Gebet wider die Feinde der Christenheit
A Cry Against the Enemies of the Word
The petitioner laments the rise of the godless who plot against the Church and the truth of God's Word.
O Lord God, why do the godless rage without cause, and why do the mighty rise up and plot against you and your Son, the Anointed One? Ah Lord, how many your enemies are; many set themselves against your holy Word to suppress it, and in its place to bring their shameful idolatry and false teaching into the Church. They invent secret schemes and devices to kill those who confess your Word.1 They have evil in mind and are pregnant with disaster—let them give birth to a miscarriage.2 They lie in wait for us like a lion craving its prey; they hunt after our soul. They open their jaws wide like an open grave to swallow us. O Lord God! Do not hand us over to their will, for look, the godless throng says in its heart: You, Lord God, have forgotten us; you have hidden your face.
A Petition for Divine Intervention
The prayer shifts to an urgent appeal for God to wake up, defend His people, and break the power of the wicked.
Therefore rise up, Lord; lift up your hand; do not forget the wretched. Rouse yourself, Lord—why do you sleep? Wake up, and do not cast us off so completely. Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and distress? Rise up, help us, and deliver us for the sake of your goodness, so that the enemy may do nothing against us and the children of Belial cannot harm us. Rescue us from the hand of foreigners, whose teaching is of no use and whose works are false; for they will not be instructed so as to do good. They will not regard you, Lord of all lords, nor the works of your hands; therefore you will tear down and not build.3 O Lord God of Hosts!4 Fight against those who fight against us; give our Christian authorities victory and triumph over the enemies of your name. For victory comes from heaven and is not won by great numbers—you can help just as well through few as through many. Therefore break the arm of the godless; bring their schemes to nothing, so that they cannot carry them out, but must be ashamed and come to disgrace. Those who hate you and mean to wipe out your holy Word must turn back.5
For the Vindication of God's Honor
The prayer concludes by asking God to act for the sake of His own name, that He might not be blasphemed on earth.
They must become like chaff before the wind, and let your holy angel drive them away, so they do not boast against you and say, "Our hand has done this."✦✦✦ Therefore, vindicate your honor on earth and help us for your name's sake, so that it is not profaned or blasphemed.✦✦6 Amen.
Read the original Latin
O Herr Gott, warum toben die Gottlosen ohne Ursach, und die Gewaltigen lehnen sich auf, und ratschlagen miteinander wider dich und deinen Sohn, den Gesalbten? Ach Herr, wie sind deiner Feinde so viel, und viel setzen sich wider dein heiliges Wort, dasselbige zu dämpfen, und an dessen Statt ihre schändliche Abgötterei und falsche Lehre in der Kirche einzuführen. Sie erdenken heimliche List und Praktiken, wie sie die Bekenner deines Worts mögen umbringen. Sie haben Böses im Sinn, mit Unglück gehen sie schwanger; lass sie einen Fehl gebären. Sie lauern auf uns wie ein Löwe, der des Raubs begehret, also stellen sie unserer Seele nach. Auf sperren sie ihren Rachen weit, wie ein offenes Grab, uns zu verschlingen. O Herr Gott! Übergib uns nicht ihrem Willen, denn siehe, der gottlose Haufe spricht in seinem Herzen: Du, Herr Gott, habest unser vergessen, du habest dein Antlitz verborgen.
Derhalben stehe auf, Herr, erhebe deine Hand, vergiss der Elenden nicht; erwecke dich, Herr, warum schläfst du, wache auf, und verstoß uns nicht so gar. Warum verbirgst du dein Antlitz, vergisst unsers Elendes und Dranges? Mache dich auf, hilf uns, und erlöse uns um deiner Güte willen, dass der Feind nichts an uns schaffe und die Kinder Belial uns nicht können schaden. Errette uns von der Hand der Fremden, welcher Lehre kein nütze ist, und ihre Werke sind falsch; denn sie lassen sich nicht weisen, dass sie Gutes täten, sie wollen nicht achten auf dich, Herr aller Herren, noch auf die Werke deiner Hände, darum wirst du einreißen und nicht bauen. O Herr Gott Zebaoth! Streite wider unsere Bestreiter, gib unserer christlichen Obrigkeit Sieg und Überwindung wider die Feinde deines Namens; denn der Sieg kommt vom Himmel, und wird nicht erlanget durch große Menge, du kannst eben so wohl helfen durch wenig als durch viel. Derhalben zerbrich den Arm der Gottlosen, mache ihre Anschläge zunicht, dass sie es nicht hinaus führen, sondern müssen sich schämen und zu Schanden werden. Sie müssen zurückkehren, die dich hassen, und dein heiliges Wort gedenken auszurotten.
Sie müssen werden wie Spreu vor dem Winde, und dein heiliger Engel stoße sie weg, auf dass sie sich nicht rühmen wider dich, und sprechen: unsere Hand hat solches getan. Darum lege du Ehre ein auf Erden, und hilf uns um deines Namens willen, dass er nicht entheiliget und gelästert werde. Amen.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Ps.1.4;Ps.35.5 — Not so the wicked; but they are like chaff that the wind drives away. Ps.35.5 — Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away.
- ↩Ps.35.5-Ps.35.6 — Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away. Ps.35.6 — Let their way be dark and slippery, and let the angel of the LORD pursue them.
- ↩Deut.32.27 — Were it not for the wrath of the enemy I feared, lest their foes would misunderstand and say, 'Our own hand has prevailed, and it was not the LORD who did all this.'
- ↩Ps.79.9;Ps.106.8 — Help us, O God of our salvation, for the sake of the glory of your name; deliver us and atone for our sins, for your name's sake. Ps.106.8 — Yet he saved them for the sake of his name, to make known his mighty power.
- ↩Ezek.36.20-Ezek.36.23;Isa.52.5 — And they came to the nations, where they entered, and they profaned my holy name, when people said of them, 'These are the people of the LORD, and they have gone out of his land.' Ezek.36.21 — But I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they had gone. Ezek.36.22 — Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake that I am acting, O house of Israel, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. Ezek.36.23 — And I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when I am sanctified in you before their eyes. Isa.52.5 — And now — what do I have here? declares the LORD. For my people have been taken away for nothing. Their rulers howl, declares the LORD, and continually, all day long, my name is despised.
Notes
- 1 ↩Praktiken can mean intrigues, schemes, or political devices; rendered as 'devices' for early-modern conspiratorial sense.
- 2 ↩einen Fehl gebären is Early New High German for bringing forth a failed birth/miscarriage; kept as imprecatory image rather than flattened to 'let their plans fail.'
- 3 ↩Fremden can mean foreign nations/powers or outsiders to the faith; rendered 'foreigners' to keep the political-religious edge of the prayer without over-specifying.
- 4 ↩Zebaoth rendered as 'of Hosts' (standard modern biblical English for Sabaoth).
- 5 ↩gedenken + infinitive taken as 'intend/mean to' (not 'remember'); auszurotten as root out/wipe out.
- 6 ↩German 'Ehre einlegen' is idiomatic: to gain or show honor. Rendered as 'vindicate your honor' for divine address; alternative plain sense: 'bring honor to yourself / show your glory on earth.'
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