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Cantata BWV 80
Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott
English Translation in Interlinear Format
Cantata BWV 80 - A mighty fortressis our God

Event: Feast of the Reformation
Readings: Epistle: 2 Thessalonians 2: 3-8; Gospel: Revelations 14: 6-8
Text: Martin Luther (Mvts. 1, 2, 5, 8); Salomo Franck (Mvts. 3, 4, 6, 7)

Biblical quotations in green font, chorales in purple

1

Chorus [S, A, T, B]

Oboe I-III all' unisono, Violino I/II, Viola, Violoncello, Violone, Organo

Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott,
A mighty fortress is our God,
Ein gute Wehr und Waffen;
a good defence and weapon;
Er hilft uns frei aus aller Not,
he helps us freely out of the distress
Die uns itzt hat betroffen.
that we have now met with.
Der alte böse Feind,
The old evil enemy
Mit Ernst er's jetzt meint,
earnestly plots against us,
Groß Macht und viel List
great might and many forms of deceit
Sein grausam Rüstung ist,
are his fearsome weapons,
Auf Erd ist nicht seinsgleichen.
on earth there is none to match him.

2

Aria [Bass] and Chorale [Soprano]

Oboe, Violino I/II, Viola all' unisono, Continuo

Alles, was von Gott geboren,
All that is born of God
Ist zum Siegen auserkoren.
Is destined for victory.

Mit unsrer Macht ist nichts getan,
By our own power nothing is accomplished
Wir sind gar bald verloren.
We are very soon lost.
Es streit' vor uns der rechte Mann,
the right man fights for us
Den Gott selbst hat erkoren.
Whom God himself has chosen.

Wer bei Christi Blutpanier
Those who by the bloodstained banner of Christ
In der Taufe Treu geschworen,
have sworn faithfulness in baptism
Siegt im Geiste für und für.
gain victory in the spirit for ever and ever.

Fragst du, wer er ist?
Do you ask who he is?
Er heißt Jesus Christ,
he is called Jesus Christ,
Der Herre Zebaoth,
the Lord of Sabaoth,
Und ist kein andrer Gott,
and there is no other god
Das Feld muss er behalten.
He shall hold the field of battle.

Alles, was von Gott geboren,
All that is born of God
Ist zum Siegen auserkoren.
is destined to victory.

3

Recitative [Bass]

Continuo

Erwäge doch, Kind Gottes, die so große Liebe,
Only consider, child of God how great his love,
Da Jesus sich
since Jesus himself
Mit seinem Blute dir verschriebe,
with his blood has given his pledge for you,
Wormit er dich
by which
Zum Kriege wider Satans Heer und wider Welt, und Sünde
for the war against Satan's army and against the world and sin,
Geworben hat!
He has enlisted you!
Gib nicht in deiner Seele
Do not give any place in your soul
Dem Satan und den Lastern statt!
to Satan and depravity!
Laß nicht dein Herz,
Do not let your heart,
Den Himmel Gottes auf der Erden,
God's heaven on earth,
Zur Wüste werden!
become a desert!
Bereue deine Schuld mit Schmerz,
Repent your guilt with sorrow
Dass Christi Geist mit dir sich fest verbinde!
so that Christ's spirit may be firmly united with you!

4

Aria [Soprano]

Continuo

Komm in mein Herzenshaus,
Come into my heart's house,
Herr Jesu, mein Verlangen!
Lord Jesus, my desire!
Treib Welt und Satan aus
Drive out the world and Satan
Und lass dein Bild in mir erneuert prangen!
and let you image renewed within me shine in splendour!
Weg, schnöder Sündengraus!
Away, loathsome horror of sin!

5

Choral [S, A, T, B]

Oboe d'amore I/II, Taille, Violino I/II, Viola, Continuo

Und wenn die Welt voll Teufel wär
And if the world were full of devils
Und wollten uns verschlingen,
and they wanted to devour as
So fürchten wir uns nicht so sehr,
then we would not be very afraid,
Es soll uns doch gelingen.
we would still be successful.
Der Fürst dieser Welt,
The Prince of this world,
Wie saur er sich stellt,
however grimly he presents himself
Tut er uns doch nicht,
can do nothing against us,
Das macht, er ist gericht',
since he is already condemned,
Ein Wörtlein kann ihn fällen.
a little word can fell him.

6

Recitative [Tenor]

Continuo

So stehe dann bei Christi blutgefärbten Fahne,
Then take your stand by Christ's bloodstained banner,
O Seele, fest
O soul, firmly,
Und glaube, dass dein Haupt dich nicht verlässt,
and believe that your leader will not forsake you,
Ja, dass sein Sieg
yes, that his victory
Auch dir den Weg zu deiner Krone bahne!
Will open the way to your crown!
Tritt freudig an den Krieg!
March joyfully to war!
Wirst du nur Gottes Wort
If only God's word
So hören als bewahren,
is both heard and kept by you
So wird der Feind gezwungen auszufahren,
then your enemy wull be forced to withdraw,
Dein Heiland bleibt dein Hort!
your saviour remains your protector!

7

Aria (Duet) [Alto, Tenor]

Continuo

Wie selig sind doch die, die Gott im Munde tragen,
How blessed are those who bear God in their mouths,
Doch selger ist das Herz, das ihn im Glauben trägt!
but more blessed is the heart that bears God in faith
Es bleibet unbesiegt und kann die Feinde schlagen
Such a heart remains unconquered and can strike its enemies
Und wird zuletzt gekrönt, wenn es den Tod erlegt.
and will in the end be crowned after death has been defeated.

8

Chorale [S, A, T, B]

Violino I e Oboe d'amore I, Violino II e Oboe d'amore II, Viola (Taille), Continuo (Organo)

Das Wort sie sollen lassen stahn
They shall pay no heed to God's word
Und kein' Dank dazu haben.
And have no thanks for it.
Er ist bei uns wohl auf dem Plan
He is indeed with us on the field of battle
Mit seinem Geist und Gaben.
With his Spirit and his gifts.
Nehmen sie uns den Leib,
Let them take our body
Gut, Ehr, Kind und Weib,
wealth,honour, child and wife
Laß fahren dahin,
let them be taken away,
Sie habens kein' Gewinn;
they gain nothing by this;
Das Reich muss uns doch bleiben.
The kingdom must still remain ours.

--

This Translation in Parallel Format

English Translation by Francis Browne (July 2008)
Contributed by Francis Browne (July 2008)

Cantata BWV 80: Ein’ feste Burg ist unser Gott for Feast of Reformation (1735-1740)
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 80 Text: German-1 | German-6 | German-7 | NBA Text
Translations: English-1 | English-3I | English-3P | English-6 | English-8 | English-10 | English-13 | English-14
Catalan-1 | Chinese-2 | Dutch-0 | Dutch-3 | French-4 | French-5 | French-6 | Hebrew-1 | Hungarian-1 | Indonesian-1 | Italian-2 | Japanese-6 | Norwegian-1 | Polish-1 | Russian-1 | Russian-3 | Spanish-2 | Spanish-3 | Spanish-7 | Spanish/English-8
Emblemata: BWV 80/4
Chorale Text: Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott [BWV 80/1,2,5,8]

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 14:26