Für uns, O Gott, gehört

Here is my translation of the hymn on faith, sanctification, and baptismal life, “Für uns, O Gott, gehört” (Paul Henkel, d. 1825), in NEGB #82 for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity with melody assignment “Nun danket alle Gott.” The English adaptation in The Church Hymn Book, titled “Our Righteousness Must Far Exceed” is compose in 7 stanzas of Long Meter. Note that Henkel rhymes the odd lines, which in this meter are usually unrhymed.

 

TO us, O Lord, belongs
A better work and living
Than hypocritic songs
Pray’rs, reading, and almsgiving;
For these can all be done
For show, with prideful will;
Would we before God stand,
It must be better still.

2 Faith makes man just and right,
And makes us love God truly,
Just as a servant bright
Performs his service duly,
Not as a Pharisee
With outward show alone,
Who would but honored be
And as a saint be known.

3 True Christianity
Against man’s vengeance preaches;
Calls us upright to be,
And love for all it teaches,
Calls not a brother fool,
Its heart the Savior sees,
And takes Him as its rule,
And loves its enemies.

4 A Christian such as this
Alone such off’ring maketh
As pleasing to God is,
And as He holy taketh.
He loves his brother too,
And serves him heartily,
Forgives what debt is due,
And reconciled would be.

5 While now we walk each day
The way unto salvation,
Let us our Maker pray
To pardon our transgression,
Employing prudently
The time of grace while here,
And be prepared to see
Our fatherland most dear.

Translation © 2023 Matthew Carver.

CHURCH HYMN BOOK

Our righteousness must far exceed
That of the Pharisees indeed;
It must be of a diff’rent kind,
Such as renews the heart and mind.

2 To sing and pray and make a show,
Is what the hypocrite can do;
May seem to act the Christian part,
Yet not the cause of Christ at heart.

3 Where grace divine reigns not within,
The mind is still attached to sin,
The best devotion, dead and cold,
As was the Pharisees of old.

4 But diff’rent is the b’lievers state,
He will not live at such a rate;
His case unto himself is known,
He pleads no merits of his own.

5 He pleads not for self-righteousness,
But all he pleads is pard’ning grade;
All which he trusts he shall partake,
And that alone for Jesus’ sake.

6 He gains that faith which works by love,
And all within him live and move
In Christ his Savior and his God,
Who hath redeemed him with His blood.

7 Here is the Christian set to view:
Lord grant that I may be such too;
Grant me that righteousness I need,
Which does the Pharisees exceed.

GERMAN

Für uns, o Gott! gehört
ein bessers Werk und Wesen
als was der Heuchler lehrt,
nur Singen, Beten, Lesen;
dies alles kann geschehn
aus Hochmuth und im Schein;
will man vor Gott bestehn,
so muß was bessers sein.

2 Der Glaube macht gerecht
und schafft, daß man Gott liebet,
gleichwie ein frommer Knecht
in seinem Dienst sich übet;
nicht wie der Pharisär
mit einem bloßen Schein,
der suchet eigne Ehr
und will doch heilig sein.

3 Ein wahres Christenthum
will keine Rach ausüben;
es macht wahrhaftig fromm
und lehrt uns alle lieben;
nicht Narr, nicht Rache [Raca] schildt,
das Herze ist gericht,
nach Jesu Lehr und Bild,
haßt selbst den Feind ja nicht.

4 Auch nur ein solcher Christ
kann opfern seine Gaben,
wies Gott gefällig ist,
sowie er sie will haben;
er seinen Bruder liebt,
auch ihm von Herzen dient,
gern alle Schuld vergiebt
und sich mit ihm versöhnt.

5 Da wir nun täglich gehn
den Weg zum andern Leben,
laßt uns Gott herzlich flehn
die Sünde zu vergeben,
damit die Gnadenzeit
werd hier recht angewandt,
so werden wir bereit
fürs ewig Vaterland.
‡