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SELECTIONS ROM

THE HUSIA

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SELECTIONS ROM

Selected and Fletranslated by

MAULANAKARENGA

THE HUSIA

SACREDWISDOMOF ANCIENT GYPT

THEUNIVERSITY FSANKORE RESS LOSANGELES

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First Printing, 984Second Printing, 1989

Cover design and artwork Kweli

sELEcrloNS FROM THE HUSIA: sACRED wlsDoM oF ANO|ENT EGYPT.Copyright@ 1984 by Maulana Karenga. All rights reserved. Printed n the Unitedstates of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced n any mannerwhatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotationsembodied n cnitical articles and reviews. For information address: The Universityof Sankore Press,2650 West 54th Stret, Los Angeles, CA 90O43

lsBN 0-943412{,64

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To Cheikh Anta Diop who posed he proiect of rescuingand reconstructing he legacy f ancient Egyptand usingit to revivifyAfricanculture and o produce truly Africanparadigm f what humans ught o be and become.

And o Afnican eople ene n the U.S. and evenywhenewhose n ich and anc ien t monal nd sp in i tua l en i tagei 'epresents fundamental egacy not only or them-selves ut or allhumanity.

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CONTENTS

Foreword

The Book of Knowing he Cneations . . .

The Book of Knowing he Creations

The Book of Pnayens nd Sacred PnaisesThe Book of Prayer s nd Sacred Pra i ses . . . .

The Book of the Monal NamativeThe Book of Khun-Anup . .

The Books of Wise ns tnuc t ion . . .The Book of Ptah-Hotep .T h e B o o k f K a g e m n i . . . .The Book of KhetiThe Book of AniThe Book of AmenomopeThe Book of AnkhsheshonqiThe Book of Phebhon

x i i i

1

5

1 11 5

273 1

374 1495053586467

The Books of Contemplation 7sThe Book of Khakheper-Ra-Soneb . . , 77The Book of lpuwer 78The Book of Dialog with the Soul . 80The Book of Songs 82The Book of Neferti 85

The Book of Declanations f VintuesThe Book of Declarations of Virtues . . . .

89g 3

The Books of Rising Like Ra . .The Book of Coming Forth By DayThe Book of VindicationThe Book of Rising and Transformation

991 0 51 1 21 1 8

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to the Black tnadit ion within the so-called gneat neli-gions, t is now time to "return

to the sounce".The Husia is thus a vital step towand the ne-cneation

and restonation of our spirituar foundation. The textsse l e c t e d b y D r. K a r e n g a a n e f r o m t h e t n u l y g r e a tbooks of ancient Egypt. These serections as well asthe cneative arnangement nto seven sections provide asuggested fnamewonk on the development of a langenand more definit iveHoly Book or Afnican people.

The netnanslations one by Dr. Kanenga ane gneatlyenhanced by his wide familianitywith many languages,especiqlly he Afnican anguages, s well as his talentas a poet. He has not only rescued the texts from the"libenal"and st i l ted translations of the egypbologists,but in my opinion, he has also nendered bhem n spinitm u c h m o n e a k i n t o t h e t n u e m e a n i n g o f t h e a n c i e n tscribes. In a typically Egyptian sense, he has bneathedl i f e i n t o t h e m , T h e n e su l t i s a t h o n o u g h l y e a d a b l e ,enjoyable nd nspining olume of spinitual i teratune.

The commentaries at the beginning of each of theseven sections ane veny insightful n helping he readerput the text in the proper context. Dr. Kanenga dem-onstnates a profound gnasp of the inner meaning ofthe various concepts as well as the ovenall ontology.His modest and subtle critique of the amogance of theegyptologists n these commentaries as well as in hisintnoduction s a good argument for the task he hasundentaken.

The artwonk done by Kweli is superb. The illustra-tions ane clear and authentic and very appropriatelyselected n accondance ith the theme of the wonk.

Thus, all of these elements: the appnopniate elec-tions: the cneative arrangement; he poetic and contex-tual retranslations; the insightful commentaries; andt h e s u p e r b a n t w o n k n e s u l t i n a b o o k t h a t w i l l b eimmensely useful to mill ions of Black people seeking

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spiritual enrichment and cultural renewal. The is espe-

cially nue of those who have recently founded emplesbased upon ancient Egyptian spinituality. The work willa l so be usefu l to Black scholars in the in effon ts tochart new dinections n our intellectual development.

