Er weinet für Jerusalem

 Here is my translation of the judgment hymn, “Er weinet für Jerusalem” (Paul Henkel, d. 1825), in NEGB 86 for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity (Gospel: Luke 19:41–48) with melody assignment “Es ist gewißlich an der Zeit.” The English adaptation in The Church Hymn Book (1816ff.), “When Christ Jerusalem Beheld,” is composed in 9 stanzas of Common Meter and included here below.

 

LO, for Jerusalem He cries—
My Jesus—tears outpouring;
He groans and wails with doleful voice
And with sincere imploring,
That she might be deliverèd;
For soon would come the judgment dread
That was for her appointed.

2 When He beheld the city dear,
He made this proclamation:
Her ruin now was drawing near;
Because of her transgression,
God’s righteous judgment would befall,
Which they would not escape at all,
Because she long had earned it.

3 Ah, if thew knewest, without fail
Thou wouldest pay attention
To what doth for thy peace avail,
Not discord and dissension!
But it is now concealed to thee,
Thine eyes do not the chast’ning see
Which o’er thee is impending.

4 Thine enemies will thee beset,
With terror thee surrounding;
What awful anguish will be met
The day of thy confounding,
When war’s distresses fall on thee,
With famine and fatality
And everlasting ruin.

5 Jerusalem hath seen indeed
What Jesus then predicted,
Received for sin the rightful meed,
Was utterly afflicted
And made the plunder of her foe,
When to the dust she was laid low
And met her end with terror.

6 O God, we long by Thee were warned
To put off all transgression,
Lest our demise be likewise mourned.
For certain devastation
Shall come unless, in time of grace,
We, penitent, will seek Thy face,
And live as Thou desirest.

Translation © 2023 Matthew Carver.

CHURCH HYMN BOOK

When Christ Jerusalem beheld,
As he approached near—
His heart her doleful state bewailed,
His eyes, they flowed with tears.

2 He looked on her with deep distress,
And strove to be here friend;
But O, her heighth of wickedness,
Determined her fatal end.

3 Didst thou but know in this thy day,
That which would work thy peace;
Before thy help is done away,
And will forever cease.

4 But now these things are hid from thee,
And from thine eyes concealed—
The time is near when thou must see:
God’s threat’nings all fulfilled.

5 Justice and judgements must take place,
Thy sins have brought them down;
Long ye abused the means of grace,
Which ye held as your own.

6 Thy foes they shall compass thee round,
And fill thy streets with fear!
Thy walls laid level with the ground
And thou brought to despair.

7 Such woes as never were on earth,
In every part shall rage;
Great famine, wars and cruel death
Shall sweep thee off the stage.

8 The Jews, they shar'd their awful fate
And thus were made to know;
That vice destroyed their church and state,
And proved their overthrow.

9 Long have we heard Thy warnings, Lord,
But we regard it not—
And just according to Thy word:
Their fate must be our lot.

GERMAN

Er weinet für Jerusalem,
mein Jesus heiße Thränen;
er seufzt und klagt mit Trauerstimm,
wie herzlich war sein Sehnen!
um sie zu retten in der Zeit,
dann das Gerichte war nicht weit,
daß über sie sollt gehen.

2 Als er die schöne Stadt ansah,
so that er ihr ankünden,
ihr Untergang der sei sehr nah:
von wegen ihrer Sünden,
sollt kommen Gottes Strafgericht;
dem würden sie entgehen nicht,
weil sie es längst verdienet.

3 Ach! wüßtest du zu dieser Zeit!
so würdest du besorgen,
das, was zum Frieden dir gedeiht,
doch dir ists nun verborgen;
und deine Augen sehen nicht,
die Sündenstraf, das schwer Gericht,
das über dich wird kommen.

4 Die Feinde die belagern dich,
mit Angst auf allen Seiten;
wie grausam und wie fürchterlich
wirst müssen du abscheiden:
wann dich wird treffen Kriegesnoth,
Angst, Schrecken, Hunger und der Tod,
und ewiges Verderben.

5 Jerusalem erfuhr es wohl,
was Jesus sie gelehret,
ihr Sündenmaß, das wurde voll,
sie wurde ganz zerstöret;
sie wurde ihrer Feinde Raub,
sie ward geleget in den Staub,
sie nahm ein End mit Schrecken.

6 Ach Gott! du hast uns auch schon lang
gewarnt für unsern Sünden,
uns drohet auch der Untergang.
Er wird uns auch wohl finden,
wann wir nich in der Gnadenzeit,
recht werden durch die Buß bereit
zu einem bessern Leben.
‡