bösen Lohn.

7 Er spricht selber:  Kommt, ihr Armen,

laßt mich über euch erbarmen,

kein Arzt ist dem Starken noth,

sein Kunst wird an ihm gar ein Spott.

8 Hättst du dir was konnt erwerben,

was dürft ich denn für dich sterben?

Dieser Tisch auch dir nicht gilt,

so du selber dir helfen willt.

9 Glaubst du das von Herzengrunde

und bekennest mit dem Munde,

so bist du recht wohl geschickt

und die Speise dein Seel erquickt.

10 Die Frucht soll auch nicht ausblieben;

deinen Nächsten sollt du lieben,

daß er dein genießen kann,

wie dein Gott an dir hat gethan.

Johann Hußens Lied, verdeutscht und gebessert durch Dr. M. Luther, 1524.

My prose translation:

1 Jesus Christ, our Savior,

Who turned the wrath of God from us,

Through His bitter sufferings,

He helpt us out of the torment of hell.

2 So that we never forget about it,

He gave us His body to eat,

Hidden in the bread so small,

And His blood to drink in the wine.

3 He who wants to go to the table

Had better pay attention to his affairs;

He who goes to it unworthily

Receives death for life.

4 You should praise God the Father,

That He wants to feed you so well

And for your misdeeds

Has given His Son into death.

5 You should believe and not waver

That a food would be for the sick,

Whose heart is heavy from sin

And very troubled by fear.

6 In great labor does a heart search

For such great mercy and compassion.

[If] it is well for you, remain there

So that you do not receive evil in return.

7 He Himself speaks:  "Come, you poor;

"Let Me have mercy upon you;

"The strong man has no need for a doctor;

"His skill becomes nothing but a mockery to him.

8 "Had you been able to acquire something for yourself,

"Then for what could I die for you?

"This table has no worth even for you

"If you want to help yourself.

9 "[If] you believe this from the bottom of your heart

"And confess with your mouth,

"Then you are truly befit,

"And the food [will] revive your soul.

10 "The fruit should also not be absent;

"You should love your neighbor

"So that he can enjoy your [fruit],

"Like God has done for you."

Johann Huß's song, translated to German and improved by Dr. M. Luther, 1524.

I translated "empfäht" at the end of the third verse as "receives," but this is based much more on the context and the verse's resemblance to 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 than the actual form.  I suspect that the word has been altered in order to rhyme with "geht" from the previous line.

I flipt the first two lines of the sixth to get a smoother English translation.  I'm not sure I completely understood the second half or the second half of the seventh verse.

I'm not particularly confident in my translation of the eighth verse, but I do think I have the right general sense.

The first part of the ninth verse is adapted from Romans 10:10:  "Denn wenn man von Herzen glaubt, so wird man gerecht; und wenn man mit dem Munde bekennt, so wird man gerettet."  "For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."  I'm not sure that "befit" is the best translation for "geschickt" in this context, but it's the best I could think of.

This hymn appears as "Jesus Christ, Our Blessed Savior" in The Lutheran Hymnal (#311), Lutheran Worship (spanning two numbers:  #236 and #237), and The Lutheran Service Book (#627).  TLH and LW present abbreviated forms.  In all of these, and as the Gesangbuch notes, the text is sung to "its own tune."  Here's the TLH arrangement:

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