Wann ich d’ Wahrheit bekennen soll

Here is my translation of the psalm paraphrase, “Wann ich d’ Wahrheit bekennen soll” (Burkard Waldis, d. 1556), based on Psalm XXXVI, Dixit injustus, and title “A psalm of consolation, that God will bless, comfort, and protect His faithful flock amid the faithless, deceiving world.” The melody is reminiscent of, and in parts clearly dependent on, that of the first Lutheran ballad, “Ein neuen Lied wir heben an,” and may even be considered a reworking of it. I give it here transposed down a few steps below Zahn’s representation of the original.

 

 

WITH all my heart I must confess
Without all reservation,
And sadly must this truth express
With heartfelt consternation,
That the ungodly please me not
With their appearance holy,
Although they kindly seem without
It is external solely,
No fear of God is in them.

2 With piety they shine all day,
Their wicked cause adorning,
As if pure good behind it lay,
Defying eve and morning
The upright, who will not confess
The falsehoods they’re asserting,
By which the truth they would suppress
All good and right perverting,
Nor will they be corrected!

3 If men attempt to set them right,
To stop their mischief ever,
They make excuses day and night
And other ways endeavor,
And never cease a single hour
To seek our ruination,
But carry on with force and pow’r
To spread their depravation,
No sin or crime avoiding.

4 O Lord, thy grace and mercy fine
Fill all the earth and heaven;
And of Thy faithfulness divine
We tokens clear are given!
Like mountains is Thy righteousness
Like mountains and deep oceans,
Thou sav’st from sin and dire distress,
Such is Thy kind devotion
Mankind in grace preserving!

5 How excellent Thy grace indeed
To mankind’s children ever!
In hunger, thirst, and every need
Thou show’st them grace and favor.
With goods and raiment, food and drink,
Their heart each day renewing,
That they may of Thy mercy think
In all their life and doing,
And satisfied, may trust Thee.

6 With Thee, Lord, is life’s fountain free,
All things with good Thou fillest,
And joy and hope, and mak’st us see
Thy light and what Thou willest.
Keep us herein, and grant us grace,
And righteousness provide us,
To follow Thee in every place,
Wherever Thou wilt guide us,
To Thy true Word adhering!

7 Let not th’ ungodly man prevail
Nor trample us beneath him,
The proud man’s hand and pow’r curtail,
And help us to defeat him.
Let all the wicked be cast down
That they may rise up never,
Preserve Thy glory and Thy crown,
By crushing them forever
With all who them would follow!

¶ So help us, God in heaven’s throne,
Who madest all creation,
Through Christ Thy one belovèd Son,
That freed from all transgression
And from the pow’r of death, we may
In bliss enjoy our Savior;
Thy Spirit send to keep our way
That we may never waver
In sin or false temptation!

Translation © 2024 Matthew Carver.

GERMAN

Wann ich d’ Wahrheyt bekennen sol,
Von gantzem grund meins hertzen,
So weyß ich leyder all zu wol,
Und sags mit grossem schmertzen,
Das gotloß wesen mir nit gfelt,
Thets noch so Heylig scheinen,
Ob sichs von aussen freuntlich stelt,
Im hertzen sies uneynen,
Da ist kein gottesforchte.

2 Mit frommkeyt gleissen sie daher,
Jr böse sach zu schmucken,
Als ob all gut dahinden wer,
Damit sie uberrucken
Den frommen, der sichs nit versteht,
Wann sie so fälschlich leren,
Dadurch zuruck die wahreyt geht,
Und alles gut verkeren,
Sie lassen sich nit weisen.

3 Ob man sie underrichten wil,
Vom bösen thun zu lassen:
So habens antwort allzuvil,
Gehn doch ein ander strassen,
ON underlaß, beyd nacht und tag,
Trachtens nach eitelm schaden,
Wie ir anschlag geschehen mag,
Unglück auff uns zu laden,
Und schewen keine sünde.

