The Pyramid Texts
Translation by Samuel A. B. Mercer
The Pyramid Texts
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.
Table Of Contents
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Preface |
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Introduction |
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The Pyramid Texts |
| 1 |
Nut and the Deceased King (1-11) |
| 2 |
Ritual of Bodily Restoration of the Deceased, and Offerings (12-203) |
| 3 |
A Group of Prayers And Charms (204-212) |
| 4 |
A Series of Old Heliopolitan Texts Partly Osirianized (213-222) |
| 5 |
The Deceased King Receives Offerings and is Re-Established in His Functions and Possessions (223-225) |
| 6 |
Mostly Serpent Charms (226-243) |
| 7 |
The Deceased King Arrives in Heaven Where He is Established (244-259) |
| 8 |
The Deceased King Triumphs Over His Enemies and is Recognized by the Gods (260-262) |
| 9 |
Means Whereby the Deceased King Reaches Heaven (263-271) |
| 10 |
The Deceased King in Heaven (272-274) |
| 11 |
Charms (275-299) |
| 12 |
The Ferryman and the Deceased King's Ascension (300-311) |
| 13 |
A Series of Five Charms (312-316) |
| 14 |
Miscellaneous Utterances on the Career of the Deceased King in the Hereafter (317-337) |
| 15 |
Offerings for the Deceased King (338-349) |
| 16 |
Miscellaneous Utterances on the Hereafter (350-374) |
| 17 |
Conjurations and Charms (375-400) |
| 18 |
Utterances Concerning Well-Being, Especially Food and Clothes (401-426) |
| 19 |
In Praise of Nut, Utterances (427-435) |
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Utterances (427 | 428 | 429 | 430 | 431 | 432 | 433 | 434 | 435) |
| 20 |
Miscellaneous Texts--Some Largely Osirian (436-442) |
| 21 |
Second Series in Praise of Nut (443-452) |
| 22 |
A Miscellaneous Group (453-486) |
| 23 |
A Series of Food Texts (487-502) |
| 24 |
A Series of Reed-Floats and Ferryman Texts (503-522) |
| 25 |
Miscellaneous Texts Chiefly About the Deceased King's Reception and Life in Heaven (523-533) |
| 26 |
For The Protection of the Pyramid Enclosure Against Osiris and His Cycle (534) |
| 27 |
Texts of Miscellaneous Contents (535-538) |
| 28 |
A Litany of Ascension (539) |
| 29 |
Texts of Miscellaneous Contents (540-552) |
| 30 |
Resurrection, Meal, and Ascension of the Deceased King (553) |
| 31 |
Texts of Miscellaneous Contents (554-562) |
| 32 |
A Purification Litany (563) |
| 33 |
Texts of Miscellaneous Contents (564-569) |
| 34 |
New-Birth of the Deceased King as a God in Heaven (570) |
| 35 |
Texts of Miscellaneous Contents (571-575) |
| 36 |
The Resurrection and Ascension of the Deceased King (576) |
| 37 |
The Resurrection of Osiris with whom the Gods are Satisfied (577) |
| 38 |
Texts of Miscellaneous Contents (578-586) |
| 39 |
An Early Hymn to the Sun (587) |
| 40 |
Texts of Miscellaneous Contents (588-600) |
| 41 |
A Litany-Like Incantation for the Endurance of a Pyramid and Temple (601) |
| 42 |
Texts of Miscellaneous Contents (602-605) |
| 43 |
The Resurrection, Ascension, and Reception of the Deceased King in Heaven (606) |
| 44 |
Texts of Miscellaneous Contents (607-609) |
| 45 |
The Deceased King on Earth and in Heaven (610) |
| 46 |
Texts of Miscellaneous Contents (611-626) |
| 47 |
The Ascended King, His Works, and Identifications (627) |
| 48 |
Texts of Miscellaneous Contents (628-658) |
| 49 |
The Death of the King and His Arrival in Heaven (659) |
| 50 |
Texts of Miscellaneous Contents (660-669) |
| 51 |
The Death, Resurrection, and Spiritualization of the King (670) |
| 52 |
Texts of Miscellaneous Contents (671-675) |
| 53 |
Resurrection, Transfiguration, and Life of the King in Heaven (676) |
| 54 |
Texts of Miscellaneous Contents (677-683) |
| 55 |
The Deceased King Ascends to Heaven (684) |
| 56 |
Texts of Miscellaneous Contents (685-689) |
| 57 |
A Series of Addresses to the Deceased King as a God (690) |
| 58 |
Texts of Miscellaneous Contents (691-704) |
| 59 |
A Series of Unclassifiable Fragments (705-714) |
Utterance 427.
777a. To say: Nut, spread thyself over thy son, Osiris N.;
777b. hide him from Set; protect him, Nut.
777c. Thou art come, that thou mayest protect (lit. hide) thy son; come now, protect this Great One.
Utterance 428.
778a. To say: Nut, fall upon thy son, Osiris N.;
778b. protect him, Great Sieve (protectress), this Great One among thy children.
Utterance 429.
779a. To say by Geb: Nut, thou art become (spiritually) mighty:
779b. thou wast (already physically) mighty in the womb of thy mother, Tefnut, before thou wast born.
779c. Protect N. with life and well-being. He shall not die.
Utterance 430.
780a. To say: Mighty was, thy heart,
780b. when thou wast in the body of thy mother, in thy name of "Nut".
Utterance 431.
781a. (To say:) Thou art the daughter, who has gained (physical) power over her mother, who dawned as king of Lower Egypt.
781b. Make N. (spiritually) mighty in thy womb. He shall not die.
Utterance 432.
782a. To say: Great lady, who didst become heaven, thou didst become (physically) mighty,
782b. thou art become victorious, thou hast filled every place with thy beauty.
782c. The whole earth lies (lit. is) under thee; thou hast taken possession of it;
782d. thou encompassest the earth and all things (therein) in thine arms;
782e. mayest thou establish this N. in thee as an imperishable star.
Utterance 433.
783a. To say: I have fertilized thee as Geb, in thy name of "Heaven";
783b. I have united to thee the whole earth in every place.
Utterance 434.
784a. To say: High one over the earth, thou art above thy father Shu, who hast the mastery over him.
784b. He has loved thee in that he has set himself under thee; all things are thine.
785a. Thou hast taken each god to thyself with his boat;
785b. thou hast educated them as "She of a thousand souls,"
785c. so that they will not disappear from thee like stars.
785d. So let not N. leave thee, in thy name of "Far off one" (or, "High one").
Utterance 435.
786a. To say: I am Nut, "the Granary." I have proclaimed the name of Osiris N.,
786b. namely, "Horus, beloved of the two lands, N."; "King of Upper and Lower Egypt, N.";
786c. "nb.ti, beloved of the Corporation, N."; "falcon over gold, N. ";
787a. "heir of Geb, his beloved N.", "beloved of all the gods, N.";
787b. given all life, stability, prosperity, health, joy like Rē‘, thou livest for ever.
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