Es ist vollbracht! Vergiß ja nicht (supplement)

Here is my supplemental translation and composite rendering of the translations of Russell and Mueller, of the Passion hymn, “Es ist vollbracht! Vergiß ja nicht” (Johann Eusebius Schmidt, d. 1745), first appearing in Freylinghausen 1714, attested by the author himself (Wetzel, Hymnop. III, p. 83), to whom the proper melody is also ascribed. The translation by A. T. Russell of stanzas 1–3 and 5 is according to this original meter. The translation of Mueller for Selah Song-Book of stanzas 1–4 is in 88.88.88 (Vater unser) and therefore unusable. Yet his preference for the scriptural (KJV) wording to begin each stanza seems better than Russell’s “All is fulfilled,” so I have normalized this across all stanzas,

 

’TIS finished! Now my heart, record
The dying words of thy dear Lord.
When He those bitter pains sustainèd,
Which on the cross thy life obtainèd,
He who did all things well then bowed His head,
Exclaiming: "It is finishèd."

2 ’Tis finished! For the cross hath wrought
Whate’er the Law and prophets taught.
Where all the strength of nature failèd,
There Jesus’ wounds for all availèd.
What God before the worlds had counselèd,
Now through His death is finishèd.

3 ’Tis finished! All is satisfied:
The Father lays His wrath aside;
Our peace is made, and justice stillèd,
Since God’s own Son hath all fulfillèd.
What then shall wake the heart to anxious dread?
Believe now: "It is finishèd."

4 ’Tis finished! What then shall I do?
What, Jesus, shall I add thereto?
Oh, nothing! Thanks but to Thy merit;
Thy righteous work I now inherit.
What day and night I do, by Spirit sped,
That too by Thee is finishèd!

5 ’Tis finished! I am now made free
Possessed of true felicity:
Now Jesus sin and death subdueth,
And us with life and grace reneweth;
So when to dissolution worlds are led,
This stays us: “It is finishèd."

6 ’Tis finished! Now my heart, record
The dying words of thy dear Lord,
And let it ever serve and aid thee,
To finish what shall best become thee.
For all thy days be this rememberèd,
That Christ saith: “It is finishèd.”

Tr. 1–3, 5, A. T. Russell.
St. 4, 6b translation © 2024 M. Carver.


MUELLER

’Tis finished! So the Savior cried,
As on the cross for me He died;
It was a shout of victory,
That set a world in bondage free;
O hear, my soul: Salvation’s won!
’Tis finished! Jesus’ work is done.

2 ’Tis finished! What a word of joy!
The law’s demandsa are finished now.
The debt is canceled, I am free,
For Christ has paid the penalty.
O hear, my soul: Salvation’s won!
’Tis finished! Jesus’ work is done.

3 ’Tis finished! O ye sinners, hear!
Come, cast aside your doubt and fear.
Sin is atoned, God’s wrath is stilled,
For Jesus’ precious blood is spilled.
O hear it all: Salvation’s won!
’Tis finished! Jesus’ work is done.

4 ’Tis finished! Not one work remains!
Free grace abounds, and mercy reigns.
Christ’s merits are my righteousness,
My strength and comfort and my dress.
O hear it all: Salvation’s won
’Tis finished! Jesus’ work is done.

RUSSELL

All is fulfilled—my heart, record
The dying words of thy dear Lord.
When He those bitter pains sustainèd,
Which on the cross thy life obtainèd,
He who did all things well,
Then bowed His head,
Exclaiming, "It is finishèd."

2 All is fulfilled—the cross hath wrought
Whate’er the Law and prophets taught.
Where all the strength of nature failèd,
There Jesu’s wounds for all availèd.
That which before the worlds
Heav’n counselèd,
Now through His death is finishèd.

3 All is fulfilled—all satisfied:
The Father lays His wrath aside;
Our peace is made, and justice stillèd,
Since God’s own Son hath all fulfillèd.
What then shall wake the heart
To anxious dread?
Believe now, "It is finishèd."

5 All is fulfilled—I am made free
Possessed of true felicity:
Now Jesus sin and death subdueth,
And us with life and grace reneweth;
So when to dissolution
Worlds are led,
This stays us—"It is finishèd."

