1. O man, thy grievous sin bemoan,
   Whence, from His Father’s bosom flown,
   To earth came Christ, our Savior;
   Of virgin mother, undefiled,
   For us was born the holy Child,
   To be our Mediator.
   Unto the dead new life He gave,
   The sick from ev’ry ill He saved,
   Until His hour of anguish,
   When He would be our sacrifice,
   Pay for our sins the awful price,
   Yea, on the cross would languish.

2. Then, as the Jews’ great Feast drew nigh,
   With His disciples standing by,
   Jesus addressed them, saying:
   The Son of Man shall be betrayed,
   Upon the cross be killed, be slain.
   Then, lo! while they were staying
   In Simon’s house, a woman brought
   Much costly ointment she had bought.
   Upon the Lord she poured it.
   Though some disciples took it ill,
   Jesus did not against her rail;
   Judas in hatred scorned it.

3. To the high priests he crept away,
   Agreed his Savior to betray
   For thirty silver pieces.
   With His disciples Jesus came
   And ate with them the Paschal Lamb,
   Which His new feast replaces:
   He left for us a Testament
   To preach His death till this world’s end.
   He washed their feet polluted,
   Depicting thus His love for them,
   Commanding them to do the same;
   With comfort He concluded.

4. They on the Mount of Olives prayed.
   With fear and trembling them He bade:
   Oh, pray with watchful labor.
   A stone’s throw thence did He depart,
   Prayed to His Father from His heart:
   O Father, in Thy favor
   Grant that this cup may pass from Me.
   All things are possible with Thee!
   Yet what Thou wilt, be keeping.
   E’en so He prayed three times the same.
   As oft as back to them He came,
   He found them quiet sleeping.

5. He spake: Sleep ye in My distress?
   Enough! The hour on us doth press.
   The Son of Man is given
   Into the hands of sinners. Rise!
   He who betrays Me draweth nigh.
   Stay near and pray to heaven.
   While yet He spake, lo! Judas came,
   A hoard there followed in his train,
   With spears and clubs arisen.
   A sign had the betrayer told:
   He whom I kiss, on Him take hold,
   Him shall ye then imprison.

6. Since Jesus knew all things to be,
   He went to meet them willingly
   And spake unto them mildly:
   Whom seek ye here with such a swell?
   Jesus! They spake, and back they fell,
   Fearful, but raging wildly.
   Judas then kissed Him, as he’d said,
   The dreadful hoard upon Him sped
   And bound Him in their raving.
   Peter drew forth his sword, came near,
   Cleft off the bishop’s servant’s ear,
   But Jesus answered, saying:

7. Fight not! Thy sword put in its sheath;
   Shall I not drink My cup of grief?
   This said, He healed the servant.
   The hoard to Annas Jesus sped
   And Him to Caiaphas they led,
   With bonds and fetters burdened.
   Peter came to the court within
   Through a disciple known to them,
   Three times the Lord denying.
   The bishop questioned Jesus there,
   False witnesses they brought to bear,
   Him to condemn by lying.

8. Christ gave no answer unto them.
   Then spake the high priest unto Him:
   What sayest Thou? Now hasten:
   By God I put Thee under oath,
   Say, art Thou Christ, God’s Son? he quoth.
   Then without hesitation:
   I am, He said, And from now on
   The Son of Man you’ll see upon
   The shining clouds of glory,
   Sitting enthroned at God’s right hand!
   The bishop did his garments rend,
   And said, Ye’ve heard His story,

9. How He blasphemes the God we fear!
   Spake he: What more need we to hear?
   Spake they: To death! With screaming,
   They spat upon Him in His face,
   His cheeks they struck, Him they disgraced,
   With bitter words blaspheming.
   His face they covered, Him to blind,
   And struck Him with their fists unkind,
   Saying: Tell, who hath struck Thee?
   Then in the dark of early morn,
   With many threats and bitter scorn
   They dragged Him, beaten, bloody,

10. And brought Him unto Pilate’s throne.
    When Judas saw what had been done,
    He rued the matter sorely.
    The silver to the priests he gave
    And spake, I’ve sinned a sin most grave.
    He knew he’d served Him poorly.
    Himself he hanged, and burst in twain.
    The high priests gathered both again,
    The blood-stained silver selling:
    A potter’s field with it they bought;
    Pilgrims for buri͜al there were brought,
    The Prophet thus foretelling.

11. As before Pilate Jesus stood,
    There rose a clamor from the crowd,
    Crying with great upheaval:
    Much against Caesar hath He done,
    Calling Himself God’s only Son,
    Leading astray the people.
    Pilate to Him his questions put,
    But Christ to him no answer spoke.
    At this was Pilate startled.
    He sent Him unto Herod’s lair;
    Herod rejoiced to see Him there,
    Hoping to see some marvel.

12. As Jesus not a word would speak,
    Herod despised the Savior meek,
    And sent Him back to Pilate.
    He summoned then the Jews, and spake:
    This Man did Herod also take,
    In Him saw nothing violent.
    You have a custom ev’ry year
    That I release a prisoner;
    I’ll give unto you Jesus!
    They shrieked with voices raised on high:
    No, Jesus take and crucify,
    More doth Barabbas please us!

