Ach Gott vom Himmel sieh darein, / und hilf doch deiner Herde

Here is my translation of the hymn, “Ach Gott vom Himmel sieh darein, / und hilf doch deiner Herde” (E. Neumeister, 1710), from the author’s Zugang zum Gnadenstuhl, second series, for Trinity VIII, a pastiche of Luther’s paraphrase of Psalm 12, retaining the first line of each stanza creating new text tailored to the themes of the Sunday Gospel. For this version I use Winkworth’s original first lines (pre-TLH) except for stanza 2, which is based directly on the German.

Mel.: Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein.
 

O GOD, from heav’n look down and see,

And help Thy congregation,

Lest, small and frail, it utterly

Be drowned in tribulation.

Their state is piteous to behold,

And daily grow more strong and bold

The prophets of Belial.

2 They nothing teach but false deceit,

And with their semblance pious

Their lies adorn as true and meet,

And with their guile belie us.

A sheepskin garment outwardly

Must cloak and veil their villainy

And wolfish heart within them.

3 May God root out all heresy,

And vile adulteration

By which they twist God’s Word, and we

Are turned from our salvation.

False teachers now  press

And all their pride and wickedness

Is greater now than ever.

4 Therefore, saith God, I must arise,

And quash this evil surely;

I will My Word free from their lies

And have it taught most purely

My Word shall shortly judge and damn

Each antichrist that deals his sham

Both spiritual and worldly.

5 As silver sev’n times furnace-tried

Doth pass examination,

So faith intact must still abide

Through grief and tribulation

As through this vale of tears we fly.

Yea, rather it is proved thereby,

Since God’s Word doth it strengthen.

6 O God, preserve it pure and free,

And needful grace be giving,

That we therein may steadfast be

Throughout our earthly living.

Give to Thy church repose and peace,

But Satan curb and make to cease,

With all his horde satanic.

Translation © 2026 Matthew Carver.

GERMAN