4 HERR dein gut und barmhertzigkeyt,
Reycht uber himl und erden:
Denn trew und dein Göttlich warheyt,
Wöllstu uns kund lan werden,
Dein grechtigkeyt helt allzeit fest,
Wie berg und tieffe gründe,
Drumb du uns auch mit stecken läßst
In jamer, not und sünde,
Du hilffest allen menschen.

5 Wie thewr ist deine gut O Got,
Bei allen menschen kinden,
In irem hunger, durst und not,
Läßst gnade bei dir finden,
Mit hüll und füll, mit speiß und tranck,
Thustu ir hertz vernewen,
Daß sie dancken ir leben lang,
Und sich in wollust frewen,
Die dir O Got vertrawen.

6 Bei dir ist HERR des lebensquell,
Erfüllest allls mit guten,
Trost, freud gibt uns dein liecht so hell,
Darinn wöllst uns behüten,
Dein gnad, und dein gerechtigkeyt
Wöllst uber uns außbreyten,
Daß wir dir folgen allezeit,
Und in der warheyt leyten,
An deinem wort zu bleiben.

7 Hilff daß der Gotloß uns nit sturtz,
Under die füß zu tretten,
Des stoltzen macht uns nit verkürtz,
Von im wöllst uns erretten,
Sondern laß die Gotlosen all
Von dir werden verstossen,
Daß sie kommen Ewig zu fall,
Mit iren bundgenossen,
Und wöllst sie faren lassen.

¶ Des hilff uns in deim höchsten thron,
Du schöpffer aller dinge,
Durch Christum deinen lieben Son,
Daß uns in im gelinge,
Der uns von sünd und todt erlost,
Daß wir dort selig werden,
Deinn Heilgen geyst send uns zum trost,
Uns hie behüt auff erden,
Vor sünd und alln beschwerden.

Ich sags vom Grund meins Herzens frei

 Here is my translation of the psalm paraphrase, “Ich sags vom Grund meins Herzens frei” (Cornelius Becker, d. 1604), based on Psalm XXXVI, Dixit unjustus, with melody assignment “Es spricht der Unweisen Mund wohl.”

Vierling (Biblia, 732f.), writes on the psalm itself

It is a psalm of instruction that warns and teaches us to beware of false teachers, heretics, and sectarian spirits, for which it also prays at the end and in addition in the middle of the psalm, consoles (v. 7) that God’s Word and kingdom will not be cast down by their sectarianism, but remain firmly standing in all the world like a mountain, which God Himself plants, and like the depths of the abysses, which are unfathomable. And yet in the house of God the living and comforting Word shall abide, etc.
     He depicts this masterfully, saying, ‘There are wicked, venomous people who firstly treat God’s Word most despitefully, and have no fear of God at all, who are proud, brazen, and secure in teaching what they think good (v. 2). Second, they also praise and extol nothing but themselves, disgrace and besmirch all other teachers in the bitterest way. And in that point they are masters, adorn themselves alone, and there must be no Spirit, no God, no church anywhere else (v. 3). Third, their doctrine is harmful and is utter lies. For they strive against faith and the doctrine of grace, and deceive people with their false appearance and lies (v. 4). Fourth, they are stubborn and stiff-necked, tolerate no instruction nor admonition, their head is harder than an ambos, indeed, when they sense that others would rebuke and not praise them, they burn and start to rage like the devil. Fifth, they carry on and increase, spreading their enterprise and waxing like cancer, says St. Paul. For they purvey their matter ten times more fervently and diligently than do pure teachers, as if they are eager to overturn everything in a day, and there is no rest nor quarter. Lastly, they persecute and afflict wherever they can, all who refuse to associate with them, and do this evil, it says, without hesitation, with all resolve and security, as though they were doing God a service therein.

 

WITH all my heart I freely say
Of wicked men’s transgression
They fear not God nor Him obey,
Self-flatt’ry’s their obsession,
One doth the other imitate,
Their evil purpose to instate
And slander all the godly.

