Om en rijk man her siunge wij
The Rich Man and Lazarus
The contrasting earthly lives and deaths of a wealthy man and a beggar are described.
Here we sing of a rich man who wore fine clothes and lived in great excess, setting his heart on it. A poor man named Lazarus came and lay outside his gate, covered with sores and gravely ill, begging there for bread. He would have gladly eaten the crumbs that fell from the table and been satisfied, if anyone had given them to him. Even the dogs came to his sores and licked them; he received from them the kindness the rich man denied him. Then the poor man died and was taken up by angels, who carried him to Abraham’s side—what a blessed day that was for him! The rich man also died and was laid in the grave; he entered into great torment and distress, and that day brought him sorrow.
The Great Chasm
The rich man pleads for relief and warning for his brothers, but is told that the word of God is sufficient.
As he lay there in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. In his misery, and with no joy at all, he cried out, "Have mercy on me, dear Father Abraham." Please send Lazarus to me in my torment—that is what I earnestly beg of you. You see, sir, how helpless I am. Let him dip his finger in water and cool my tongue, for this flame is fiercely hot, and there is no rest or relief. My son, remember the pleasures you enjoyed in your lifetime: you drank wine and sweet drinks, which God saw fit to give you. Lazarus, by contrast, lived in poverty and great misery. Now he is comforted and glad, while you suffer bitter anguish. A great chasm lies between us and you, so no one can cross from here to you or come from there to us. "Then please," the man said, "I have five brothers still alive. Send the faithful Lazarus to warn them." "My son, how could that be? It can't be done. They have Moses and the prophets; they should always listen to them." "No, dear Father Abraham, that won't be enough for them. But if someone comes to them from the dead, they'll turn away from this danger." Abraham answers at once: “If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets beside him, who explain God’s word to them, then in their stubbornness they certainly won’t believe even if someone rose from the peace of the dead.”
The Stewardship of Wealth
The hymn concludes with a lesson on the proper use of wealth and the importance of charity.
Look, God loves the poor and doesn't let them perish, even though many in this world despise them. From this, we should learn not to look down on the poor, but always to follow God's mind and attend to his will. Yet this doesn't mean the rich are condemned. Wealth is a gift from God and shouldn't be blamed for that. The sin lies in failing to use it rightly when our neighbor is in need: everything should be freely shared for that person's good, with nothing held back.
Read the original Latin
OM en rijk man her siunge wij/ then herlig cläder hade/ och leffde j stort fråtzerij/ ther han sitt sinne på lade/ en fattig man som Laszarus heet/ kom for hans porte liggia/ full me sår och mykin crancheet/ bröd wille han ther tiggia
Han hade wel ätit the smulor små/ och ther med til fridz bliffuit/ som aff bordet förföllo tå/ om någor hade them giffuit/ Komo ock hundar til hans hans sår them med sijn tungo sleecte/ ty welgerning han aff them får/ then doch then rijke neecte
Så bleff tå then fatige dödh/ och wart aff änglom taghen/ och förd vthi Abrahams sköt/ salig war honom then daghen/ Bleeff ock så med then rijke dödh/ och lagdes j graffuen nider/ han kom j stoor pijno och nödh/ then dagen wart honom ledher
Tå han nuu j pijnonne lågh/ sijn ögon han vplyffte/ Abraham han fierran sich sågh/ och Lazarum j hans sköte/ han ropte ther nogh önskelig/ och war ey mykit gladher/ her offuer tu förbarma tich/ Abraham kere fader.
At tu wil senda Lazarum hijt/ j tesso mine plågho/ ther om iach bidher me allo flijt/ tu seer her mijn formågho/ han duppe j watn finger sitt/ mijn tungo ther med swale/ j thenne logha är fast heet/ och ingen roo eller dwale.
Min son tenck på huru stor lust/ tu hade j tino liffue/ tu drack her både wijn och must/ thet tectes gud tich giffua/ Lazarus war tå ther emoot/ j armodh och stor iemmer/ nuu huugnas han och haffuer gott modh/ och tu tich swåra gremmer
Itt stort swalg seer man her ock så/ emillan oss och idher/ någon gång her emillan få/ tes kommer man ey widher/ så bidher iach tich sade han/ iach haffuer fem bröder j liffue/ sendt Lazarum then froma man/ han them forwarning giffue
Min son huru kan thetta skee/ thet står ey til at göra/ Mosen och propheter haffua the/ them bör them alltijd höra/ ney kere fader Abraham/ thet kan them ey nogh wara/ kommer någon aff dödhom fram/ sky the widh thenne fara.
Swarar Abraham j samma tijd/ om the Mosen ey lydha/ och the propheter ther bredho widh/ som them gudz ord vttydha/ skola the wist ey heller tro/ for sino harda modhe/ om någor ifrå sinne roo/ vtaff the döda vpstode
Sy gud haffuer then fattiga kär/ och låter han ey förgonga/ än doch han j werlden her/ warder försmådd aff monga/ aff huilko wij nuu lära må/ then fatiga ey föracta/ gudz sinne wij alt fölie tå/ och på hans wilia wacta.
Doch scal man ey så teckia her/ at then rijke förkastas/ een gudz gåffua rijkedom är/ och bör for ty ey lastas/ men synd är ey bruka then rett/ ther tarff är med wor nästa/ for honom scal thet wara alt slett/ ospart ock til hans besta.
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