A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Martin Luther, 1529 (1483-1546) Translated by Frederick H. Hedge, 1853 (1805-1890) from Psalm 46 1. A might-y For-tress is our God, A Bul-wark nev-er fail-ing; Our Help-er He a-mid the flood Of mor-tal ills pre-vail-ing: For still our an-cient Foe Doth seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great, And, armed with cru-el hate, On earth is not his e-qual. 2. Did we in our own strength con-fide, Our striv-ing would be los-ing; Were not the right Man on our side, The Man of God's own choos-ing: Dost ask who that may be? Christ Je-sus, it is He; Lord Sab-a-oth His Name, From age to age the same, And He must win the bat-tle. 3. And though [tho'] this world, with dev-ils filled, Should threat-en to un-do us; We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to tri-umph through us: The Prince of Dark-ness grim, We trem-ble not for him; His rage we can en-dure, For lo! his doom is sure, One lit-tle word shall fell him. 4. That word a-bove all earth-ly powers, No thanks to them, a-bid-eth; The Spir-it and the gifts are ours Through Him who with us sid-eth: Let goods and kin-dred go, This mor-tal life al-so; The bod-y they may kill: God's truth a-bid-eth still, His King-dom is for-ev-er.
Martin Luther, 1529 (1483-1546) Translated by Frederick H. Hedge, 1853 (1805-1890) from Psalm 46
1. A might-y For-tress is our God, A Bul-wark nev-er fail-ing; Our Help-er He a-mid the flood Of mor-tal ills pre-vail-ing: For still our an-cient Foe Doth seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great, And, armed with cru-el hate, On earth is not his e-qual.
2. Did we in our own strength con-fide, Our striv-ing would be los-ing; Were not the right Man on our side, The Man of God's own choos-ing: Dost ask who that may be? Christ Je-sus, it is He; Lord Sab-a-oth His Name, From age to age the same, And He must win the bat-tle.
3. And though [tho'] this world, with dev-ils filled, Should threat-en to un-do us; We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to tri-umph through us: The Prince of Dark-ness grim, We trem-ble not for him; His rage we can en-dure, For lo! his doom is sure, One lit-tle word shall fell him.
4. That word a-bove all earth-ly powers, No thanks to them, a-bid-eth; The Spir-it and the gifts are ours Through Him who with us sid-eth: Let goods and kin-dred go, This mor-tal life al-so; The bod-y they may kill: God's truth a-bid-eth still, His King-dom is for-ev-er.