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 (587)

1587a. To say: Greetings to thee, Atum.

1587b. Greetings to thee, Khepri, who created himself.

1587c. Thou art high, in this thy name of "Ḳȝ."

1587d. Thou comest into being, in thy name of "Khepri."

1588a. Greetings to thee, eye of Horus, which he adorned with his two hands completely.

1588b. He does not make thee hearken to the West;

1588c. he does not make thee hearken to the East;

1588d. he does not make thee hearken to the South;

1588e. he does not make thee hearken to the North;

1588f. he does not make thee hearken to those who are in the middle of the land;

1589a. (but) thou harkenest to Horus.

1589b. It is he who adorned thee; it is he who built thee; it is he who settled thee;

1590a. thou doest for him everything which he says unto thee, in every place whither he goes.

1590b. Thou carriest to him the fowl-bearing waters which are in thee;

1590c. thou carriest to him the fowl-bearing waters which are to be in thee;

1591a. thou carriest to him the gifts which are in thee;

1591b. thou carriest to him every tree which is to be in thee;

1591c. thou carriest to him the food which is in thee;

1591d. thou carriest to him the food (in thee) which is to be in thee;

1592a. thou carriest to him the gifts which are in thee;

1592b. thou carriest to him the gifts which are to be in thee;

1592c. thou carriest to him everything which is in thee;

1592d. thou carriest to him everything which is to be in thee;

1592e. thou carriest (it) to him to every place wherein his heart desires to be.

1593a. The doors stand fast upon thee like Inmutef;

1593b. they open not to the West; they open not to the East;

1593c. they open not to the North; they open not to the South;

1593d. they open not to those who are in the middle of the land;

1594a. (but) they are open to Horus. It was, he who made them; it was he who made them stand fast;

1594b. it was he who rescued them from every evil which Set did to them;

1595a. it was he who settled thee, in this thy name of "Settlements" ("Colonies");

1595b. it was he who went, doing obeisance; after thee, in this thy name of "City";

1595c. it was he who rescued thee from every evil which Set did to thee.

1596a. Go, go, Nut.

1596b. Geb commanded that thou go, in thy name of "City."

1596c. N. is Horus, who adorned his eye with his two hands completely.

1597a. N. adorned thee with an adornment;

1597b. N. settled for thee these his settlements;

1597c. N. built thee (as) a city of N.,

1597d. that thou mayest do for N. every good thing which the heart of N. loves,

1597e. that thou mayest do (it) for N., in every place where he goes.

1598a. Thou shalt not hearken to the West; thou shalt not hearken to the East;

1598b. thou shalt not hearken to the North; thou shalt not hearken to the South;

1598c. thou shalt not hearken to those who are in the middle of the land;

1599a. (but) thou shalt hearken to N.; it is N. who adorned thee;

1599b. it is N. who built thee; it is he who settled thee.

1600a. Thou doest for him everything which he says unto thee in every place whither N. goes.

1600b. Thou carriest to him the fowl-bearing waters which are in thee;

1600c. thou carriest to him the fowl-bearing waters which are to be in thee;

1601a. thou carriest to him every tree which is in thee;

1601b. thou carriest to him every tree which is to be in thee;

1601c. thou carriest to him the food which is in thee;

1601d. thou carriest to him all food which is to be in thee;

1602a. thou carriest to N. the gifts which are in thee;

1602b. thou carriest to N. the gifts which are to be in thee;

1602c. thou carriest to him everything which is in thee;

1602d. thou carriest (it) to N. to the place wherein the heart of N. desires to be.

1603a. The doors stand fast upon thee like Inmutef;

1603b. they open not to the West; they open not to the East;

1603c. they open not to the North; they open not to the South;

1603d. they open not to those who are in the middle of the land;

1604a. (but) [they are open to] N.

1604b. It was he who made them; it was he who made them fast;

1604c. it was he who rescued them from all the evil which men did to them;

1605a. it was N. who [settled thee], in this thy name of "Settlements" ("Colonies");

1605b. it was N. who went, doing obeisance, after thee, in this thy name of "City";

1605c. it was N. who rescued thee from all the [evil which men did] to thee.

1606a. Hearken to N. alone; it is N. who made thee.

1606b. Thou shalt not hearken to the malefactor.