To the ancient Black people of the Nile Valley, Maatwas the h ighes t e th ica l commitment . The soc ia l fo r-mula for Maat is reciprocity: the creaton "Di.fAnkh"

(He gives life). Human beings in tunn must give that'which sustains life - both mental and physical, n thatregard, The Husia s an outstanding model of Maat.

Jacob H. CanruthersThe Kemetrc nsti tute, Chtcago

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INTRODUCTION

For years African scholans on the Continent and in theDiaspora have taught on the rich moral and spirituallegacy of ancient Afnica, especially hat of Egypt. But noone has written more on or given more substantive

proof - textually, ogically nd historically of the achieve-ment of Egypt and the debt owed Africa by the worldthan Dr. Cheikh Anta Biop. He has constantly urged usto study the ancient texts and extract from them theirrich and varied cultural legacy and use it as a basis or arenewed and reinvigorated Afnican culture. Moreover,Dr. Jacob Canruthers, Directon of the Kemetic Insti-tute in Chicago and his colleagues ne doing mpontantwonk focused on the need to nescue and netranslatethe sacred and seculan iEeratune f ancient Egypt asa means o gnasp more effectively our histony and ourro le in the fonwand thrus t of human his to ry. Thisvolume s a self-conscious ontr ibution o this histon-ical and cunnent pnoject.

A pnimany im of this volume is to pnovide a bniefrepnesentative election of ancient Egyptian sacned i t-enatune which can senve as a readable and enjoyablerefenence or those intenested specif ically n ancientEgyptian and Afnican sacned litenature and those whoane interested in ancient Egyptian and African li tena-tune in genenal whebhen acred or secular, Moneoven,as a part of a langen work, it nepnesents a contnibu-

t ion to deve lop ing a def in i t ive Afr ican sacned tex tw h i c h w i l l s e n v e a s a m o r a l a n d sp i n i t u a l g u i d e a n dreinforcement n the same way othen sacned texts dofon their adhenents and believers. The langer volumewhen it is completed will be published by Thind WorldPress.

I have organ ized The Husia in to seven sec t ions

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p a s sa g e o f e i t h e n b e a u t y o l ' m e a n i n g o n b o t h . A n dwhene hene are questions of conrectness n tnansla-

t ion on whene have added a wond on phrase fon clan-i ty, I have used ital ics, Also, fon the most pant ' I haveused modern English nathen han the sti l ted Elizabe-than, biblical anguage so often used by tnanslators.H o w e v e n , w h e n a n c h a i c w o n d s l i k e " b e h o l d " se e m e dmore poeLic and appnopriate, took poetic l icense andused them. And with the same license, attempted toneduce and nemove he male and c lass b ias of thewrit ings.

M o n e o v e n , h a v e u s e d o n e n a m e f o n G o d , R a ,except in the Men-nofenite Memphite) descniption ofcneation. Even hen, I used Ra aften the name Ptah. Inothen cases, I simply nanslated he wond as an attr^ib-u te on pnaise ame of Ra , i . e . , Atum, the Comple te nPenfecten; Khepen, he Bningen-into-Being, tc. I alsotnanslated he names of "gods" and "goddesses" bytheir attnibu[es and tnanslated he words "god" and" g o d d e s s " a s p o w e n s o f h e a v e n , d i v i n e p o w e n s o nexal ted ones , Th is was done fon s impl i f ica t ion s wel las the fact that thene is suppor"t on the angumentthat all of these ane simply attnibutes and manifesta-t ions of Ra, Also, "netchen" or "netel '" is not only the

wot 'd on god or goddess as in English, but penhaps sbest bnanslated s powen on pninciple.

Finally,t is important o state here hat this retranslation,as I have enmed t, is neithen et in cement nor resistant orevision. t is, in truth, a working version only, a tentativepresentation, nviti g response, ornection nd a ssista nce.It is for this reason hat I have prepared his volume o be

released uning he First Annual Ancient Egyptian tudiesConference, hich s to be held24-26 Febnuary 984 inLosAngeles and which is sponsorcd by the Institute of Pan-Af ican Studies and co-chaired y Dr. Jacob Carruthens ndme.

