Here is my translation of the Christmas hymn “Immanuel der Herr ist hier” (H. C. Hecker, 1730), hymn #125 in Ev.-Luth. Gesangbuch. The attribution is found in Wetzel’s list of Heckerian hymns from the Seckendorffische Handpostille. The hymn was later revised by Johann Samuel Diterich in 1765 as (the not so original) “Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt,” omitting the first stanza and altering several lines; this form appears in Zollikoser’s Neues Gesangbuch. The proper melody is “Lobt Gott, ihr Christen, allzugleich.” Fischer does not address the original form of the hymn, but after some inevestigation, it becomes evident that earlier instances (e.g., Vermehrtes Hannoverisches Gesangbuch 1740) featured 15 stanzas, beginning “Immanuel der Herr ist hier” with some variant lines, showing that the 8 stanza form itself is a cento composed of the original stanzas 1–3, 7, 11–13 + a new doxological stanza and some other variant lines differing from Diterich’s, yet only the general sense of stanza 12 was preserved, the text being entirely re-written. The melody is “Lobt Gott, ihr Christen, allzugleich.”
IMMANUEL! the Lord is here,
Yea, in my flesh comes He,
Immanuel! what shall I fear
Since He is now with me,
Since He is now with me?
2 For God so loved the world, though none
Could Him to kindness move,
He gladly gave His only Son,
So much did He us love!
So much did He us love!
3 The plan that He with Christ His Son
Did solemnly decide
Before all time, in time is done
Man doth with God reside,
Man doth with God reside.
4 He, our Salvation and true Good,
With pow’r, all things to bless,
As any child takes flesh and blood,
Yet doth no sin possess,
Yet doth no sin possess.
5 Thou, wondrous God-Man, art from hence
My Couns’lor, Champion bold,
My Prince of Peace, Deliverance,
The Savior of the world,
The Savior of the world.
6 What we had lost by sin’s great blight
There, Lord, Thou won’st for me:
Atonement, comfort, life and light
I have alone in Thee,
I have alone in Thee.
7 Thy pauper’s rags my riches are,
Thy suff’ring stills my woe,
And by Thy lowly toil and care
To glory I shall go,
To glory I shall go.
8 Blest be the Father, blest the Son,
And blest the Holy Ghost:
Ye angels, praise Him on His throne,
Exalt Him, Christian host,
Exalt Him, Christian host!
Translation © 2022 Matthew Carver.
ORIGINAL FORM IN ENGLISH:
IMMANUEL! the Lord is here,
Yea, in my flesh comes He,
Immanuel! what shall I fear
Since He is now with me,
Since He is now with me?
2 For God so loved the world, though none
Could Him to kindness move,
He gladly gave His only Son,
So much did He us love!
So much did He us love!
3 The plan that He with Christ His Son
Did wondrously decide
Before all time, in time was done
Man doth with God reside,
Man doth with God reside.
4 For when the time had been fulfilled
Which He before had meant,
The God-Man was to man revealed,
God into flesh was sent.
5 What God doth say of woman’s seed
Here Mary brings to light
In pure virginity indeed
By God’s own pow’r and might,
By God’s own pow’r and might.
6 Thus God beforehand named the place
In which the Father’s Word
Took on this life, and named the race
By which this thing occurred,
By which this thing occurred.
7 The Wondrous Man, our highest Good,
Accordingly took on
Like other children, flesh and blood,
Yet without sin alone,
Yet without sin alone.
8 In flesh is God made manifest,
O wondrous mystery!
He who was in the Father’s breast
In mother’s womb doth lie
In mother’s womb doth lie.
9 Eternal God becomes a Child
The Maker, something made,
According to His manhood mild
In humbleness arrayed,
In humbleness arrayed.
10 Oh, Lord! who art the One in whom
I’m loved by God in heav’n,
Thou Child born us of Mary’s womb,
Thou Son unto us giv'n,
Thou Son unto us giv’n!
11 Thou, wondrous God-Man, art from hence
My Couns’lor, Champion bold,
My Prince of Peace, Deliverance,
The Savior of the world,
The Savior of the world.
12 In flesh I was a slave of sin,
So born—yea, so conceived;
But I by Thee the sonship win,
By Thee I am relieved,
By Thee I am relieved.
