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 (487-502)

1046a. To say: O my father, Osiris N.,

1046b. thou art spiritualized on the horizon, thou endurest in the Ddi.t;

1046c. thou commandest (with) words as he who is at the head of the living, eternally.

1047a. Get (lit. stand up) from thy left side, put thyself on thy right side;

1047b. take this thy bread, which I am giving thee; I am thy son and thine heir.

1048a. To say: O N., (free) course is given to thee by Horus;

1048b. thou art adorned as the only (unique) star in the sky.

1048c. Thy two wings are grown as (those of) a falcon; great of breast

1048d. like the gnḥśw-falcon, whose descent was seen, after he had traversed the sky.

1049a. Thou voyagest the ḳbḥ.w by the watercourse of Rē‘-Harachte.

1049b. Nut gives [to thee] her arm --------------

1049c. --------------------------------------------

1050a. To say: If thou desirest that N. say ------- who sees the tribute of the land,

1050b. then mayest thou be ----------------------------

1051 .see, order ------------------------------------

1052. To say: -------------------------------------

1053. N. is the bull-herd ------------------------------

1054. Since you two have given birth to ------------------

1055a. To say: When N. dies [his] ka will gain power ---------

1055b. --------------------------------------------

1056a. [who descend into the earth] as two serpents, and I descend on [their] coi[ls].

1056b. --------------------------------------------

1057a. It is N. who knelt in Nun; it is N. who sat in Mȝ [-------]

1057b. --------------------------------------------

1058a. [Horus gives me this his bread], with which he has satisfied his subjects,

1058b. and I eat of it with them.

1058c. To say: -------------------------------------

1059a. To say: Greetings to you, who rule over abundance,

1059b. who look after food, who reside as ruler of the green field,

1059b + 1 (N. XIV 1055 + 47). near the lord of splendour.

1059b + 2 (Nt. XXVII 701-702). Cause N. to eat of the corn which originates there,

1059b + 3 (N. 1055 + 48). like the equipment which was made in Mḥt-wr.t

1059b + 4 (N. 1055 + 48). by him who sees with his face.

1059b + 5 (N. 1055 + 48). It (the corn) will be brought in for N. and for him who eats with his mouth.

1059c-

1060a. Those who are attached to the offerings of the oldest gods--

1060a-b. they introduce me to abundance, they introduce me to food,

1060b + 1 (N. 1055 + 49). that N. may eat with his mouth like him who separates Wp-šn.wi (the two tuffs (of hair),

1061a (Nt. XXVII 704). and drop with my (or, his) anus like Śerḳet.

1061a + 1 (Nt. 704). I give offerings and distribute food

1061a + 2 (N. 1055 + 50). like him with the long wings who lives in the Marsh of Reeds.

1061b. Wind is in my nose; seed is in my phallus,

1061c. as (seed is in the phallus) of him of mysterious form, who lives in splendour.

1061c + 1 (N. 1055 + 50. N. sees Nun,

1061c + 2 (Nt. 705). when she appears on her way.

1061c + 3 (N. 1055 + 51). Honour will be given to N.;

1061c + 4 (Nt. 706). N. will be great because of her power; there will be a six days' feast in Hri-‘ḥȝ;

1062. (Nt. 706). N. will eat of the pregnant cow like those who are in Heliopolis.

1063a. He sat, who was seated to eat bread; Rē‘ sat to eat bread.

1063b. Water was given by the Two Enneads.

1063c. [The flood] stood [on the bank].

1063d. (Firth-Gunn, 235, 19; Lacau TR 4). I come to thee, O Flood,

1063e. (Firth-Gunn, 235, 19-20; Lacau TR 4). that thou mayest give me bread when I am hungry; that thou mayest give me beer when I am thirsty.

1064a. To say: O Great Ennead in Heliopolis,

1064b. lady of the (Three) Enneads,

1064c. his meal (shall be) as his who is chief of the ’itr.t-palace

1064d. Two of N.'s meals (shall be) in the Ddi.t;

1064e. [three of his meals (shall be) in the horizon -------]

1065a. To say: Greetings to thee, O Food; greetings to thee, O Abundance;

1065b. greetings to thee, O Corn; greetings to thee, O Flour.

1065c. Greetings to you, ye gods, who put the meal before Rē‘,

1065d. who --------- with Ḥw, who are at the Mḥ.t-wr.t;

1065e. I will eat of the morsel of Rē‘, sitting on the throne of splendour.

1066a. I am she of Tentyra; I am come from Tentyra;

1066b. Shu is behind N.; Tefnut is before him;

1066c. it is Wp-wȝ.wt, who serves as a protection (?) on the right of N.

1066d. They cause this field-of-food of Rē‘ to keep me alive so that I may eat,

1066e. after it is collected for me, as for him who rules over the Ennead, who lives at (or, on) Mḥ.t-wr.t.

1067a. [To say: O N., stand up], be seated, shake the earth (i.e. dust of the earth) from thee;

1067b. remove the two arms from behind thee, as (those of) Set.

1067c. The eye of Horus will come to thee at the beginning of the decade, because thou art eager for it.

1067d. --------------------------------------------

1068a. To say: Awake, Osiris, awake.

1068b. O N., stand up, be seated, shake the earth (i.e. the dust of the earth) from thee.

1068c. I come, I give [the eye] of Horus to thee; it will be lasting with thee (or, it will be pleasing to thee).

1068d. --------------------------------------------

1069a. [Stand up] for this joint of (św.t-) meat, which is from the broad-hall; come out, receive this thy bread from my hand.

1069b. O Osiris N., I am thy son, conceived of thee;

1069c. I am come with -------------------------------

1070a. To say: Back, O Spittle, which is not fallen (discharged).

1070b. It (the serpent) is lying outstretched. Protect thyself. Stand (firm). Smite.

1071a. To say: A heart is there, a heart is there, one who will lock himself in, one who will lock himself in is there.

1071b. Back, thou great hidden one, who has come out of a hidden member.

1071c. A man sees it. Protect thyself. Bar the way (?).

1072a. To say: -------------------- for me three meals,

1072b. one in heaven, two on earth.

1072c. A lion-helmet -------- green --------------------

1073 ----------------- four ------------------------

1074. --------------- a point ----------------------

1075. --------------- darkness ----------------------

1076. --------------- be not -----------------------

1077. come ---------------------------------------