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It is at this point I acknowledge most gnatefully he

fraternal and important collaboration anJ hetp I havehad fnom Dr. canruthers in prepaning his volume. Histranslations, advice and encouragement are importantmaterial out of which this volume s made, Also, I givethanks to my friend and wife, Tiamoyo, who pnepanedthe manuscript for the pubrisher, and to the lnstituteof Pan-African studies and the advocates of us fonsuppont, suggestions and inspiration. As always, I amgrateful to my people whose stnuggre and aspinationsfor liberation and a higher lever of human life encour--ages me constan t ly to seek effec t ive models andmeans on both,

Maulana Kanenga

Institute of Pan-African tudiesLos Angeles, alifonniaJanuary,1g84

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Book of Knowing he Gneations

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T H E B O O K O F K N O W I N G T H E C R E AT I O N S , T h i s b o o ktakes its t i t le from "The Book of Knowing he Creations ofRa and of Striking Down Apophis" [the serpent of evil andchaosJ, but it contains writings from other sources as well.Since thene is no single Eext which pnesents a composite ofthe ancient Egyptian concept of cneation, an effective graspo f i t i s p o s s ib l e o n ly t h n o u g h g aLh er in g an d sy n Lh es i z in gpassages rom sevenal ources.

As the tit le suggests, the ancient Egyptians viewed crea-Eion as a continuous process. Thus, we have "The Creations"rather than "The Creation". The finst cneation was the finstevent at the first time. But creation is nepeated each day innature and in human history. In nature, sunnise and the new

beginning t bnings each day is a ref lect ion of th is , ln humanhistory, i t is reflected in humanity's constant establishmentand neestablishment f order and righteousness n the midstof chaos and evil n a nole similar o Ra.

ln just these few passages we nead the eanliest wnittenrecord of the dawning of humanity's sEnuctured conscious-ness concerning ontology and ethics. These sacred writingspredaEe

Hebnew, Christian and Muslim ontologies and ethicsby thousands of years and apparently contributed to them,Thus, we find for the first time in human history the con-cept of Logos , ,e . , creat ion hnough conceptual hought andauthoritative utterance; the concept of fnee will and humanequality n Ra's statement on His Four Good Deeds; and areflective monality which indicates definite social judgmentso n t h a t wh ich i s l o v ed an d t h a t wh ich i s h a t ed . an d t h e

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belief hat God wourd gnant rife for the righteous and punish-ment and death for the wicked.

It is intenesting and important to note that Ra cr.eates heunivense hnough maat , a tenm with mul t ip le meanrngs , .e . ,n i g h t e o u s n e s s , r u t h , j u s t i c e , o r d e r , h a r m o n y, n i g h t n e s s ,evenness , evelness , tc . l t s impor tance ies in the fact thati t i s a d i v i n e c o n c e p t , p o w e r a n d p r a c t i c e w h i c h n o t o n r yinformed and aided Ra's action, but was established as thefundamental concept, power. and practice for- the organiza-Eton, maintenance and development of human society also.T h u s , n e a c h b o o k m a a t i s a c e n t r a r c o n c e n n a n d f o c u s ,whether as tnuth, justice, r-ighteousness, rden on hanmony.

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TheBook of Knowing the Greations

l . RA'sDESCRTpToNF Hrs cREATtoN

Thus said Ra, the Lond of All , Lord of the UtmostL i m i t s , a f t e r H e h a d c o m e i n t o b e i n g : a m t h e o n e

who came into being as Khepen, He who comes intobeing and brings into being. When I came into being,be ing t se l f came n to be ing . Al l be ings came nto be ingaften I came into being, Many wene the beings thatcame forth fnom the commands of my mouth. Heavenhad not yet come into being. Non had earth come intobeing. Non had the gnound been cneated on the thingswhich creep and cnawl upon i t . I raised up beings inthe pnimondial atens as inent things. I found no placeon which to stand. I for-med t from the desire in myheart; I laid the foundation thr-ough Maat. I cr-eatedf o n m s o f e v e n y k i n d , M a n y w e n e t h e f o n m s w h i c hissued onth fnom the commands of my mouth. Not yethad t established Shu, the power and principle of ligh|and air, Nor sent fonth Tefnut, the power and principle

of moisture. Thene existed no one who acted togethenw i t h m e . I c o n c e i v e d t i n m y o w n h e a n t , A n d t h e n ec a m e i n b o b e i n g a v a s t n u m b e n o f f o n m s o f d i v i n ebeings as fonms of offspr-ing and fonms of their. off-spning rom them . . .

