Unsre seelenfeinde

Here is my translation of the hymn, “Unsre seelenfeinde” (Paul Henkel, d. 1825), in NEGB #99 for the Twenty-third Sunday after Trinity (Gospel: Matt. 22:15–22) with melody assignment “Jesu, meine Freude.” The Church Hymn Book (1816ff.) gives the English reworking, “Herodians and Pharisees” in 5 stanzas of Common Meter.

 

FOES, who truly hate us
Pose as friends to bait us;
Oft it may betide
That they falsehoods tell us,
Planning ways to fell us
Keeps them occupied.
Satan’s sly
And oft will try
With his tricks and traps nefarious
To deceive and snare us.

2 Christ encountered clearly
Many who sincerely
Hatred for Him felt,
In His incarnation
For mankind’s salvation,
As our soul’s dear Friend.
Oh, how He
Must frequently
Quash the counsels of th’ immoral,
And dispel their quarrel!

3 Pharisees and Herod
Never Jesus sparèd
Mockery and spite.
Always they must prattle,
And with Christ do battle.
So both day and night
We are pressed
And never rest
In the fight with such deceivers,
Who would catch believers.

4 Jesus, who yet liveth,
And to us all giveth,
And for us contends,
Will all wisdom teach us,
Lest the foe should breach us
For his evil ends;
Though he dares
To set his snares
By the thousands, to compel us,
Yet he cannot fell us.

Translation © 2023 Matthew Carver.

CHURCH HYMN BOOK

1 Herodians and Pharisees—
They join with one accord,
And as united enemies
Seek to destroy our Lord.

2 Though they applaud Him to His face,
And seem to take His part:
They like a false and viper race
Hate Him with all their heart.

3 Where Satan governs all the mind
And rules the inward man;
There are the pow’rs of darkness joined
To do what harm they can.

4 All Christian[s] must be on their guard,
And wrath on ev’ry hand;
They must be tempted like our Lord
By Satan and his band.

5 But Christ, their great and mighty Head,
Who all their danger knows;
Will disappoint what snares are laid
By them, their crafty foes.

GERMAN

Unsre Seelenfeinde
stellen sich wie Freunde,
wie gar oft geschieht,
daß sie sich verstellen,
uns damit zu fällen,
sind damit bemüht.
Ach! wie fein
stellt sich oft ein
der Satan mit seinen Tücken
uns recht zu verstricken.

2 Jesus hats erfahren,
daß viel solche waren,
die ihm herzlich feind,
als er war auf Erden
unser Heil zu werden
unser Seelenfreund.
Wie mußt er
gar oftmals sehr
auch mit falschen Menschen kämpfen,
ihren Rath zu dämpfen.

3 Pharisäer Rotte
und Herodis Spotte
und dergleichen mehr
findt sich allerwegen
Christum so entgegen,
so fällts freilich schwer,
so daß man
auch schier nicht kann
gegen solche Feinde stehen
ihrem Netz entgehen.

4 Jesus, der uns liebet,
der uns alles giebet,
für uns immer streit,
wird uns Weisheit geben,
daß wir unser Leben
führen allezeit,
daß der Feind,
so bös ers meint,
und uns tausend Netz thut stellen,
dennoch nicht kann fällen.
‡