From Martin Luther: Hymns, Ballads, Chants, Truth page 26-27:
A paraphrase of Psalm 12, this hymn was written in 1523, the same time as many of Luther’s other psalm-hymns. It was published in the first Lutheran hymnal, Achtliederbuch, of 1524. Luther’s version of the psalm reflects much of his own experience in the early days of the Reformation. Though several different tunes were used for this text with various levels of success, the present tune dates from 1524 and is possibly by Luther himself.

Prelude: Ach Gott vom Himmel
George Friedrich Kauffmann, 1679-1735
Publisher: Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel

LYRICS – O LORD, LOOK DOWN FROM HEAVEN, BEHOLD
Martin Luther 1524

1. O Lord, look down from heav’n, behold
and let Thy pity waken;
How few are we within Thy fold,
Thy saints by men forsaken!
True faith seems quenched on ev’ry hand,
men suffer not Thy Word to stand;
Dark times have us o’er taken.

2. With fraud which they themselves invent
Thy truth they have confounded;
Their hearts are not with one consent on Thy pure doctrine grounded.
While they parade with outward show,
they lead the people to and fro.
In error’s maze astounded.

3. May God root out all heresy
and of false teachers rid us
Who proudly say: “Now, where is he
that shall our speech forbid us?
By right or might we shall prevail;
what we determine cannot fail;
We own no lord and master.

4. Therefore saith God, “I must arise,
the poor My help are needing;
To Me ascend My people’s cries,
and I have heard their pleading.
For them My saving Word shall fight
and fearlessly and sharply smite.
The poor with might defending.

5. As silver tried by fire is pure from all adulteration,
So through God’s Word shall men endure
each trial and temptation.
Its light beams brighter through the cross,
and, purified from human dross,
It shines through ev’ry nation.

6. Defend Thy truth, O God,
and stay this evil generation;
And from the error of its way
keep Thine own congregation.
The wicked ev’rywhere abound
and would Thy little flock confound;
But Thou art our Salvation.

“A New Song Shall Now Be Begun” – Composed by Martin Luther 1523
From Martin Luther: Hymns, Ballads, Chants, Truth page 8-13:

On July 1, 1523, the infant Reformation saw executed in the Brussels market place Heinrich Voes and Johann Esch, two Belgian Augustinian monks and followers of Luther. Since wandering minstrels and their ballads served as the mass media of the day, Luther wrote this first hymn of the Reformation as a ballad recounting the martyrdom of these witnesses. First appearing in 1523 in broadsheet for, it, along with Luther’s tune, was published in Johann Walter’s 1524 Wittenberg hymnal.

Tr. F. Samuel Janzow, 1913 2001
Setting by Carl Schalk
Publisher Concordia Publishing House (1982)

LYRICS for A NEW SONG SHALL NOW BE BEGUN
By Martin Luther

1. A new song now shall be begun,
Lord, help us raise the banner
Of praise for all the Goad has done,
For which we give Him honor.
At Brussels in the Netherlands
God proved himself most truthful
And poured his gifts from open hands
On two lads, martyrs youthful
Through who He showed His power.

2. One was named John, a name to show
He stood in God’s high favor.
His brother Henry, well we know,
Was salt of truest savor.
This world they now have left behind
And wear bright crowns of glory.
These sons of God had fixed the mind
Upon the Gospel story,
For which they died as martyrs.

3. From where the Foe in ambush lay,
He sent to have them taken
To force them God’s Word to betray
And make their faith be shaken.
Louvain sent clever men, who came
In twisting nets to break them.
Hard played they at their crooked game,
But from faith could not shake them.
God make their tricks look foolish.

4. Oh, they sang sweet, and they sang sour,
They tried all their devices.
The youths stood firmly like a tow’r
And overcame each crisis.
In filled the Foe with raging hate
To know himself defeated
By these two lads, and he so great.
His rage flared high, and heated
His plan to see them burning.

5. Their cloister-garments off they tore,
Took off their consecrations;
All this the youths were ready for,
They said Amen with patience.
They gave to God the Father thanks
That He would them deliver
From Satan’s scoffing and the pranks
That make men quake and shiver
When he comes masked and raging.

6. The God they worshipped granted them
A priesthood in Christ’s order.
They offered up themselves to Him
And crossed His kingdom’s border
By dying to the world outright,
With ev’ry falsehood breaking.
They came to heave pure and white;
All monkery forsaking,
They turned away from evil.

7. A paper given them to sign –
And carefully they read it –
Spelled out their faith in ev’ry line
As they confessed and said it.
Their greatest fault was to be wise
ANd say, “We trust God solely,
For human wisdom is all lies,
We should distrust it wholly.”
This brought them to the burning.