I came fonth fnom among the plants which I createdand I cneated all things which cneep and cnawl and allthat exists among hem. Then

by thepower

andpninci-

p l e s o f l i g h t a n d a i r a n d t h e p o w e r a n d p n i n c i p l e fmoistune, heaven and eanth were br.ought nto being,and by eanuh and heaven Osinis, Hor.us, Seth, lsis andNephthys wene bnought nto being nom the womb, oneaften anothen, and they gave binth to the multi tudes nthis land,

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TheBook of Pnayers and Sacned

Praises

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BOOK OF PRAYERS AND SACRED PRA|SES. Praise poerryi s a mo d e of v erb a l ce l eb ra t i o n o f b o th th e s ecu l a r an dsacred which is a distinct and undeniable Afnican institutionan d ach i ev emen t . Al th o u g h o th en p eo p les n o th en t imesengaged n poetic praising, t was and is no t as pervasive orvital bo the seculan and sacned as in Afnica. And the factthat praise poetry of both kinds - or "songs of praising andglorifying"as they ane called n the Book of Coming Forth byDay - was so p erv as iv e an d v i t a l t o an c i en t Eg y p t n e in -forces the tr-uth of its African rootedness. The praise poemis both aesthetic and spiritual. In fact, its beauty is a partof i ts spinituality, or it enhances he sense of wonden, gran-

deur and oneness with the God on penson pnaised,

The effective word in Africa is divirreand cneative. t cailst o min d Ra , a t t h e f i r s t ev en t , wh o co n ce iv ed an d co m-manded and the universe and all in it came into being. t noto n ly an n o u n ces , t ev o k es a t t i t u d e an d b eh av io r an d r e in -fonces both. Moreoven, he praise poem is an act of partici-pation and sharing n the qualities and action of the praised,Thus, the pnaise poems to Ra ane not only acts of worshipand offering, but a shaning n His strength and glory, Hisbeneficence and beauty and in His creation and active careof it .

I h ad o r ig in a l l y n t en d ed toPsalms, on psalms ane sacredchanged or two basic neasons,

ca l l t h i s b o o k t h e Bo o k o fsongs or hymns. However, IFinst, I did not w ant to give

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the impression I or ancient Egypt was borrowing from theBible. For in t ru th i t was the other

way anound as bothchronological and textual evidence pnove. And secondly, theterm psalms is not as aesthetic or definitive of the contentso f t h e b o o k a s t h e c h o s e n t i b l e , " p r a y e r s a n d s a c r e dPraises ."

In this book we find descriptions and praises of God thatwould later appear in Hebrew, christian and Muslim sacnedtexts. Ra is the Good shepard fond of His flock which is inHis own image. He rescues the humble and needy, heans andanswers the prayens of the prisoner and the oppressed. Heis "the helmsman Uhat knows the water well" and the res-cuer and "pnime minister of the poor", He is the physicianwh o cu res wi th o u t med ic in e an d t h e ju d g e th a t t ak es n obribes. t is this imagery of God and humankind's elationshipand the use of human society and nature as realms ofrevealing he Cneator's benevolence hat senved as a source

of not onfy the Hebrew Psalms but, as we shall see of theirtheology n general also.

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Theandook of Prayers Sacred Praises

l .And Amenomope nd his wife Hathon said:

Blessed s one who si ts in the hands of Amen Ra,for i t is He who dinects the timid, who nescues hehumble and the needy, who gives the breath of life tobhe one whom He loves and gnants him or her a longlife n the West of Thebes.

Oh my God, Lond of Londs, Amen Ra, Lond of Kar-nak. Give me your hand and save me. Shine upon meand sus ta in me. You ane the only God and there i snone like you. You ane Ra who rises in the heavens,the God who created men and women.

It is you who heans he prayers of one who calls onHim, who saves a man and woman from the hands ofthe violent and who makes the Nile rise and flow font h o se w h o a r e i n H i m . Ra i s t h e p e r f e c t g u i d e f o revenyone.

When He nises men and women live and thein heantsare l i f ted up when they see the one who gives thebreath of life to those who are in the egg, who makepeople and birds to l ive, who supplies even food fonm i c e i n t h e i r h o l e s a s w e l l a s f o r w o n m s a n d f l e a s .May He grant us an honorable bunial after an old age,so that we may be safe in His hands.

l t .Neb-Ra gives praise to Amen Ra saying:

Amen, Ra, Lord of Karnak, the great God, who pne-

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I made fon Him pnaises o His name' For His might

and majes ty anegnea t ,

And Iprayed to Him before

Him and in the pnesence of the whole land, on behalfof my son, the painter, Nakht-Amen, when he lay sicka n d n e a n u n t o d e a t h , b e i n g i n t h e p o w e r o f A m e nbecause f his deeds.

