I Come from Heaven High to Tell

What: This hymn is another Wedderburn translation, this time their version of "From Heaven Above."
Who: The Wedderburns were a family of Scottish Reformers.
Changes: I've edited this heavily. Since verse 5 just couldn't be updated or metered without major trauma, I have left it out. Because of the Scottish dialect, it's actually easier to use the 'you' form than the 'thou' form.
Note: A 'Balulalow' is an old word meaning 'cradle song' or 'lullaby.' 'Celsitude' apparently means 'heavenly-ness.' 'Swithe' means 'strong' or 'sure.'
Tune: The traditional Lutheran tune is VOM HIMMEL HOCH, LSB 358; this is the traditional Scottish tune.

1. I come from heaven high to tell

The gladdest news that e'er befell:

To you these tidings true I bring,

And I will of them say and sing.

2. This day to you is born a Child,

Of Mary meak and virgin mild;

This blessed boy, so sweet and kind

Shall give you joy of heart and mind.

3. It is the Lord Christ, God and man,

He will do for you what He can;

He will Himself your Saviour be

From sin and hell, to make you free.

4. He is our only Salvation

From everlasting damnation,

That you may reign in joy and bliss,

Forever more in heav'n with His.

6. Let us rejoice, now, and be blithe

And with the shepherds go full swithe,

See what God of His grace has done

Thru Christ to bring us to His throne.

7. My soul and life, stand up and see

What lies now in a crib of tree;

What babe is that so good and fair?

It is the Christ, God's Son and Heir.

8. Now welcome, gracious God of might,

To sinners poor and vile, unright;

You come to save us from distress-

How can we thank Your gentleness?

9. O God, Who made the creatures all,

How have You now become so small,

That on the hay and straw You'd lie,

Among the oxen in a sty.

10. And were the world ten times as wide

With gold and stones on every side,

Unworthy yet it'd to You it'd be,

Below Your feet a stool to be.

11. Your kingly silk and royal rose
Are hay and simple swaddling clothes,
Wherein, O glory's greatest King,
As You in heav'n wear in your reign.

12. You took afflictions temporal

To make me rich perpetual;

For all the worldly wealth and good

Cannot enrich Your celsitude.

13. O, my dear Heart, young Jesus sweet,

Prepare Your bed in my spirit,

And I shall rock You in my heart,

And never more from You depart.

14. But I shall praise You evermore,

With carols sweet unto Your glor',

The knees of my heart shall I bow,

And sing that old Balulalow.

15. Glory to God eternally,

Who gave His only Son for me!

The angels sing for all to hear,

The gracious gift of this new year.

Vom Himmel hoch
Martin Luther,
Tr. J. Wedderburns, ed. MDS

Be Blithe, All Christian Men, and Sing

What: Luther said that he had tried again and again, but could not write good treatise on justification. And then it came to him: what better way to express the peace and joy of being declared right with God (Romans 5) than to sing? The more well-known translation is by Richard Massie, "Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice," LSB 556.

Who: This is another translation by the Reformation era Scotsmen, the Wedderburns.

Changes: I have heavily edited this translation.

Note: "Esay" is the old English version of Isaiah (much like Jeremy is from Jeremiah). Also, the meter is slightly different, so you have to put a syllable for every note of the tune (you'll see what I mean, don't worry).

Tune: The meter is technically 88 88 888, but it can still be sung to NUN FREUT EUCH, LSB 556.

Be blithe, all Christian men, and sing;

Dance and make mirth with all your might.

Christ has brought us great comforting;

Wherefore we may rejoice of right.

A work to wonder what is wrought:

Christ with His blood has us dear bought

And for our sake was made to die.

For with the Fiend and doleful death,

With hell and sin I was forlorn,

The son of ire_ at God's feet;

Conceived, I was, in sin, and born;

I grew up more and more therein

And daily added sin to sin,

Despair was e'er before me.

Where I could not the Law fulfill,

My doings made me no supply;

So blind and weak was my "free" will,

That it did hate all verity.

My conscience cast me into care,

The devil drove me to despair,

And hell was e'er before my eye.

God had great pity on my woe,

Above all measure showed me grace,

When I was yet His cruel foe,

Yet He would cure my careful case;

His love to me He did convert,

From the most deepest of His heart,

Which cost Him dear, to make my peace.

To His beloved Son He said,

"The time of mercy now draws near,

To save man and the fiend invade.

Therefore My heart's own Son so dear:

Go fetch them from the devil's feed,

Tho man o'erthrow sin, hell, and death,

And man restore to health and fear."

The Son His Father did obey,

And came down to the earth to me;

Born of a maid, as writes Esay,

My kind, sweet brother for to be.

He took on Him my nature vile,

And did His might for to exile,

Satan and all his subtlety.

He said, "Thou shalt have victory,

If thou alone on Me depend.

For I will give Myself for thee,

Thy careful quarrel to defend.

For I am thine and Mine thou art,

And of my fame thou shalt have part,

And reign with Me without end.

"Though man shed out My blessed blood,

And also reave My life from Me,

I bear this only for thy good:

Believe that firm and steadfastly.

For my death shall thy death devour,

That sin shall thee condemn no more:

This way, man, shalt thou savéd be.

Thus from this present life I fare,

To My Father celestial,

Thy Mediator to be there,

And send thee My Spirit I shall,

To give thee great consolation,

For all thy sore tribulation,

The truth He shall teach to you all.

My doing, teaching, more and less,

That teach and do unfeignédly,

For this doth God's dear church increase,

And His great name doth magnify.

Beware of men and their command,

Which Me and My Word do gainstand,

My testament I leave to thee.