GERMAN

1 Es ist vollbracht! Vergiß ja nicht
dies Wort, mein Herz, das Jesus spricht,
da er am Kreuze für dich stirbet
und dir die Seligkeit erwirbet,
da er, der alles, alles wohlgemacht,
nunmehro spricht: es ist vollbracht.

2 Es ist vollbracht am Kreuze dort
Gesetz und der Propheten Wort:
was wir niemals vollbringen konnten,
ist nun vollbracht durch Jesu Wunden:
was Gottes Rath von Ewigkeit bedacht,
das ist durch seinen Tod vollbracht.

3 Es ist vollbracht und gnug gethan,
daß man nicht mehr verlangen kann,
Gott ist versöhnt und ganz gestillet,
weil sein Sohn alles hat erfüllet,
was ist, das man sich Angst und Sorge macht,
man glaube nur: Es ist vollbracht.

4 Es ist vollbracht! Was soll ich nun
darzu noch, o mein Jesu, thun?
Nichts, nichts! Denn was von dir geschehen,
wird schon als mein Werk angesehen,
und das, was dich vollbringe Tag und Nacht,
wird von dir selbst in mir vollbracht.

5 Es ist vollbracht, ich bin befreit,
ich habe schon die Seligkeit;
weil Sünd und Tod sind weggenommen,
ist Gnad und Leben wiederkommen;
darum, wenn auch gleich alles bricht und kracht,
sag ich getrost: Es ist vollbracht.

6 Es ist vollbracht! Vergiß ja nicht
dies Wort, mein Herz, das Jesus spricht,
und laß es dir auch darzu dienen,
daß du vollbringst, was dir will ziemen.
So lang du lebst, laß dies nicht aus der Acht,
daß Jesus spricht: Es ist vollbracht!

Seht, welch ein Mensch ist das!

Here is my alteration of translations of the Passion hymn, “Seht, welch ein Mensch ist das!” (Benjamin Schmolck, d. 1737), in ELGB #119, originally in Schmolck’s Heilige Flammen (1704) with title “Ecce homo!” based on John 19:5. A translation by John Kelly from the British Messenger (1868) was sought unsuccessfully. I include the bases of my composite: Anna B. Warner’s rendering, fuller and more faithful; and J. T. Mueller’s, appearing in Sela Gesangbuch, on which the first stanza is based. To bring the text more in line with the sense of the German, not to mention the rhyme-scheme and meter, a great deal of alteration was sometimes necessary, so that it almost passes “alteration” to being a new translation “based on” the old. The appointed melody is “O Gott, du frommer Gott.”

 

SEE what a Man is this!
Ye wicked, come and wonder!
If Christ must suffer so,
Your own dread wages ponder.
Ye sinners, now behold!
The Holy One must die;
Ye sons of hell, then weep!
The Son of God doth cry.

2 See what a Man is this!
O eyes with teardrops thronging!
O face reviled and scorned,
O lips all full of longing!
O head with death-drops wet,
O cheeks with spittle spread,
O heart, so full of blood!
O limbs, distressed and dead!

3 See what a Man is this!
How wounded and afflicted!
Ye sinners, is it not
Your bonds that Him constricted?
Are not your passions vile
The thorns which He must bear?
Is’t not your wickedness
That nailed His body there?

4 See what a Man is this!
Your tears in torrents offer:
It is your guilt that makes
Christ’s heart to bleed and suffer;
Oh, pass not by this scene,
These pains which Him aggrieve,
But through His open side
Your Jesus’ heart perceive.

5 See, what a Man is this!
Ah, yes, we would see ever
What men have done to Thee,
O Friend of men, and Savior!
So long as eyes avail,
So long that agony
Which Thou for us hast borne
Shall still remembered be.

6 See, what a Man is this!
Let us Thy vision borrow;
Behold us in Thy grace
When we are bathed in sorrow;
So let Thy dying eyes
Our soul transfix and mend,
And let Thy streaming blood
Our lives with God defend.
 
