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Cantata BWV 119
Preise, Jerusalem, den Herrn
English Translation in Interlinear Format
Cantata BWV 119 - Praise, Jerusalem, the Lord

Event: Rastwahl Cantata for the Inauguration of Leipzig Town Council [St. Bartolomew’s Day]
Text: Psalm 147: 12-14 (Mvt. 1); Martin Luther (Mvt. 9); Anon (Mvts. 2-8) (probably Picander or Christian Weiss, Sr.)
Chorale Text: Herr Gott, dich loben wir [The German Tedeum]

Biblical quotations in green font, chorales in purple

1

Chorus [S, A, T, B]

Tromba I-IV, Timpani, Flauto I/II, Oboe I-III, Violino I/II, Viola, Continuo

Preise, Jerusalem, den Herrn,
Praise, Jerusalem, the Lord,
lobe, Zion, deinen Gott!
glorify, Zion, your God!
Denn er machet fest die Riegel deiner Tore
For he makes firm the bars of your gates
und segnet deine Kinder drinnen,
and blesses your children within,
er schaffet deinen Grenzen Frieden.
he creates peace within your borders.

2

Recitative [Tenor]

Continuo

Gesegnet Land, glückselge Stadt,
Blessed land, fortunate city,
Woselbst der Herr sein Herd und Feuer hat!
where the Lord himself has his hearth and fire!
Wie kann Gott besser lohnen,
How can God give a better reward
Als wo er Ehre läßt in einem Lande wohnen?
than where he lets honour dwell within a land?
Wie kann er eine Stadt
How can a city
Mit reicherm Nachdruck segnen,
be more emphatically blessed by him
Als wo er Güt und Treu einander läßt begegnen,
than where he makes goodness and faith to meet together,
Wo er Gerechtigkeit und Friede
where he makes justice and peace
Zu küssen niemals müde,
never weary of kissing,
Nicht müde, niemals satt
where he is not weary , never satisfied
Zu werden teur verheißen, auch in der Tat erfüllet hat?
with promising to be kind, but also has accomplished his promise in deeds?
Da ist der Schluß gemacht: Gesegnet Land, glückselge Stadt!
Therefore we make this conclusion : Blessed land, fortunate city!

3

Aria [Tenor]

Oboe da caccia I/II, Continuo

Wohl dir, du Volk der Linden,
Happy are you, you people [of the city] of the linden trees
Wohl dir, du hast es gut!
happy are you, all is well with you!
Wieviel an Gottes Segen
How much of God's blessing
Und seiner Huld gelegen,
and his favour
Die überschwenglich tut,
which he bestows in profusion
Kannst du an dir befinden.
can you find within you.

4

Recitative [Bass]

Tromba I-IV, Timpani, Flauto I/II, Oboe da caccia I/II, Continuo

So herrlich stehst du, liebe Stadt!
How gloriously you stand, dear city!
Du Volk, das Gott zum Erbteil sich erwählet hat!
You people , whom God has chosen for a share of his inheritance!
Doch wohl! und aber wohl! wo man's zu Herzen fassen
It is well, yes indeed it is well! where people take it to heart
Und recht erkennen will,
and are willing to recognise rightly
Durch wen der Herr den Segen wachsen lassen.
through whom the Lord makes blessings increase.
Ja!
Was bedarf es viel?
Yes! Does much need to be said?
Das Zeugnis ist schon da,
The evidence is already there,
Herz und Gewissen wird uns überzeugen,
heart and conscience will convince us
Daß, was wir Gutes bei uns sehn,
that all the good we see among us
Nächst Gott durch kluge Obrigkeit
next to God happens through prudent authority
Und durch ihr weises Regiment geschehn.
and through their wise government,
Drum sei, geliebtes Volk, zu treuem Dank bereit,
Therefore, beloved people, be ready to give faithful thanks,
Sonst würden auch davon nicht deine Mauern schweigen!
Otherwise about this your walls will not be silent!