I found the Lond of Lords coming as a northwind andthat sweet breezes went befone Him. And He nescuedmy son, Nakht-Amen, he vindicated, he son of God'spainten n the Place-of-Tnuth, Neb-Ra, and of the ladyPeshed, oth of whom stand vindicated.

Neb-Ra says:

Though the senvant be inclined to make mistakes,the Lond is inclined o be merciful. The Lord of The-

bes does not spend a whole day in angen. He is angryfon but a moment and none of it nemains behind, Thewind tunns for us in His mency and Amen Ra comesback upon the bneeze. May youn spirit be always kind,may you always fongive. And may what has once beentunned away not come back to us.

This stela, then, I will make in youn name and I shall

recond this hymn of praise on it in writing. For yousaved fon me my son, Nakht-Amen. I spoke to you andyou heard me. Now, behold do what I promised. Fonyou are the Lond to the one who calls on you and Hewho s satisf ied with nighteousness.

l l l .A m e n Ra i s t h e h e l m sm a n w h o k n o w s t h e w a t e r

well , He is the rudden on the weak. He gives bread tothose who have none, and sustains those who senveHim n His temple.

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f lock in the morning, eading he hungny o green pas-

tunes. As the shephend eads his f lock to gneen mead-ows, so do you, O' Ra, lead the needy o food. For Rais indeed a good shephend, even dle, at tending hosewho ean on Him.

O' Ra, I love you and I have f i l led my heart with you.You will nescue me fnom the mouth of the multitudeon the day when they speak lies against me. Fon the

Lond of Righteousness ives in nighteousness. Thus Iwill not dwell on bhe anxiety in my heart, fot' surelywhat Ra has said will come o pass.

vl.

And Phanoah Ramesses l surnounded n the batt le-f ieldby enemies nd gneatly noubled r-ayed aying:

Now I call on you from the ends of the eanth,O' Amen Ra. All that I have done was fon love of you,O' Fathen, Amen Ra, I cny out to you, fon I am in themidst of many enemies and the whole of this land isagainst me, I am alone and my only defense, for mymany

soldiens have desented me; my chaniots nefusedto nemain with me. Though called out to them, therewas none who responded o my call .

Now, I cny [o you O' Ra, and I f ind that you, Ra, anemore helpful o me than mill ions of soldiens, mone hanh u n d n e d s f t h o u sa n d s o f c h a n i o t s . m o n e h a n t h o u -sands of bnothers and sons, al l put together. Fon bheeffort of many is naught compar.ed o Ehe majesty andmight of Amen Ra.

Then said Pharoah Ramesses ll: Now, though I pnay-ed in a distant land, my voice nesounded n southenn On.I found Amen Ra came when I called to Him. He gaveme His hand and . . . I found my heant stnong and ful l of

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joy. And all I did succeeded.

vll.Pnaise o you, Amen Ra, who spoke with His mouth

and there came into being men, powens and pninciplesof the universe, cattle great and smail, and evenythingthat f l ies and alights, al l of them.

You created even the banks of the Hanebu peoplewho sett le in thein cit ies and also the fruitful meadowsfertilized by the originat waters and giving birth there-a f t e r t o g o o d t h i n g s w i t h o u t n u m b e r t o su p p o n t a l lthat l ives.

You ane mighty as a shephend, ending all people ona l l e t e n n i t y. Bo d i e s a r e f i l l e d w i t h y o u n b e a u t y, a n deyes see because of you. You inspire awe in evenyoneand Lhein hearts tunn to you, Fon you are good at al lt imes. And all the wonld ives rom yout" resence.

Evenyone ays: "We ane youns," the stnong and theweak togethen, he nich and the poon with one mouthand all othens ikewise. You are l ovely n their hearts.And no body acks some of youn beauty.

Do not the widows say: You ane oun husband, andthe small childnen ay you are our fathen and mothen?The rich boast wibh youn beauty and the poor revereyoun pnesence. he prisonen unns to you and the sickcall out to you.

