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Text for Cantata 131
Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir

Original German Text

English Translation

1. CHOR

Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir.
Herr, höre meine Stimme,
laß deine Ohren merken
auf die Stimme meines Flehens!

Out of the depths I cry Lord to you.
Lord hear my voice,
hearken your ears
to the voice of my supplication!

2. ARIOSO (Baß); CHORAL (Sopran)

BAß
So du willst, Herr, Sünde zurechnen,
Herr, wer wird bestehen?

SOPRAN
Erbarm dich mein in solcher Last,
nimm sie aus meinem Herzen,
dieweil du sie gebüßet hast
am Holz mit Todesschmerzen,

BAß
Denn bei dir ist die Vergebung,
daß man dich fürchte.

SOPRAN
auf daß ich nicht mit großem Weh
in meinen Sünden untergeh,
noch ewiglich verzage.

BASS
If you Lord were to add up our sins
Lord who would endure?

SOPRANO
Have mercy on me under such burden,
remove it from my heart,
for you have atoned for it
on the wood [of the cross] in the pangs of death,

BASS
For in you there is forgiveness
that one might fear you.

SOPRANO
so that I, midst the great woe
from my sins, might not perish
nor eternally despair.

3. CHOR

Ich harre des Herrn,
meine Seele harret,
und ich hoffe auf sein Wort.

I wait upon the Lord,
my soul waits,
and I hope upon his word.

4. ARIA (Tenor); CHORAL (Alt)

TENOR
Meine Seele wartet auf den Herrn
von einer Morgenwache bis zu der andern.

ALT
Und weil ich denn in meinem Sinn,
wie ich zuvor geklaget,
auch ein betrübter Sünder bin,
den sein Gewissen naget,
und wollte gern im Blute dein
von Sünden abgewaschen sein
wie David und Manasse.

TENOR
My soul waits upon the Lord
from one morning’s watch to the next.

ALTO
And I then, having long lamented
understanding that I too
am a miserable sinner
whose conscience gnaws upon me,
would gladly be cleansed of sin
by your blood
like David and Manasseh.*

5. CHOR

Israel hoffe auf den Herrn;
denn bei dem Herrn ist die Gnade
und viel Erlösung bei ihm.
Und er wird Israel erlösen
aus allen seinen Sünden.

Israel, hope in the Lord;
for in the Lord there is mercy
and great redemption in him.
And he will redeem Israel
from all its sins.


*Manasseh was a King of Judah, son of Hezekiah. He was crowned at the age of 12 and reigned for 55 years. Considered evil before God, he later changed his ways and became pious. See: II Chronicles 33>


COMPOSED: 1707-8 (Mühlhausen) for an unknown occasion (perhaps a penance service following a fire)
LIBRETTIST: unknown, from Psalm 130; Mvts 2 & 4 incl. Bartholomäus Ringwaldt, stanzas 2 & 5 of Herr Jesus Christ, du höchstes Gut (1582)
TRANSLATION: 2024 © Tobin Schmuck, NYC
Print by permission only, please. Click here.

Cantata BWV 131: Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir for Penitential Service ? (1707-1708)
Details | Complete Recordings: 1900-1949 | 1950-1959 | 1960-1969 | 1970-1979 | 1980-1989 | 1990-1999 | 2000-2009 | 2010-2019 | 2020-2029 | Recordings of Individual Movements
Discussions: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

BWV 131 Text: German-1 | German-2 | German-6 | German-7 | NBA Text
Translations: English-1 | English-2 | English-3I | English-3P | English-6 | English-10 | English-13 | English-14
Catalan-1 | Chinese-2 | Dutch-0 | Dutch-3 | Dutch-4 | French-3 | French-4 | French-5 | French-6 | Hebrew-1 | Hebrew-2 | Hungarian-1 | Hungarian-2 | Indonesian-1 | Italian-4 | Kobayashi | Japanese-6 | Norwegian-1 | Polish-1 | Portuguese-1 | Russian-1 | Russian-3 | Spanish-2 | | Spanish-7 | Spanish/English-8
Cantata-associated Illustration: BWV 131
Chorale Text: Herr Jesu Christ, du höchstes Gut [BWV 131/2,4]

English Translations (English-10): Index by BWV Number | Index by Title | Index 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: Saturday, March 02, 2024 05:20