Nun freut euch, Christen

Martin Luther

Tr. Wedderburn, ed. MDS

Come, Holy Ghost, Blessed Lord

What: This is a Reformation-era translation of Martin Luther's Pentecost Hymn, Komm Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott. Miss Catherine Winkworth's "Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord" is the more familiar translation, found in LSB 497.

Who: Miles Coverdale completed William Tyndale's Old Testament and published the first-ever English translation of the Bible from the original Greek and Hebrew, entitled the Matthew's Bible. It is Coverdale's translation of the Psalms that was in the Anglican Church's Book of Common Prayer until the 20th century. He also translated this hymn.

Note: 'Thole' means to suffer or undergo. It is related to the word 'tolerate.' "Lore venomous" is a poetic way of saying dangerous/false doctrine.

Changes: Even Coverdale acknowledged his translation was rough. I have tried to smoothen it out as best as I could, but it could still use some amending.

Tune: KOMM HEILIGER GEIST, LSB 497.

Come, Holy Ghost, blessed Lord,

Fulfill our hearts, now, with Thy grace.

And make our minds of one accord,

With love kindle them in each place.

Thou, Lord, forgivest our trespass

And call'st the folk of each country

To the right faith and trust of (Thy) grace

That they may give Thee thanks and sing to Thee.

Alleluia, alleluia!

O holy Light, principal,

The Word of Life show unto us;

And cause us to know God o'er all

For our own Father most gracious.

Lord, keep from us lore venomous

That we may follow none but Christ.

He is the truth; His Word says thus;

Cause us to set in Him alone our trust.

Alleluia, alleluia!

O holy Fire, comfort sweet,

Fill our hearts with faith and boldness,

T'abide by Thee in cold and heat;

Content to thole for righteousness.

O Lord, give strength for our weakness,

And send us help in ev'ry hour,

That we may beat all wickedness,

And bring this old Adam under Thy pow'r.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Komm, Heiliger Geist
Martin Luther
Tr. Miles Coverdale, ed. MDS

Lord, Let Your Servant Now Depart

What: This is a Reformation Era translation of Luther's hymnic version of the Nunc Dimittis (Lord, Now Let Your Servant).
Who: Martin Luther translated by the Scottish Reformer, Wedderburn. Which Wedderburn is more difficult, but probably either Jacob or Joseph. Or they could have merely put someone else's translation in their little book. Who knows?
Note: Another translation of this hymn can be found in LSB 938.
Changes: I have edited this version, taking it out of the 16th century Scottish dialect and into today's standard English. (Because of the dialect, this is actually easier than keeping the thees and thous.
Tune: For whatever reason, Wedderburns translates this into 86 86 86. The problem is that the only tune of this meter in LSB is CORONATION, or All Hail the Pow'r of Jesus' Name.

Lord, let Your servant now depart

In gladness, rest, and peace;

I am rejoicing in my heart

To see His godly face,

Whom faithfully You promised me:

Christ Jesus, King of Grace.

Of blinded Heathen folk so sore

He is the very light,

Who never heard of Him before,

Nor saw Him with their sight.

His is the glory and decor,

And strength of Israel right.

Mit Fried und Freud
Martin Luther
Tr. Wedderburns, ed. MDS

Christ in the Bonds of Death Was Lain

Who: This is Martin Luther's great Easter hymn, one that unfortunately has fallen out of popularity.
Note: There are other fine translations out there. However, in writing an academic paper on Bach's cantata on this hymn for Dr. Robert Kolb, I wanted a translation that meshed with Bach's setting. This is the result.
"Ou-r" is our pronounced with two syllables, like is becoming commonly spoken.
'Thrall' means slavehood.
Changes: This is a composite translation (hodge-podge of translations) that I've altered to line up with Bach. Sometimes this means awkwardness.
Tune: CHRIST LAG IN TODESBANDEN (LSB 458). An newly composed tune can be found in Christian Worship Supplement 791 and heard here.

Christ in the bonds of death was lain,

For ou-r sins was given;

But Jesus Christ is ris'n again

And brings us life from heaven.

Let us all rejoice, therefore,

And give Him thanks forevermore.

And sing loud hallelujahs.

Hallelujah!

Their death no one could overwin,

Nor hell nor yet the Devil.

This all was made through ou-r sin:

None innocent but evil.

Thus death came upon us all,

And bound the fallen world in thrall.

It held us in its kingdom.

Hallelujah!

But Jesus Christ, God's only Son,

In ou-r stead descended.

He put away our sins alone

And death's great power ended,

Ruined all its right and claim,

And it has naught left but the name:

Its sting is lost forever.

Hallelujah!

It was a great and wondrous thing

When life and death contended;

Life was the one that got the win,

The rule of death was ended.

Holy Scripture spoke of it,

How one death would the other eat,

A joke is what it’s been made.

Hallelujah!

Here the right Easter Lamb we see,

Bebidd’n of us from heaven,

Once high upon th'accurséd tree,

In burning love was given.

See, His blood now marks our door;

Faith holds it up; death passes o'er.

The Murderer can't harm us.

Hallelujah!

So, let us keep this holy day,

With our heart's joy o'erflowing,

The Lord Himself with heav'nly ray

This day on us bestowing.

Now His grace to us imparts

Eternal sunshine to our hearts;

The night of sin has vanished.

Hallelujah!

Let's eat this righteous Easter bread,

Thereby, forever living.

The yeast of sin must be ousted

By grace, which He is giving.

Christ alone our souls will feed,

He is our food and drink indeed;

Faith lives on nothing other.

Hallelujah!

Christ lag in Todesbanden

Martin Luther

tr. composite, alt.