2 Their learning, which has others fooled,
Is shameful and deceiving,
They will not be by God o’erruled,
In wisdom unbelieving;
Devising mischief on their bed,
They will not leave the way they tread,
No evil work abhorring.

3 Thy mercy, Lord, and faithfulness
Reach even unto heaven,
Thy truth beyond the clouds doth press,
Which over us are driven.
Thy righteousness like mountains tall,
Thy judgments deeper are than all;
Thou man and beast preservest.

4 How precious, God, Thy love by far,
Wherein our trust is founded,
Thy wings our shield from terrors are
By which we are surrounded;
Like chickens in the hen’s embrace,
So are we covered by Thy grace,
To dwell in peace beside Thee.

5 The riches of Thy house Thou dost
Pour out to satisfy us,
The rivers of Thy pleasures must
With quickening supply us.
The fount of life, Lord, is with Thee,
And in Thy Word’s bright light we see,
The light of grace and favor.

6 Oh, spread Thy truth and grace abroad
On them, O Lord, that know Thee!
Thy righteousness on them, O God,
That true obedience show Thee,
And suffer not the prideful horde
To tread me underfoot, O Lord,
Nor let their hand remove me.

7 Display in them Thy mighty pow’r,
And let their ranks be riven,
Who my destruction sought each hour;
Oh, let them back be driven!
Yea, cast them out, their mischief check,
Of their false teaching leave no speck,
And let them rise no longer.

Translation © 2024 Matthew Carver.

GERMAN

Ich ſags von Grund meins Hertzens frei
Von der Gottloſen Tücken,
Daß kein Gottsfurcht bei ihnen ſey,
Sie können ſich fein ſchmücken,
Einer dem andern ahmet nach,
Zu fördern ihre böſe Sach,
Den Frommen zu verleumbden.

2  Was ſie lernen mit groſſem Schein/
Iſt ſchändlich und erlogen/
Sie wollen ungemeiſtert ſeyn/
Haben Gott nicht für Augen/
Im Bett ihr Hertz auff Schaden ticht/
Sie laſſen ihre Wege nicht/
Kein Bubenſtück ſie ſchewen.

3  So weit, HERR Gott, der Himmel reicht/
Geht dein Trew/ Güt und Leben/
Dein Warheit ſich den Wolcken gleicht,
Die uber uns hoch ſchweben,
Gerechtigkeit wie Berge ſteht/
Dein Recht nimmer zu Grunde geht,
Du hilffſt beyd, Vieh und Menſchen.

4  Wie tewr O Gott iſt deine Güt/
Der wir uns ganz vertrawen/
Deiner Gnad Fittich uns behüt
Für aller Furcht und Grawen.
Gleich wie die Henn ihr Küchlin fein/
Alſo deckt uns die Gnade dein/
In Fried bey dir zu wohnen.

5  Von deines Hauſes Gütern reich/
Zur Fröhligkeit uns trenckeſt,
Die Füll der Frewd uns all zugleich
Gar mildiglich einſchenckeſt/
Der Quell des Lebens iſt bey dir/
Im Liecht deins Wortes ſehen wir
Das Liecht der Gnad und Lebens.

6  Breit aus deine Gerechtigkeit
Ubr die/ ſo dich HErr kennen/
Dein Trew und Güt zu jeder Zeit/
Beweis in Gnad den Frommen,
Laß nicht zu/ daß die ſtolze Rott
Mich tret unter die Füſſe fort/
Und ihre Hand mich ſtütze.

7  Beweis an ihnen deine Macht/
Schlag ſie, daß ſie hinfallen/
Die ſolch Unglück auff mich gedacht/
Laß ſie zurücke prallen/
Stos ſie hinaus/ dem Frevel wehr/
Und tilg aus ihre falſche Lehr/
Daß ſie kein Platz mehr habe.