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 (554-562)

1370a. To say: N. is verily a son of the great wild-cow; she conceived him and gave him birth;

1370b. they place him in the interior of her wing;

1370c. she ferries over the lake with thee (i.e. him); she traverses the ~iw-canal with thee (i.e. him).

1371a. Thy fillet as chief of the house is at thy back;

1371b. thy ‘bȝ-mnḥi-sceptre is, in thy hand,

1371c. that thou mayest strike, that thou mayest rule, in accordance with thy dignity, which appertains to lords of the ’im3ḫ,

1372a. for indeed thou art of the Followers of Rē‘, who are behind the morning star (Dwȝ).

1372b. Let no evil be to thee; let no evil be to thy name, the first on earth.

1373a. To say: N. is come forth from Buto, to the gods of Buto;

1373b. N. is adorned as a falcon, bedecked as the Two Enneads.

1374a. N. dawns as king (of Upper Egypt); he is elevated as Wepwawet,

1374b. (after) he has taken the white crown and the green crown,

1374c. his ḥd-mace on his arm, his sceptre in his hand.

1375a. The mother of N. is Isis; his nurse is Nephthys;

1375b. she who suckles N. is Śḫȝ.t-ḥr.

1375c. Neit is behind him; Śrḳt-ḥtw is before him.

1376a. The ropes are knotted; the boats of N. are tied together

1376b. for the son of Atum--hungry and thirsty, thirsty and hungry--

1376c. on the southern shore of the Winding Watercourse.

1377a. Thot, who is in the shade of his bush,

1377b. put N. upon the tip of thy wing.,

1377c. on the northern shore of the Winding Watercourse.

1378a. N. is well, his flesh is sound; N. is well, his garments are sound,

1378b. (as) he ascends to heaven like Montu,

1378c. (as) he descends as Bȝ-’ibt.f, as Bȝ-‘šm.f.

1379a. To say: He hastens, who hastens ----------------

1379b. ------- the great to the places of the gods.

1379c. Elevated is father, Osiris N., like Wepwawet.

1380a. ------------------------ father, Osiris N.

1380b. Let him raise himself up, Anubis, he who is in the mnwi-shrine.

1380c. Thy feet are like those of a jackal; stand up.

1380d. Thine arms are like those of a jackal; stand up.

1381a. -------------------------------------

1381b. ------ to row before him; he brings to thee alone the double crown,

1381c. that he may fer[ry thee over] ---------

1382a. father, Osiris N., the Winding Watercourse is inundated.

1382b. Father Osiris N. calls to Ḥm;

1382c. father N. calls to Śmti,

1382d. that they may [certainly] ferry over father Osiris. N.

1382e. to yonder eastern side of heaven, [to the birthplace of the gods],

1382f. [when this hour of the morrow comes--this hour of the third day (comes)],

1383a. where [father Osiris N.] will be born, [at the place] where the gods are born;

1383b. when this hour of the morrow comes,--this hour of the third day,

1384a. [when father Osiris N. stands. there] like this star which is on the under (side) of the body of the sky

1384b. --------------- like Horus of the horizon.

1385a. [O ye four gods, who stand upon the d‘m-sceptres] of heaven,

1385b. father Osiris N. verily has not died the death (i.e. really died);

1385c. but father Osiris N. has become a spirit (ȝḫw) a glorified one.

1386a. [Father Osiris N.] has come to you

1386b. -------------------------------------

1387a. --------------------------------------

1387b. Return thou to thy house; return thou.

1388a. Thine heir is on thy throne; he [tills the barley for thee]

1388b. --------------------------------------

1389. ----------------------------------------

1390a. To say: O N., greetings to thee, Ḥḥ.

1390b. Km-wr sets the course for thee;

1390c. thou alightest an alighting of the eldest god;

1390d. he of the long curls offers incense in Heliopolis for thee.

1391. Thou livest, thou livest; thou art satisfied, thou art satisfied, pouring out life as thou goest (lit. behind thee); thou livest.

1392a. To say: "Come in peace," says Osiris; "come in peace," says Osiris to thee.

1392b. The marshes are filled for thee; the river-banks are inundated for thee,

1392c. on account of the royal offering.

1393a. The chief of the west lays hold of thy arm at the border of mount ḫb.t.

1393b. Let Osiris be recompensed, for he gives thee (to be) in the presence of princes, as supports.

1394a. To say: The earth is hacked by the hoe;

1394b. the wdn.t-offering is made; the earth of Tbi is broken up;

1394c. the two nomes of the god shout before [the king] as he descends into the earth.

1395a. Further, to say: Geb, open thy mouth for thy son, Osiris;

1395b. that which is behind him belongs to (i.e. has to do with) food; that which is before him belongs to snared fowl (or, the snaring of fowl).

1396a. --------------------------------------

1396b. command ----------------------------------

1397. --------------------------------------

1398a. -------------- of the boat of the evening -----

1398b. -------------------------------------

1399. ----------------------------------------

1400. Thy face is like ---------------------------

1401. --------------------------------------

1402. ---------------------------------------

1403. --------------------------------------

1404. ----------------------------------------

1405a. To say: The earth is high under the sky by (means of) thine arms, Tefnut.

1405b. Lay hold of the two hands of N., lay not hold of the arm of N., for life, satisfaction, eternity.

1405c. Put him in ---------- as a distinguished one.

1405d. N. is seated as chief of the Two Enneads;

1406a. he judges the gods p. 225

1406b. as a king, (and) as deputy of Horus, who avenges his father, Osiris.

1406c. Thy body, N., is as that of a god; as your body, O gods, is like that of N.

1407a. N. is come in peace to thee, Horus.

1407b. The eye of Horus is young with you; it is not given over to the anger of Set.