A wish of blessing to a sick brother.
Addressee, date, and source
The Hundred and Forty-ninth Letter.
A wish of blessing to a sick brother.
Dearly beloved brother!
As I gladly wished to have news how it stands with you; so the dear brothers N. N. have offered themselves, that one of them both would fetch the answer. Were I in a condition, I would gladly visit you myself; what now with the sickly body I cannot do, such I will the more diligently perform with my brotherly-inclined heart, and in my poverty offer you up to our compassionate Physician of body and soul, Jesus Christ: He has, at his birth, wished to visit us as the comfort- and healing-full Dayspring from on high; for that may he be ever worshipped and glorified by us! May this Dayspring from on high visit you also, my brother! with gracious glances upon your sickbed; strengthen your heart with faith, love and patience, to suffer according to God's good pleasure; may He lighten and soothe your cross for you, and carry out his divine purposes thereunder, and raise you up again soon, according to his gracious good pleasure, to walk yet a little with us on the pilgrim-road toward the homeland of the still eternity! Amen, Jesus!
You will thus have to keep your Christmas feast on the sickbed at N.: There also is the little Child Jesus to be found. Immanuel, God with us, will gladly raise up his Bethlehem (or house of bread) in our inward part; He will draw near, love, impart; but we also are to draw near, love, and yield ourselves wholly to him who alone is our Whole. Now your suffering in your place will surely be your service of God, but suffering with God, before God, in still worship of his good pleasure.
All the members here, especially my household, greet you heartily, and take part with me in your sufferings, which we have now properly only just learned.
I greet you once more in the spirit of love and remain.
German
Der hundertundneunundvierzigste Brief.
Segens-Wunsch an einen kranken Bruder.
Herzlich geliebter Bruder!
Da ich gerne Nachricht haben wollte, wie es mit dir stehet; so haben die l. Brüder N. N. sich angebothen, daß einer von ihnen beiden den Bescheid einholen wollte.
— Opening lines of the original German. The complete transcription of all 605 letters appears in the forthcoming Encounter Press critical edition; Brief 1 is shown in full as a sample.
German text: public domain (1773–75 first edition / 1845 Gesammelte Schriften).
Translator’s notes
What this letter is. A short undated GEB abridgment (Benrath supplies 21 Dec. 1760 to Georg Heinrich Fischer at Gruiten) of a Christmas-season wish of blessing to a sick brother (du): glad to have news; dear brothers N. N. offered to fetch word; cannot visit with the sickly body — will the more diligently offer him up to Jesus Christ, compassionate Physician of body and soul; the Dayspring from on high visit him on the sickbed, strengthen the heart, soothe the cross, raise him to walk yet a little on the pilgrim-road toward the still eternity; Christmas feast on the sickbed at N. — the Child Jesus is there too; Immanuel will raise Bethlehem in the inward part; now suffering is the service of God, with God, before God, in still worship; household greets and shares the sufferings just learned; greets once more in the spirit of love and remains.
How to read the German. The panel is the 1775 first-edition wording (the GEB abridgment) in the house orthography used for Band II / Th IV (settled 2 Sep 2026). Distinctive KEEP forms (seyn / kan / Creutz / angebäten / Anbätung / angebothen / aufopferen / mittheilen / Heimath / Brodhaus / hieselbst / 149te / Armuth / thun) stand as on the leaf. House folds include krancken / kräncklichen / Krancken-Bett→kranken / kränklichen / Kranken-Bett, Hertzen / Hertz→Herzen / Herz, bey / beyden→bei / beiden, leyden / Leyden / mitleydigen→leiden / Leiden / mitleidigen, stärcke→stärke, gantz→ganz, Versalien → digraph. KEEP seyn / kan / Creutz / angebäten / Anbätung / angebothen / aufopferen.
English choices. you/your for the brother (du); Herzlich geliebter Bruder! → Dearly beloved brother! (Rule B); Aufgang aus der Höhe → Dayspring from on high (Luke 1:78 cadence); Creutz → cross; Anbätung → worship; Brodhaus → house of bread; Hausgenossen → household. Divine names ordinary. Modern morphology in ordinary prose (Jarred Rule C, 2 Sep 2026) — no decorative -eth (wished / offered / visits / greets, not -eth). No authorial emphasis (§9d).
How the German reads here. Panel KEEP forms (seyn / kan / Creutz / angebäten / Anbätung / angebothen / aufopferen / mittheilen / Heimath / Brodhaus) stand; krancken / Hertzlich / Hertzen / Hertz / bey / beyden / leyden / mitleydigen / stärcke / gantz / GOTT / grüssen / Straſſe are folded by the house rules (Spec §3; CRITICAL folds).
A few words and echoes.
- "Segens-Wunsch an einen kranken Bruder" — a wish of blessing to a sick brother.
- "die l. Brüder N. N. sich angebothen" — the dear brothers N. N. have offered themselves (KEEP angebothen).
- "unsern mitleidigen Leibs- und Seelen-Arzt JEsu Christo aufopferen" — offer up to our compassionate Physician of body and soul, Jesus Christ (KEEP aufopferen).
- "der trost- und heilvolle Aufgang aus der Höhe" — the comfort- and healing-full Dayspring from on high.
- "stärke dein Herz … zu leiden nach GOttes Wohlgefallen" — strengthen your heart … to suffer according to God's good pleasure (Hertz*-class folded).
- "besänftige dir dein Creutz" — soothe your cross (KEEP Creutz).
- "Immanuel, GOtt mit uns" — Immanuel, God with us.
- "in stiller Anbätung seines Wohlgefallens" — in still worship of his good pleasure (KEEP Anbätung).
trans. Jarred Fenlason · gerhardtersteegen.com/letters/bdii-thiv-149 · all rights reservedEnglish translation © Jarred Fenlason · All rights reserved · gerhardtersteegen.com.