Domine Iesu Christe, Rex gloriæ,
libera animas omnium fidelium defunctorum
de pœnis inferni et de profundo lacu.
libera eas de ore leonis,
ne absorbeat eas tartarus,
ne cadant in obscurum;
Sed signifer sanctus Michael 
repræsentet eas in lucem sanctam,
quam olim Abrahæ promisisti Abrahae et semini eius.
 
Hostias et preces tibi, Domine, 
laudis offerimus;
tu suscipe pro animabus illis, 
quarum hodie memoriam facimus.
Fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam.
Quam olim Abrahæ promisisti et semini eius.1

B. Britten sets stanza 1 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
B. Britten sets stanza 2 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Note: the line that Britten adds at the end is from "The parable of the Old Man and the Young".

¹ Britten adds "And half the seed of Europe, one by one."

Text Authorship:

• by Bible or other Sacred Texts , "Offertorium" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

• by Roland de Lassus (1532 - 1594), "Domine Jesu Christe", published 1582 [ chorus a cappella ], from Sacrae cantiones quinque vocum, no. 12 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901), "Offertorium", first performed 1874 [ soli, chorus, orchestra ], in Messa da Requiem [sung text checked 1 time]

The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:

• by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Offertorium", op. 66 no. 3, published 1961 [ soprano, tenor, baritone, satb chorus, boys' chorus, orchestra, chamber orchestra, organ ], from War Requiem, no. 3
  • View the full text. [sung text checked 1 time]
    

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Ofertori", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Lau Kanen) , "Heer Jezus Christus (Offertorium in de Requiemmis)"
• ENG English (Michael P Rosewall) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Lau Kanen [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2014-06-22
Line count: 15
Word count: 79

Lord Jesus Christ, king of glory,
Rescue the souls of all the faithful departed
From hell’s tribulations and from the deep lake.
Rescue them from the lion’s mouth,
That they not be swallowed by Tartarus,
Nor fall into the darkness;
But let the champion, Saint Michael,
Advocate for them in the sacred light,
As was promised long ago to Abraham and his descendants.

With sacrifice and prayer, Lord,
We offer praise to you;
Receive these for the sake of those souls
That we commemorate today.
Allow them, Lord, to pass from death to life, as was
As was promised long ago to Abraham and his descendants.