8. Then two great fires were set alight,
While men amazed did ponder
The sight of youths who showed no fright;
Their calm filled men with wonder.
They stepped into the flames with song.
God’s grace and glory praising.
The logic choppers puzzled long
But found these new thing dazing
Which God was here displaying.

9. They now regret their deed of shame,
Would like to slough it over;
They dare not glory in their blame,
But put it under cover.
They feel their gnawing infamy,
Their friends hear them deplore it.
God’s spirit cannot silent be,
But on Cain’s guilty forehead
He marks the blood of Abel.

10. The ashed of the lads remain
And scatter to all places.
They rise from roadway, street, and lane
To mark the guilty faces.
The Foe had used a bloody had
To keep these voices quiet,
But they resist in ev’ry land
The Foe’s rage and defy it.
The ashes go on singing.

11. And yet men still keep up their lies
To justify the killing;
The Foe with falsehood ever tries
To give the guilt clean billing.
Since these young martyrs’ holy death
Men still continue trying
To say, the youths with their last breath
Renounced their faith when dying
And finally recanted.

12. Let men heap falsehoods all around,
Their sure defeat is spawning.
We thank our God the Word is found,
We stand it its bright dawning.
Our summer now is at the door,
The winter’s frost has ended,
Soft buds the flowers more and more,
By our dear Gard’ner tended
Until He reaps His harvest.

Here is that passage in it’s original context; a letter from Luther to Melanchthon on August 1, 1521. If you like you can scroll directly to number paragraph thirteen for the complete passage.

This is also the letter where Martin Luther expresses his favor for allowing monks to marry.

Let Your Sins Be Strong:
A Letter From Luther to Melanchthon
Letter no. 99, 1 August 1521, From the Wartburg
(Segment)
Translated by
Erika Bullmann Flores
from: _Dr. Martin Luther’s Saemmtliche Schriften_
Dr, Johannes Georg Walch, Ed.
(St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, N.D.),
Vol. 15,cols. 2585-2590.

Of course, you can only know and absolve those sins which have been
confessed to you; sins which have not been confessed to you, you
neither need to know nor can you absolve them. That is reaching too
high, dear gentlemen.”

You cannot convince me that the same is true for the vows made by
priests and monks.  For I am very concerned about the fact that the
order of priesthood was instituted by God as a free one. Not so that
of the monks who chose their position voluntarily, even though I have
almost come to the conclusion that those who have entered into that
state at an age prior to their manhood, or are currently at that
stage, may secede with a clear conscience. I am hesitant, however,
with a judgment about those who have been in this state for a long
time and have grown old in it.

2. By the way, St. Paul very freely speaks about the priests (1.Tim:
4, ff), that devils have forbidden them to marry; and St. Paul’s
voice is the voice of the divine majesty. Therefore, I do not doubt
that they must depend on him to such a degree that even though they
agreed to this interdiction of the devil at the time, now–having
realized with whom they made their contract–they can cheerfully
break this contract.

3. This interdiction by the devil, which is clearly shown by God’s
Word, urges and compels me to sanction the actions of the Bishop of
Kemberg. For God does not lie nor deceive when He says that this is
an interdiction from the devil.  If a contract has been made with the
devil it must not endure since it was made in godless error against
God and was damned and repudiated by God.  For He says very clearly
(1. Tim. 4:1 Vulg.) that those spirits are in error who are the
originators of the interdictions.

4. Why do you hesitate to join this divine judgment against the gates
of hell? That is not how it was with the oath of the children of
Israel which they gave to the Gibeons.  They had it in their laws
that they must offer peace or accept peace offered to them, and
accept into their midst proselytes and those who adhered to their
customs.  All this took place. Nothing happened there against the
Lord or by the advice of spirits. For even though in the beginning
they murmured, later on they approved.

5. In addition, consider that the state of being unmarried is only a
human statute and can be readily lifted. Therefore any Christian can
do this.  I would make this statement even if the interdiction had
not come from a devil, but from a devout person.  However, because
there is no such statement by God concerning the monks, I am
therefore not certain that I should make the same pronouncement
concerning them. For I would not dare to presume, neither advice
another to do so.  Would God that we could do this, though, in order
to prevent someone from becoming a monk, or leaving his order during
the years of his virility.  For we are to avoid vexations if there is
no relevant scriptural passage available to us, even when dealing
with things which are permitted.