7 See, what a Man is this!
Our eyes on Thee abiding,
Within Thy wounds we build
Our hope and our confiding.
Now as Thy head is bowed,
We die, O Lord, with Thee,
And when our eyes shall close,
We live eternally.

Translation st. 1. J. T. Mueller, alt.; sts. 2-7, Anna B. Warner, alt.
Alterations © 2023 Matthew Carver.

ANNA B. WARNER

2 SEE, what a man is this!
O glances full of woe,
O face dishonoured, scorned,
O lips that long to go,
O head with death-drops wet,
O heart so patient yet,
O soul with death-pains filled,
O love by grief not killed!

3 See, what a man is this!
Ah, see each open wound!
O sinners, have not ye
The Holy One thus bound?
Make not your lusts each thorn
With which His brow is torn?
Did not your sins betray,
And on the cross thus slay?

4 See, what a man is this!
Let tears come like a flood:
It is our guilt that drew
Those drops of precious blood;
Pass not by here in vain,
Where pain is over pain;
But through His rent side see
How Christ's heart beats for thee,

5 See, what a Man is this!
Ah, yes, we want to know,
Thou gracious Friend of men,
How far Thy love could go.
So long as eyes can see,
We will remember Thee;
The pain, the grief, the scorn,
Which Thou for us hast borne.

6 See, what a Man is this!
Oh look on us in grace!
When full of bitter tears
We fall before Thy face,
Then let those dying eyes
Answer our deep heart-cries,
And Thine atoning blood
Speak for us unto God.
 
7 See, what a Man is this!
We look to Thee to-day,
And our whole confidence
Upon Thy suffering lay.
Thy bended head we see,
And die, our Lord, with Thee.
So shall we ever live
The life Thy death doth give!

J. T. MUELLER (1921)

Behold the Man of woe!
Ye sinners come and wonder!
If Christ must suffer so,
Your own dread wages ponder.
Behold the Son of God!
O hear His anguished cries!
He groans beneath the rod!
Of dreadful wrath and dies.

3 Behold the Man of woe,
His wounds and His affliction!
Your sins He bears. And O,
Yours is His crucifixion.
Ye scourged Him with the rod!
Ye caused His bitter woes!
Ye nailed the Son of God
Upon the painful cross.

4 Behold the Man of woe,
Behold His death and passion!
Kneel penitent and so
Of all sins make confession.
Say, O my dearest Lord,
Thy blood shall make me whole;
I trust Thy gracious Word,
I hide in Thee my soul.

5–7? Behold the Man of woe,
His love, His grace, His favor!
Thy sin and all its woe
He bore away forever.
If conscience trouble thee,
Christ died for thee, the Just:
So go to Calvary,
And in His passion trust.

GERMAN

Seht, welch ein Mensch ist das!
ihr Menschen kommt zusammen;
ihr Ungerechten, seht
die Unschuld hier verdammen.
Ihr Sünder, merket auf,
hier leidt die Heiligkeit;
ihr Höllenkinder weint,
der Sohn des Höchsten schreit.

2 Seht, welch ein mensch ist das!
O Blicke voller Thränen!
O Antlitz voller Schmach!
O Lippen voller Sehnen!
O Haupt voll Todesschweiß!
O Backen voller Koth!
O Herze voller Blut!
O Leib voll Not und Tod!

3 Seht, welch ein Mensch ist das!
ach seht in seine Wunden!
Habt ihr, ihr Sünder, nicht
den Heiligen gebunden?
Sind eure Lüste nicht
die Dornen, die Er trägt?
Ists eure Bosheit nicht,
die Ihn ans Creuze schlägt?

4 Seht, welch eine Mensch ist das!
Ach opfert Thränenfluthen!
denn eure Blutschuld macht
das Herze Jesu bluten:
Geht nicht vorüber hier,
wo Schmerzen über Schmerz;
sehr durch die offne Brust
in eueres Jesu Herz.

5 Seht, welch ein Mensch ist das!
Ach ja, wir wollen sehen,
was Dir Du Menschenfreund,
durch Menschen ist geschehen.
So lang ein Auge blickt,
so lange soll die Pein,
die Du für uns erträgst,
auch unvergessen sein.

