The Pyramid Texts were funerary inscriptions that were written on the walls of the early Ancient Egyptian pyramids at Sakkara. These date back to the fifth and sixth dynasties, approximately the years 2350-2175 B.C.E. However, because of extensive internal evidence, it is believed that they were composed much earlier, circa 3000 B.C.E. The Pyramid Texts are, therefore, essentially the oldest sacred texts known.

Samuel Mercer was the first to produce a complete English translation of this mysterious text, in 1952. This was also the first complete translation in any language. The Mercer translation was followed by the R.O. Faulkner translation in 1969, which is considered the standard today.

Utterances (260-262)

316a. To say: O Geb, bull of Nut, N. is a Horus, heir of his father.

316b. N. is the goer, the comer, the fourth of these four gods,

316c. who have brought water (and) made themselves clean, who rejoice over the "power" of their fathers.

316d. He desires that he be justified by that which he has done.

317a. Since Tfn and Tefnut have judged N.; since the Two Truths have heard (him);

317b. since Shu has been advocate (tongue); since the Two Truths have given verdict;

317c. he has encompassed the thrones of Geb, he has raised himself to that which he wished.

318a. (So now that) his limbs are united, which were hidden (in the grave),

318b. he unites himself with those who are in Nun. He puts an end to his words in Heliopolis,

318c. as N. goes forth on that day in the true form of an ȝḫ.

319a. N. destroys battle; he punishes revolt.

319b. N. goes forth (as) the protector of truth; he brings her, for she is with him.

319c. Those who were furious, (now) busy themselves for him; those who are in Nun, (now) give life over to him.

320a. The refuge of N. is in his eye; the protection of N. is in his eye;

320b. the power of N. is in his eye; the strength of N. is in his eye.

321a. O gods of South, North, West, East, respect N., fear him;

321b. he has sat in the ḥtȝ of the two courts.

321c. That uraeus-serpent dnn-wt.t might have burned you, for she attained your heart,

322a. you (they) who might have come to N. as an adversary; come to him (as a friend), come to him.

322b. N. is the dśdś of his father, the nḫb of his mother.

323a. The abomination of N. is to walk in darkness,

323b. lest he see those who are upside down.

323c. N. will come forth in this day; he will bring truth with him.

323d. N. will not be delivered up to your flame, O gods.

324a. To say: N. is a heart-beat, son of the heart of Shu,

324b. wide-outstretched, a blinding light.

324c. It is N. who is a flame (moving) before the wind to the ends of heaven and to the end of the earth,

324d. as soon as the arms of the lightning are emptied of N.

325a. He travels through Shu and strides through ȝkr;

325b. he kisses the red crown, the divinely created.

326a. Those who are in the arbour (heaven?) open for him their arms.

326b. N. stands on the eastern side of heaven;

26c. (where) there is brought to him that which ascends to heaven.

326d. N. makes a separation of the tempest.

327a. To say: Disown not N., O god; for thou knowest him and he knows thee.

327b. Disown not N., O god; for he knows thee.

327c. To (thee) it is said: "The transitory." 328a. Disown not N., O Rē‘; for thou knowest him and he knows thee.

328b. Disown not N., O Rē‘; for he knows thee.

328c. To thee it is said: "The Great (One) is altogether destroyed."

329a. Disown not N., O Thot; for thou knowest him and he knows thee.

329b. Disown not N., O Thot; for he knows thee.

329c. To thee it is said: "He rests, the solitary."

330a. Disown not N., O Horus, the pre-eminent (pointed); for thou knowest him and he knows thee.

330b. Disown not N., O Horus, the pre-eminent (pointed); for he knows thee.

330c. To thee it is said: "The unfortunate."

331a. Disown not N., O thou who art in the Dȝ.t; for thou knowest him and he knows thee.

331b. Disown not N., O thou who art in the Dȝ.t; for he knows thee.

331c. To thee it is said: "The damaged."

332a. Disown not N., O bull of heaven; for thou knowest him and he knows thee.

332b. Disown not N., O bull of heaven; for he knows thee.

332c. To thee it is said: "This nḫḫ-star.

333a. Behold, N. comes; behold, N. comes; behold, N. is ascended.

333b. N. is not come of himself.

333c. It is a messenger who is come to him; it is a divine word which will cause him to arise.

334a. N. has passed by his broad-house; the fury of the great sea has avoided him.

334b. His fare is not accepted in the great ship;

334c. the palace of the Great cannot ward him off from the way of the śḥd.w-stars.

335a. Behold, therefore, N. has attained the heights of heaven.

335b. He has seen his uraeus-serpent in the boat of the evening sun; it is N. who has journeyed in it.

335c. He has recognized (his) uraeus-serpent in the boat of the morning sun, it is N. who has bailed it out.

336a. The blessed dead (?) have witnessed to him;

336b. the hail-storm of heaven has taken him away, it (lit. they cause) causes N. to approach to Rē‘.