Evangelical Lutheran hymnal ‎#145

145. Had God not come,may Israel say

1 Had God not come, may Israel say,
Had God not come to aid us,
Our enemies on that sad day
Would surely have dismayed us;
A remnant now, and handful small,
Held in contempt and scorn by all,
Who cruelly oppress us.

2 Their furious wrath, did God permit,
Would quickly have consumed us,
And in the deep and yawning pit
With life and limb entombed us;
Like men o'er whom dark waters roll,
The streams had gone e'en o'er our soul,
And mightily o'erwhelmed us.

3 Thanks be to God, who from the pit
Snatched us, when it was gaping:
Our souls, like birds that break the net,
To the blue sky escaping;
The snare is broken—we are free!
The Lord our Helper praised be,
The God of earth and heaven.

Text Information

• First Line: Had God not come,may Israel say
• Author: Dr. Martin Luther (1524)
• Translator: Richard Massie (1834)
• Meter: No. 20
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1908
• Topic: The Church Year: Reformation
• Notes: From the German text: waer' gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit

Tune Information

• Name: DECIUS (Allein Gott in der Hoch sei Ehr)
• Composer: Nicolaus Decius (1529)
• Meter: No. 20
• Key: G Major