The Litany

Representative Text

1 O Lord, Have mercy upon us.
2 O Christ, Have mercy upon us.
3 O Lord, Have mercy upon us.
4 O Christ, Hear Thou us.
5 O God the Father in heaven, Have mercy upon us.
6 O God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy upon us.
7 O God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy upon us.

1 Be gracious unto us. Spare us, good Lord.
2 Be gracious unto us. Help us, good Lord.

From all sin;
From all error;
From all evil: Good Lord, deliver us.

From the crafts and assaults of the devil;
From sudden and evil death;
From pestilence and famine;
From war and bloodshed;
From sedition and rebellion;
From lightning and tempest;
From all calamity by fire and water;
And from everlasting death; Good Lord, deliver us.

By the mystery of Thy holy Incarnation;
By Thy holy Nativity;
By Thy baptism, fasting, and temptation;
By Thine agony and bloody sweat;
By Thy cross and Passion;
By Thy precious death and burial;
by Thy glorious resurrection and ascension;
And by the coming of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter: Help us, good Lord.

In all time of our tribulation;
In all time of our prosperity;
In the hour of death;
And in the day of Judgment: Help us, good Lord.

We poor sinners do beseech Thee To hear us, O Lord God,

And to rule and govern Thy holy Christian Church;
To preserve all pastors and ministers of Thy Church in the true knowledge and understanding of Thy Word and in holiness of life;
To put an end to all schism and causes of offense;
To bring into the way of truth all such as have erred and are deceived;
To beat down Satan under our feet;
To send faithful laborers into Thy harvest;
To accompany Thy Word with Thy Spirit and grace;
To raise up them that fall and to strengthen such as do stand;
And to comfort and help the weak-hearted and the distressed: We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

To give all nations peace and concord;
To preserve our country from discord and contention;
To give to our nation perpetual victory over all its enemies;
To direct and defend our President and all in authority;
And to bless and keep our magistrates and all our people: We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

To behold and succor all who are in danger, necessity, and tribulation;
To protect all who travel by land or water;
To preserve all women in the perils of childbirth;
To strengthen and keep all sick persons and young children;
To set free all who are innocently imprisoned;
To defend and provide for all fatherless children and widows;
And to have mercy upon all men: We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

To forgive our enemies, persecutors, and slanderers and to turn their hearts;
To give and preserve to our use the fruits of the earth;
And graciously to hear our prayers: We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

O Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world, Have mercy upon us.

O Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world, Have mercy upon us.

O Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world, Grant us Thy peace.

O Christ, Hear thou us.

O Lord, Have mercy upon us.

O Christ, Have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us. Amen.

Source: The Lutheran Hymnal #661

Translator: Unknown

In some hymnals, the editors noted that a hymn's author is unknown to them, and so this artificial "person" entry is used to reflect that fact. Obviously, the hymns attributed to "Author Unknown" "Unknown" or "Anonymous" could have been written by many people over a span of many centuries. Go to person page >

Author: Martin Luther

Luther, Martin, born at Eisleben, Nov. 10, 1483; entered the University of Erfurt, 1501 (B.A. 1502, M.A.. 1503); became an Augustinian monk, 1505; ordained priest, 1507; appointed Professor at the University of Wittenberg, 1508, and in 1512 D.D.; published his 95 Theses, 1517; and burnt the Papal Bull which had condemned them, 1520; attended the Diet of Worms, 1521; translated the Bible into German, 1521-34; and died at Eisleben, Feb. 18, 1546. The details of his life and of his work as a reformer are accessible to English readers in a great variety of forms. Luther had a huge influence on German hymnody. i. Hymn Books. 1. Ellich cristlich lider Lobgesang un Psalm. Wittenberg, 1524. [Hamburg Library.] This contains 8 German h… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: O Lord, Have mercy upon us
Title: The Litany
Author: Martin Luther (1529)
Translator: Unknown
Language: English
Publication Date: 1941
Copyright: This text may still be under copyright because it was published in 1941.

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The Lutheran Hymnal #661

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