6 Seht, welch ein Mensch ist das!
Ach! sieh uns auch in Gnaden,
wenn wir aus voller Brust,
in Jammerthränen baden;
so laß den Blick vom Kreuz
in unsre Seele gehn,
und Dein vergossnes Blut
für uns ins Mittel stehn.

7 Seht, welch ein Mensch ist das!
so werden wir Dich schauen,
und unsern ganzen Trost
in Deine Wunden bauen.
Wenn sich Dein Haupt nun neigt,
so sterben wir mit Dir;
wenn unser Auge bricht,
so leben wir dafür.

Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ

Here is my supplemental translation (sts. 5–6) and alteration (lines 5–6 of each st.) of J. T. Mueller’s translation (Selah Song Book, 1920) of the Redeemer hymn (based on 1 Tim. 3:8), “halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ” (Cyriakus Günther, d. 1704), as found in Ev.-Luth. Gesangbuch #212, and first appearing posthumously in Freylinghausen 1714 with the melody “Sei Lob und Ehr dem höchsten Gut,” but in the Wisc. hymnal with “Herr, wie du willt, so schicks mit mir.”

HOLD in remembrance Christ the Lord,
Thy ever precious Savior;
Who came from heav’n, incarnate Word,
To be Thy Brother ever.
Forget it not: ’twas for thy good
That He took on thy flesh and blood:
O bless His love forever!

2 Hold in remembrance Christ the Lord,
And all His bitter suff’ring;
He died for thee, thee to afford
Salvation by His off’ring,
From sin, death, devil set thee free,
From hell and every misery!
O bless His love forever!

3 Hold in remembrance Christ the Lord,
The Victor who is risen!
Victorious, glorious, and adored,
He burst the grave’s dread prison.
Remember that He peace obtained,
His innocence thy life regained,
O bless His love forever!

4 Hold in remembrance Christ the Lord,
Who rose to heav’n in glory!
There to prepare, by Him restored,
A place of bliss before thee,
Where thou shalt live eternally
And there behold His majesty:
O bless His love forever!

5 Hold in remembrance Christ the Lord!
Who shall return from heaven,
By whom then shall the just reward
To quick and dead be given.
Think how thou wilt escape from woe,
And with Him to His kingdom go:
O bless His love forever!

6 Grant, Jesus, that I may to Thee
Cling in true faith forever,
And what Thou hast achieved for me
Let from my heart go never,
That there in all distresses I
May comfort find, and when I die,
Join Thee in life eternal.

Translation sts. 1–4, J. T. Mueller, 1920, alt.
Translation sts. 5–6 © 2022 Matthew Carver.

GERMAN

Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ,
o Mensch, der auf die Erden
von Thron des Himmels kommen ist,
da Bruder da zu werden!
Vergiß nicht daß er dir zu gut
hat angenommen Fleisch und Blut:
dank ihm für diese lLiebe.

2 Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ,
der für dich hat gelitten,
ja gar am kreuz gestorben ist
und dadurch hat bestritten
Welt, Sünde, Teufel, Höll und Tod,
und dich erlöst aus aller Noth:
dank ihm für diese Liebe.

3 Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ,
der auch am dritten Tage
siegreich vom Tod erstanden ist,
befreit von Noth und Plage.
Bedenke, daß er Fried gemacht,
sein Unschuld Leben wieder bracht:
dank ihm für diese Liebe.

4 Halt im Gedächtniß Jesum Christ,
der nach den Leidenszeiten
gen Himmel aufgefahren ist,
die Stätt dir zu bereiten,
da du sollst bleiben allzeit
und sehen seine Herrlichkeit:
dank ihm für diese Liebe.

5 Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ!
der einst wird wiederkommen,
und sich, was todt und lebend ist,
zu richten vorgenommen.
O denke, daß du da bestehst,
und mit ihm in sein Reich eingehst,
ihm ewiglich zu danken.

6 Gieb, Jesu, gieb, daß ich dich kann
mit wahrem Glauben fassen,
und nie, was du an mir gethan,
mög aus dem Herzen lassen;
daß dessen ich in aller Noth
mich trösten mög und durch den Tod
zu dir ins Leben dringen.