13 Thy pauper’s rags my riches make,
Thy swaddling clothes, my gown,
And from Thy bonds my bliss I take,
And from Thy cross my crown,
And from Thy cross my crown!
14 All glory be to God on high,
And to the world be peace!
For God our flesh doth justify,
That we our God may please,
That we our God may please.
15 Immanuel! both near and far,
Ye saints, His praises tell
Immanuel! Hallelujah!
Praise God! Immanuel!
Translation © 2022 Matthew Carver.
GERMAN
Immanuel! der Herr ist hier
und nimmt mein Fleisch an sich;
Immanuel! ist Gott mit mir,
wer ist dann wider mich?
2 Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt,
daß er aus freiem Trieb
den eingebornen Sohn uns giebt,
wie hat er uns so lieb!
3 Was sein erbarmungsvoller Rath
schon in der Ewigkeit
von Jesu fest beschlossen hat,
da thut er in der Zeit.
4 Er, unser Heil und höchstes Gut,
der alle segnen kann,
nimmt wie der Kinder Fleisch und Blut,
doch ohne Sünde an.
5 Du wunderbarer Gottmensch wirst
auch mir Rath, Kraft und Held,
mein Retter und mein Friedefürst,
du Heiland aller Welt.
6 Was wir zum Seligsein gebricht,
da, Herr, erwarbst du mir:
Versöhnung, Leben, Trost und Licht,
das hab ich nur an dir.
7 Dein Mangel wird mein reiches Theil,
dein leiden stillt mein Leid,
durch deine Knechtsgestalt, mein Heil,
gewinn ich Herrlichkeit.
8 Gelobt sei Gott, gelobt sein Sohn
in dieser Freudenzeit!
Lobt Engel ihn vor seinem Thron
erheb ihn, Christenheit!
GERMAN (HANNOVER 1740)
Bold type indicates original wording changed
in stanzas otherwise preserved in the cento.
Asterisks (*) indicate stanzas omitted from the cento.
Immanuel! der Herr ist hier
und nimmt mein Fleisch an sich;
Immanuel! ist Gott mit mir,
wer ist denn wider mich?
2 Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt,
daß er durch freien Trieb
den eingebornen Sohn uns giebt,
wie hat er uns so lieb!
3 Und was sein wunderbarer Rath
schon in der Ewigkeit
von Jesu fest beschlossen hat,
da that er in der Zeit.
*4 Denn als die Zeit erfüllet war,
die er vorher benannt,
so ward der Gottmensch offenbar,
den Gott ins Fleisch gesandt.
*5 Was Gott vom Weibessaamen spricht,
das bringt durch Gottes Kraft
Maria zu des Tageslicht
in reiner Jungferschaft.
*6 So hat auch Gott zuvor den Ort
und das Geschlecht bestimmt,
worin, wovon des Vaters Wort
dies Leben an sich nimmt.
7 Es nahm demnach das höchstes Gut,
der große Wundermann,
Wie andre Kinder Fleisch und Blut,
doch ohne Sünde an.
*8 Im Fleische wird Gott offenbar.
Geheimnis, du bist groß!
Der in des Vaters Schoße war,
den trägt der Mutter Schoß.
*9 Der Schöpfer wird die Kreatur,
der Ewige wird Jung;
jedoch nach seiner Menschheit nur
in der Erniedrigung.
*10 Ach, Herr! der du es also bist,
in dem mich Gott geliebt;
du Kind! das uns geboren ist,
du Sohn! den gott uns giebt!
11 Du wunderbarer Gottmensch wirst
mein Rath und Kraft und Held,
mein Vater und mein Friedefürst,
du Heiland aller Welt.
*12 ich war im Fleisch ein Sündenknecht,
auch so zur Welt gebracht:
du aber bringst das Kindschaftsrecht,
und hast mich losgemacht.
13 Dein Mangel ist mein reiches Theil,
die Windeln sind mein Kleid,
die Knechtsgestalt bringt mir mein Heil,
dein Leiden stillt mein Leid.
*14 So sei Gott Ehr und Lob gebracht
und Friede dieser Welt,
Weil Gott das Fleisch gerecht gemacht,
daß es ihm wohlgefällt.
*15 Immanuel! der Herr ist da,
So lob ihn, meine Seel.
Immanuel! Immanuel!
Gottlob! Immanuel!
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