13. So Pilate then had Jesus bound,
    To the praetori͜um driven round.
    With purple they bedecked Him.
    Of thorns they twisted Him a crown,
    Which pressed His head and pierced His brow,
    And with a reed they struck Him.
    As king they greeted Him, cruel sport!
    Their filth they spat upon the Lord,
    His holy head they chastened.
    Then Pilate spake: Behold the Man!
    I find no violence in His hand,
    No cause for condemnation.

14. They cried the more with voices loud:
    Crucify, crucify Him now,
    Else you’re no friend of Caesar!
    When Pilate heard them this repeat,
    He sat upon the judgment seat,
    Hands washed, the crowd’s appeaser.
    He freed Barabbas at their cry,
    Jesus he took to crucify,
    Gave in to their defiance.
    His clothes they put on Him again.
    As a loud clamor rose from them,
    He bore His cross in silence.

15. Then, as they followed Him without,
    Simon they forced to leave the crowd,
    Helping His cross to carry.
    The women wailed and loudly wept,
    But Jesus stopped, and round He stepped,
    Briefly with them to tarry:
    O weep ye not for Me, He said,
    Daughters of Zion, weep instead
    For yourselves and your children!
    For of the barren ye will say,
    Who never nursed: How blest are they!
    Such terrors then will fill them.

16. To Golgotha at last they came.
    Two evildoers there in shame
    Were nailed upon their crosses,
    One at His right, one at His left,
    As Scripture long ago had said.
    Spake Christ, as was His office:
    Father, forgive them, every one,
    For they know not what they have done!
    Pilate a sign had written
    In Hebrew, Greek, and Latin tongue:
    To Jesus, king of Jews, ’tis done,
    Much to the priests’ vexation.

17. As Jesus there they crucified,
    His clothing then did they divide,
    And lots they cast thereover.
    As Jesus saw His mother there,
    And John, this word with them He shared:
    Woman, you’ll be his mother.
    Behold thy son! To John He spake:
    Behold thy mother—ne’er forsake!
    Henceforth he gave her shelter.
    Then the high priests the Savior mocked,
    And all the rest blasphemed their God:
    Is God in truth Thy helper?

18. If Thou art God’s beloved Son,
    Leave Thou Thy cross, come down therefrom!
    So said the thief, His neighbor.
    Yet did the other thief confess,
    Told him of Jesus’ innocence,
    And said: Lord, me remember
    When Thou Thy kingdom dost receive!
    Spake Jesus: Truly thou shalt be
    In paradise beside Me!
    At the sixth hour the darkness fell,
    And at the ninth from Jesus swelled
    A great voice, loudly crying:

19. My God, My God! Why leavest Me?
    Sour wine they brought in mockery
    And for a drink they offered.
    As Jesus tasted then the gall,
    Spake He: ’Tis finished, I’ve done all!
    And finally, as He suffered:
    O Father, into Thy dear hand
    My spirit now do I commend!
    Then with a loud voice crying
    Gave up the ghost. Then tore the veil
    Within the temple; earth did quail
    And tremble at His dying.

20. The ground beneath did also shake,
    The graves were opened as it quaked.
    The captain and his servants
    Said: Yea, this Man was good indeed,
    Truly the Son of God was He!
    They beat their breasts in earnest.
    To break their legs the thieves they sought,
    Jesus was dead; they brake Him not,
    Him with a spear they piercèd:
    Came blood and water from His side.
    He who hath seen it testified,
    The Scripture further bears it.

21. Then, with the ev’ning drawing nigh,
    Joseph, the righteous man, came by,
    Him from the cross to carry.
    Good Nicodemus also came,
    Aloes and myrrh with him to bring;
    Jesus he helped to bury,
    Wrapped in a pure and linen shroud;
    Within the rock a grave was found
    Where none had lain reposing.
    There they laid Jesus, holy one,
    And o’er the grave they rolled a stone,
    His body there enclosing.

22. The Jews a guard nearby had set,
    But on the third day, from the dead
    Jesus arose in power,
    That we in Him might righteous be,
    Within His kingdom now made free,
    Nor sin within us flower.
    O therefore let us all rejoice,
    Unto our Savior raise our voice,
    For Christ did truly conquer
    For us sin’s pow’r and deep distress,
    And us redeemed from hell and death;
    The devil rules no longer.

23. So let us thank Him evermore
    That for our sakes such pain He bore,
    After His will now living.
    Yea, let us be the foes of sin,
    Since God’s Word brightly shines within
    And daily aids our striving.
    Let us show love to ev’ryone
    As Christ Himself to us hath done
    By His own suff’ring, dying.
    O child of man, reflect aright
    How God’s dread wrath our sin did smite,
    Thou from transgression flying!

O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß
Sebald Heyden, 1530
Tr. Christopher J. Neuendorf, 2020

O man thy grievous sin bemoan,
For which Christ left His Father’s throne,
From highest heaven descending.
Of virgin pure and undefiled,
He here was born, our Savior mild,
For sin to make atonement.
The dead He raised to life again,
The sick He freed from grief and pain,
Until the time appointed,
That He for us should give His Blood,
Should bear our sins’ o’erwhelming load,
The shameful Cross enduring.