The German text appears here as it was published in the first edition of the full score (Leipzig and Winterthur: J. Rieter-Biedermann, 1868). To give a sense of Brahms's fidelity to scripture with only minor changes to the text, differences are indicated between the Requiem text and as it appears in Brahms's 1833 Bible, discussed above. Although it does not seem to be the sole version of the Bible Brahms consulted in compiling the Requiem text, it was especially dear to his heart. Portions of the Requiem not in the 1833 Bible appear below in brackets; words that appear in the Bible but not in the Requiem are struck through. Variations in orthography and punctuation are generally not indicated. Verse numbers for Psalms 39 and 84 follow those of English translations; Luther numbers the Psalm headings as verse 1.

I have attempted a literal translation from the German while also drawing on traditional word choices common to standard English versions. Brahms’s 1833 Bible does not use all uppercase letters for “Herr” to indicate the use of “YHWH” in the Hebrew, a practice of many earlier as well as modern Bibles, but I have used “LORD” in the translation to designate its presence in the original biblical text.

German Text English Translation

Movement I

Matthew 5:4

Selig sind, die da Leid tragen, denn sie Blessed are those who mourn, for they

shall be comforted

sollen getröstet we

Psalm 126:5–6 Those who sow with tears shall reap

with joy. They go forth and weep and

carry precious seeds, and come with

joy and bring their sheaves.

Die mit Thränen säen, werden mit

Freuden ernten. Sie gehen hin und

weinen und tragen edlen Samen, und

kommen mit Freuden und bringen

ihre Garben

Movement II

1 Peter 1:24

Denn alles Fleisch [es] ist wie Gras

und alle Herrlichkeit des Menschen

wie des Grases Blumen. Das Gras ist

verdorret und die Blume abgefallen.