6. Good old Carlstadt is also citing St. Paul (1 Tim.5:9-11), to let
go of the younger widows and select 60-year-olds, wish to God this
could be demonstrated. Quite easily someone might say that the
Apostle referred to the future, while in reference to the past (V.12)
they are condemned because they have broken their first troth.
Therefore this expression has come to naught and cannot be a
dependable basis for the conscience. For that is what we are
searching for.  Moreover, this reasoning that it is better to be
married than to burn with vain desire (1 Cor.7:9), or to prevent the
sins of immorality (1 Cor.7:2), by entering into marriage while
committing the sin of the broken troth, that is nothing but common-
sense.  We want the scripture and the witness of God’s will.  Who
knows if the one who is very enthusiastic today will still be so
tomorrow?

7. I would not have allowed marriage for priests for the sole reason
of “burning” had not St. Paul called this interdiction devilish and
hypocritical, condemned by God. Even without the burning he urged
that this unmarried status be cast aside simply for the fear of God.
However, it is necessary to discuss these things more thoroughly. For
I too would love to come to the aid of the monks and nuns. I very
much pity these wretched human beings, these young men and girls who
suffer defilement and burning.

8. Concerning the two elements of the Holy Supper I will not give an
example, but give testimony with Christ’s words. Carlstadt does not
show that those who have received only one element have sinned, or
not sinned. I am concerned that Christ did not command either one of
the two, just as He does not command baptism if the tyrant or the
world withhold the water.  So also the violence of persecution
separates men and women, which God forbids to separate, neither do
they agree to be separated. Therefore, neither do godfearing hearts
agree that they should be robbed of one of the elements. However,
those who do agree and approve: who can deny that these are not
Christians but Papists who are sinning.

9. There HE does not demand it, and here the tyrant oppresses, I
therefore cannot agree that those who receive only one element are
sinning.  For who can exert power to take something when the tyrant
is not willing?  Therefore it is only common-sense which observes
here that Christ’s institution is not adhered to.  Scripture makes no
definition by which we could declare this act a sin.  It is Christ’s
institution, given in freedom, which cannot be incarcerated as a
whole or in part.

10. It happened to Donatus, the martyr, where several people could
not participate because the cup broke or the wine was spilled. What
if this happens and there is no other wine available? There are other
similar situations. In short, because Scripture does not speak of sin
here, I therefore say there is no sin involved.

11. I am quite pleased, though, that you are re-establishing Christ’s
method. For it was just that which I planned to take up with you
first of all upon my return to you.  For now we recognize this
tyranny and can oppose it, in order not to be forced to receive only
one of the elements.

12. From here on I will no longer conduct private mass. Rather we
should pray God to give us more of His Spirit.  For I am expecting
that the Lord will soon ravish Germany–which she deserves because of
her unbelief, godlessness and hate of the Gospel.  However, we shall
be blamed for this chastisement, as we are made out to be heretics
who have provoked God to this action. We shall be scorned by the
people and disdained by the nation.  Those, however, will make
excuses for their sins, through which He will manifest that the hard-
hearted do not become godly neither by mercy nor wrath. Let it
happen, let the will of the Lord be done. Amen!

13. If you are a preacher of mercy, do not preach an imaginary but
the true mercy.  If the mercy is true, you must therefore bear the
true, not an imaginary sin.  God does not save those who are only
imaginary sinners.  Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let
your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the
victor over sin, death, and the world.  We will commit sins while we
are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides.  We,
however, says Peter (2. Peter 3:13) are looking forward to a new
heaven and a new earth where justice will reign.  It suffices that
through God’s glory we have recognized the Lamb who takes away the
sin of the world. No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to
kill or commit adultery thousands of times each day.  Do you think
such an exalted Lamb paid merely a small price with a meager
sacrifice for our sins?  Pray hard for you are quite a sinner.

On the day of the Feast of St. Peter the Apostle, 1521

Join public television host, author and ELCA Lutheran Rick Steves as Mosaic takes you on a journey through Lutherland! Travel from Eisleben where Luther was born to the university town of Wittenberg where he taught and preached. After a pilgrimage south to the Vatican in Rome, the program follows the tumultuous events of the Reformation at Worms, Erfurt, Eisenach, Marburg and Augsburg.

Video produced by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Katie Luther: The Morning Star of Wittenberg looks at the life of the woman Katie Luther, the woman who helped 16th century reformer Martin Luther change the course of history. Katarina von Bora Luther (1499-1552).

Featuring the insights of noted Luther experts Dr. Kirsi Stjerna, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and theologian Dr. Martin Treu, Wittenberg, Germany this video sheds new light on an often overlooked partner in the reformation.