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 (571-575)

1466a. To say: The mother of N., dweller in the lower sky, became pregnant with him;

1466b. N. was given birth by his father Atum,

1466c. before the sky came into being, before the earth came into being,

1466d. before men came into being, before the gods were born, before death came into being.

1467a. N. escapes the day of death, as Set escaped his day of death.

1467b. N. belongs to your company (?), O gods of the lower sky,

1468a. who cannot perish for their enemies. 1468b. N. perishes not for his enemies.

1468c. O ye who die not for a king--N. does not die for a king.

1468d. O ye who die not for any death--N. does not die for any death.

1469a. N. is an imperishable star, the great ---- of heaven in the house of Śerḳset.

1469b. Rē‘ has taken N. to heaven, that N. may live,

1469c. as he lives who enters into the west of the sky and goes forth at the east of the sky.

1470a. He who is within his ḥn.ti (two limits) has commended N. to him who is in his carrying-litter;

1470b. they acclaim N., for N. is a star,

1470c. The protection of Rē‘ is upon N. Rē‘ will not abandon the protection of N.

1471a. Horus has set N. on his shoulders;

1471b. he has assigned N. to Shu (who says): "My arms are exalted under Nut."

1471c. Rē‘, give thine arm to N.; Great God, give thy staff to N.,

1471d. that he may live for ever.

1472a. To say: "How beautiful indeed is the sight, how pleasant indeed is the view," says Isis,

1472b. "that this god ascends to heaven, his renown over him,

1472c. his terror on both sides of him, his magic before him!"

1473a. It was done for him, for N., by Atum, like that which one did for him (Atum).

1473b. He brought to N. the gods belonging to heaven;

1473c. he assembled to him the gods belonging to the earth.

1474a. They put their arms under him.

1474b. They made a ladder for N., that he might ascend to heaven on it.

1474c. The double doors of heaven are open for N.; the double doors of śḥd.w are open for him.

1475a. Atum united the nomes for N.;

1475b. Geb gave him the cities, that is to say (lit. in speaking of it),

1475c. the regions, the regions of Horus; the regions of Set,

1475d. the Marsh of Reeds.

1476a. N. is ’Iȝḥś, chief of the land of Upper Egypt;

1476b. N. is Ddwn, chief of the land of Nubia;

1476c. N. is Sopdu, (who lives) under his kśb.t-trees.

1477a. Have you acted against him? Have you said that he would die?

1477b. He will not die. N. will live a life for ever.

1477c. N. is become in spite of them as the surviving bull of the wild-bulls;

1477d. N. is at their head; he will live and last for ever.

1478a. To say: Awake in peace, Ḥsmnw, in peace.

1478b. Awake in peace, Eastern Horus, in peace.

1478c. Awake in peace, Eastern Soul, in peace.

1478d. Awake in peace, Harachte, in peace.

1479a. Thou sleepest in the evening boat; thou wakest in the morning boat,

1479b. for thou art as he who oversees the gods; no god oversees thee.

1479c. Father of N., Rē‘, take N. with thee, for life, to thy mother, Nut.

1480a. The double doors of heaven shall be open for N.; the double doors of ḳbḥ.w shall be open for N.

1480b. When N. comes to thee, that thou mayest make him live,

1480c. command N. to sit by thy side,

1480d. near the dwȝ-canal on the horizon. 1481a. Father of N., Rē‘, commend N. to Mśḫȝȝ.t, she who is at thy side,

1481b. to cause to designate a place for N. near the Rd-wr-lake under ḳbḥ.w.

1482a. Commend N. to Ni-'nh, son of Sothis, to speak for N.,

1482b. to establish a throne for N. in heaven.

1482c. Commend N. to Wr-špś.f, the beloved Ptah, the son of Ptah,

1482d. to speak for N.,

1482e. to cause food to grow for his dining pavillion on earth,

1483a. for N. is one of those four gods,

1483b. ’Imś.ti, Ḥȝpi, Dwȝ-mw.t.f, Ḳbḥ-śn.w.f,

1483c. who live on truth, who lean upon their d'm-sceptres,

1483d. who guard the land of Upper Egypt.

1484a. He flies, he flies from you, O men, as birds;

1484b. he takes his flight from you (lit., he takes his arms from you) like a falcon;

1484c. he takes his body from you like a kite;

1484d. he is delivered from that which shackles his feet on earth,

1484e. he is freed from that which ties his hands.

1485a. To say: Greetings to thee, Sycamore, who protects the god, under which the gods of the underworld stand,

1485b. whose tips are seared, whose inside is burned, (whose) suffering is real.

1486a. Assemble those who dwell in Nun; collect those who are among the bows.

1486b. Thy forehead is upon thine arm (in mourning) for Osiris, O Great Mooring-post,

1486c. who art like her who is chief of the offering (to), and of the worship (?) of the lord of the East.

1487a. Thou art standing, Osiris; thy shadow is over thee, Osiris;

1487b. thy diadem repels Set,

1487c. the generous damsel who acted for this spirit of Gḥś.ti is

1487d. thy shadow, Osiris.

1488a. Thy dread is among those in heaven; thy fear among those on earth.

1488b. Thou hast hurled thy terror into the heart of the wings of Lower Egypt, dwelling in Buto.

1489a. N. is come [to thee], Horus, heir of Geb, of whom Atum speaks;

1489b. "all belongs to thee," say the Two Enneads; "all belongs to thee," thou sayest.

1490a. It is even N. among them-the gods who are in heaven.

1490b. Collect those who are among the bows; assemble those who are among the imperishable stars.

1491a. N. rejoices; N. rejoices, O, 0.

1491b. Day is day; night is night; Rē‘ is Rē‘;

1491c. --------------- he is for ever.

1492a. To say: "Behold, he comes; behold, he comes," says Sḥpw;

1492b. "behold, the son of Rē‘ comes; the beloved of Rē‘ comes," says Sḥpw;

1492c. "I caused him to come; I caused him to come," says Horus.

1493a. "Behold, he comes; behold, he comes," says Sḥpw;

1493b. "behold, the son of Rē‘ comes; the beloved of Re, comes," says Sḥpw.

1493c. "I caused him to come; I caused him to come," says Set.

1494a. "Behold, he comes; behold, he comes," says Sḥpw;

1494b. "behold, the son of Rē‘ comes; the beloved of Rē‘ comes," says Sḥpw;

1494c. "I caused him to come; I caused him to come," says Geb.

1495a. "Behold, he comes; behold, he comes," says Sḥpw;

1495b. "behold, the son of Rē‘ comes; the beloved of Rē‘ comes," says Sḥpw;

1495c. "I caused him to come; I caused him to come," say the Souls of Heliopolis and the Souls of Buto.

1496a. "O Rē‘," say men, when they stand by the side of N. on the earth,

1496b. while thou dawnest on the east of the sky, "give thy hand . to N.;

1496c. take him with thee to the eastern side of the sky."

1497a. "O Re," say men, when they stand by the side of N. on the earth,

1497b. while thou dawnest on the southern side of the sky, "give thy hand to N.;

1497c. take him with thee to the southern side of the sky."

1498a. "O Rē‘," say men, when they stand by the side of N. on the earth,

1498b. while thou dawnest at the centre of the sky, "give thy hand to N.,

1498c. take him with thee to the centre of the sky."

1499. One hastens with thy message; the runners are before thee.