Freut euch des Herrn, ihr Christen all

Here is my translation of the psalm paraphrase, “Freut euch des Herrn, ihr Christen all” (Cornelius Becker, d. 1604), based on Psalm XXXIII, Exultate justi, with melody assignment “Nun freut euch, lieben Christen gmein.” 

Vierling writes (Biblia, 729) on the psalm itself, “It is a psalm of thanksgiving that generally thanks God for the benefit whereby He helps His faithful in all manner of distress and does not forsake them. For He can help, since He has created all things, and still does all with a word, as He for whom nothing is unpossible (v. 9). Furthermore, He is also gracious and faithful, so that He wishes to help, and helps gladly, a sHe promised in the First Commandment, ‘I will be thy God,’ that is, I will be thy Comfort, Help, Salvation, Life, and every Good against all that will be evil to thee. For that is what it means to be God. — But especially he thanks and extols the mighty benefit of God whereby He guides all the hearts, thoughts, endeavors, raging, and raving of kings and princes, etc., not as they will, but as He wills, and also puts all their attempts at last to naught, so that they cannot accomplish what they wish (v. 10). And whatever they undertake to do against the just, He turns it directly around and puts them to shame. Which is an exceptional joy and comfort to His saints, against the proud and immoderate threats, boasts, and defiance of the raging princes and raving tyrants, who think they will eat up all the saints of God with their threats alone, and cast God Himself from heaven. But before they do the half of it, they lie prostrate in the mire. Behold the Sodomites against Loth, King Sennecharib, and now our tyrants, who have lost immeasurably many attacks until this day.”

 

REJOICE, ye Christians, in the Lord,
O praise your God, ye righteous;
A new hymn sing with one accord,
Cast off all tones delightless;
Let sound the harp and psaltery,
Sweet instruments play skillfully
To give the Lord all glory.

2 The Word of God the Lord is right,
Thou may’st trust Him securely;
With God all things are truth and light,
He keeps His promise surely.
He loveth righteousness to see,
And judgment keeps continually.
Earth teemeth with His goodness.

3 The heavens, splendidly arrayed,
Were hung and fashioned solely
Of God’s own Word, who all things made,
With God the Spirit Holy;
He heaped the waters of the sea,
Together by His lips’ decree,
And in the depth He laid it.

4 Let all men God their Maker fear
And rev’rently adore Him;
All who inhabit dwellings here
Let stand in awe before Him.
For what He speaks, it must be done,
What He commands, stands as a stone,
According as He willeth.

5 God brings to naught the heathen’s plans,
He foils their counsels ever;
But His own counsel ever stands,
His thoughts shall waver never.
O blessed race for whom God cares,
Whom He hath chosen for His heirs,
His name upon them setting!

6 The Lord looks on the sons of men
From heaven’s lofty station;
He knows them all, in every den
And earthly habitation.
He sees what in their thinking lurks,
Before Him clear are all their works,
He all their hearts directeth.

7 The king’s own glory brings no gain,
It passes like a river;
No help the giant’s might and main,
It cannot him deliver.
Though foes a mighty host array
Of horse and man, they lose the day;
God for His own does battle.

8 The Lord looks on all those in grace
Who reverent honor pay Him,
Who all their hope upon Him place
And in true faith obey Him.
God careth for them graciously,
Sustains them in all scarcity,
From death their soul delivers.

9 With all our soul for Thee we wait,
O God our Shield and Savior,
In Thee our heart’s delight is great,
We trust Thy name forever.
Thy mercy let upon us be,
According as we hope in Thee;
From every ill defend us!

Translation © 2024 Matthew Carver.

GERMAN

Freut euch des Herrn, ihr Chriſten all,
Ihr Frommen ſolt Gott preiſen,
Ein neues Lied mit groſſem Schall,
Mit Gſang und ſchönen Weiſen,
Laßt klingen Pſalter Seytenſpiel,
Auff Harffen macht der Freuden viel
Zu Lob und Ruhm dem Herren.

2  Des HErren Wort wahrhafftig iſt,
Magſt wol getroſt drauff bawen,
Was Gott zuſagt, helt er gewiß
By ihm iſt Glaub und Trawen,
Hoch liebt er die Gerechtigkeit,
Und ſchützt Gericht zu jeder Zeit,
Die Erd iſt voll ſeinr Güte.

3  Der Himmel mit all ſeiner Pracht
Iſt durch des Wortes Kräffte
Von Gott, dem Schöpffer Wol gemacht,
Durchs heilign Geiſts Geſchäffte.
Er faſſt das Waſſer in dem Meer,
Als obs im Schlauch beyſammen wär,
Ins Tieff gelegt verborgen.

4  Den frommen Gott ſol jedermann
Für Augen billig haben,
All die auff Erden Wohnung han,
Für ihm Schew ſollen tragen.
Denn was er redt, das muß geſchehn,
Was er gebeut, thut bald da ſtehn,
Alles nach ſeinem Willen.

5  Der Heyden Rath macht Gott zunicht,
Er wendet ihr Gedancken,
Des HErren Rath bleibt ewiglich,
Seins Hertzens Sinn nicht wancket.
O ſelig Leut, die Gott lieb helt,
Die er zu ſeinem Erb erwehlt,
Nennt ſie nach ſeinem Namen.
    
6  Der HErr ſchawt auff die Menſchenkind
Vom feſten Himmelsthrone,
Er kennt ſie all, ſo viel ihr ſind,
Die auff der Erden wohnen,
Auff all ihr Tück mit Fleis er merckt,
Für ihm ſind klar die heimlichn Werck,
Er lenckt ihr aller Hertzen.

7  Des Königs Herrlichkeit nichts ſchafft,
Sie mus gar bald vergehen,
Nichts hilfft des Rieſen groſſe Krafft,
Kan wieder GOtt nicht ſtehen,
Bringt gleich der Feind viel Roß und Mann
Ins Feld, kan er doch nicht beſtahn,
GOtt für die Seinen ſtreitet.

8  Der HERR in gnaden ſihet an
All die in ſeiner Furchte.
Allein ſich auff ſein Treu verlahn,
Im Glauben ihm gehorchen,
GOtt pflegt ihr mit Barmherzigkeit,
Und nehret ſie zur theuren Zeit,
Errett vom Todt ihr Seele.

9  Von gantzer Seel wir harren dein,
GOtt unſer Hülff und Schilde,
In dir von Hertzen wir uns freun,
Trauen deim Namen milde,
Laß walten ob uns deine Güt,
Für allem Unfall uns behüt,
Auff dich wir ſehnlich hoffen.