5

Aria [Alto]

Flauto I/II all' unisono, Continuo

Die Obrigkeit ist Gottes Gabe,
Authority is a gift of God,
Ja selber Gottes Ebenbild.
indeed the exact likeness of God himself.
Wer ihre Macht nicht will ermessen,
Anyone who is unwilling to appreciate its power
Der muß auch Gottes gar vergessen:
is bound to forget God's power also:
Wie würde sonst sein Wort erfüllt?
how would his word otherwise be fulfilled?

6

Recitative [Soprano]

Continuo

Nun! wir erkennen es und bringen dir,
Now! We acknowledge it and bring to you
O höchster Gott, ein Opfer unsers Danks dafür.
o highest God, an offering of our thanks.
Zumal, nachdem der heutge Tag,
Especially , after today,
Der Tag, den uns der Herr gemacht,
the day the Lord has made for us,
Euch, teure Väter, teils von eurer Last entbunden,
for you , dear fathers, - some of whom are released from your burden,
Teils auch auf euch
while some of you also
Schlaflose Sorgenstunden
have been brought sleepless hours of care
Bei einer neuen Wahl gebracht,
through a new election, -
So seufzt ein treues Volk mit Herz und Mund zugleich:
a loyal people with both heart and mouth sighs in this way:

7

Chorus [S, A, T, B]

Tromba I-IV, Timpani, Flauto I/II, Oboe I-III, Violino I/II, Viola, Continuo

Der Herr hat Guts an uns getan,
The Lord has done good things for us,
Des sind wir alle fröhlich.
and because of this we are joyful.
Er seh die teuren Väter an
May he look upon our dear fathers
Und halte auf unzählig
and for countless
Und späte lange Jahre naus
and for long years to come
In ihrem Regimente Haus,
be present in their rule,
So wollen wir ihn preisen.
and so we shall praise him.

8

Recitative [Alto]

Continuo

Zuletzt!
At last!
Da du uns, Herr, zu deinem Volk gesetzt,
Since you, Lord, have joined us to your people,
So laß von deinen Frommen
grant that from your pious people
Nur noch ein arm Gebet vor deine Ohren kommen
only one more poor prayer may come before your ears
Und höre! ja erhöre!
and hear! yes, hear us!
Der Mund, das Herz und Seele seufzet sehre.
Mouth and heart and soul sigh greatly.

9

Chorale [S, A, T, B]

Instrumentierung nicht überliefert

Hilf deinem Volk, Herr Jesu Christ,
Help your people, Lord Jesus Christ,
Und segne, was dein Erbteil ist.
and bless what is your inheritance.
Wart und pfleg ihr zu aller Zeit
Look after and care for them at all times
Und heb sie hoch in Ewigkeit!
and raise them high in eternity!
Amen.

--

This Translation in Parallel Format

English Translation by Francis Browne (April 2003)
Contributed by Francis Browne (April 2003)

Cantata BWV 119: Preise, Jerusalem, den Herrn for Council Election (1723)
Discography: Details & Complete Recordings | Recordings of Individual Movements
Discussions: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

BWV 119 Text: German-1 | German-6 | German-7 | NBA Text
Translations: English-1 | English-3I | English-3P | English-6 | English-10 | English-14
Catalan-1 | Chinese-2 | Dutch-0 | Dutch-3 | French-4 | French-5 | French-6 | Hebrew-1 | Indonesian-1 | Italian-2 | Norwegian-1 | Polish-1 | Portuguese-1 | Russian-1 | Russian-3 | Spanish-5 | Spanish-7 | Spanish/English-8
Chorale Text: Herr Gott, dich loben wir [The German Tedeum] [BWV 119/9]

English Translations in Interlinear/Parallel Format (English-3): Sorted by BWV Number | Sorted by Title | Sorted by Event | Note on English Translations


Texts & Translations: Main Page | Cantatas BWV 1-50 | Cantatas BWV 51-100 | Cantatas BWV 101-150 | Cantatas BWV 151-200 | Cantatas BWV 201-224 | Other Vocal BWV 225-249 | Chorales BWV 250-438 | Geistliche Lieder BWV 439-507 | AMN BWV 508-524 | Other Vocal 1081-1164 | BWV Anh | Chorale Texts | Emblemata | Sources | Poets & Composers
Discussions: Texts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Translations: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4




 

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Last update: Monday, January 09, 2023 14:22