Youn name will be a protection for the body of any-one who is

alone. t is salvation and health fon thoseon the waEen and deliverance nom the cnocodile. t isgood to rememben Ra in the time of tunmoil, or He isa deliverance rom the mouth of the aggnessive,

O' Ra, all can tunn to you and place thein peti t ionsbefore you. Your eans are open to hean them and you

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gran t what they des ine . You are the Crea tor wholoves those in His image, the shepherd who is fond ofHis flock.

vlll .Praise be to you O' Ra, Lord of Tnuth, whose sanc-

tuary is hidden,Lord of Londs. The Bringen-into-Beingin His sacred boat, who commanded and the powers

and pr inc ip les of the universe came in to be ing . TheCreaEor who cneated humankind nd dist inguished heircharacters, who made their life, who made their colorsdiffenenr nom each other,

Praise to Ba, He who hears the prisoner's prayen,beneficient of heart when one calls to Him. He whorescues the oppnessed rom the oppnesson, who judg-es between the weak and the strong, Lord of Percep-tion, in whose mouth is authoniEy.

Fo n l o v e o f H i m , t h e N i l e c o m e s . T h e Be n e f i c e n bOne, the greatly beloved, and when He comes the peo-ple ive

O ' A l m i g h t y O n e , L o r d o f L o n d s , w e n e v e r e y o u rmight because you crea ted us ; we shout 1oy o youbecause you molded us; we offer you praise becauseyou weanied ounselfwith us.

Pnaise be unto you, who did make all of this; uniqueand only one with many hands who passes the nightawake while men and women sleep, seeking he best

fon His cneatunes.

lx.Pharoah Akhenaten sang praises saying:

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You nise in beauty on the horizon of heaven, o' Liv-

ing Aten, creator of life, when you l-ise on the eastennhorizon, you fill eveny land with your- beauty. you areRa and you reach the limits of the lands and restraint h e m f o n y o u r b e l o v e d so n ( A k h e n a t e d . y o u m a k eseed gnow in women and cneate people fnom sperm.You feed the embnyo n the mothen's womb, soothingit to sti l l i ts teans.

How manifofd are your works though hidden f romsight, o ' sole God besides whom thene is none, youcneated earth according o youn desine, you alone. Allpeoples, catt le and all kinds of animals, al l on earththat walk on legs and all on high rhat f ly with wings.Yo u se t e v e n y p e r so n i n h i s ( h e d p l a c e a n d sa t i J f yt h e i r n e e d s . A l l h a v e f o o d a n d r h e i r t i m e o f l i f e i sdetenmined. heir tongues differ in speech and so dotheir chanacters. The colors of their skins are diffen-ent also. For you dist inguished he people. How excel-lent ane youn ways O' Lond of etennity.

X.Eveny city is under the

shadow of Amen Ra, so thatHis heart can move n that which He has loved. peoples i n g Eo Ra u n d e n e v e n y r - o o f , a n d e v e n y o u n d a t i o nsLands fir-m under His love. They celebrate for Himo n f e s t i v a l d a y s a n d p a s s t h e n i g h t s t i l l a w a k e a tmidnight

Ra is He who fnees one from evil and drives awaysuffening, He is a docton who heals the eye wibhoutmedicine, who opens the eye and cunes squinting, Hesaves whomeven He will even though they ane ah.eadyin the gnave.

He hears lhe pr.ayers of those who call on Him, andcomes n a moment from afar to those who cny out toH i m ,

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He lengthens the span of life and shortens it and

gives beyond what is allotted by fateto those whom

He chenishes,

Amen Ra i s magic , words of power, over waterwhen His name is said above the deep. And the croco-dile has no power when a penson calls His name.

The winds change and the headwind moves anound.It grows calm when one remembens Ra. His name is a

useful word in the time of tnouble, a gentle bneeze orone who calls on Him.

It is Ra who saves those who have come to grief, agentle God with effective counsel, He belongs o thosewho rest their back on Him when they are in theirhour of trouble.

He is more powerful than millions o those who setHim in their heart and one is mightier than the manythrough the power of His name. He is the compassion-abe protecton, the Beneficent One, one who makes nomistakes, and one whom humans cannot hol d off.

xl.Amen Ra who was the f i r s t King , the God of the

earliest time and He who remains Ehe Pnime Ministenof the poor. Ra accepts no bribes fnom the guilty; Hetakes no tesbimony from the witness and pays noattention to one who promises. Amen Ra judges theland with a wave of His finger. He speaks to the heartand judges the guilty. And He assigns the guilty to thefire of the East and the righteous to Ehe peace of theWest.

Amen Ra, lend youn ean to Ehose who stand alonein court. They ane poor and not nich. And the countsex tor t f rom them say ing , "s i lver and gold for thec l e r k s a n d c l o t h e s f o n t h e a t t e n d a n t s . " M a y y o u ,

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my physician. May it eliminate my body's llness and driveaway all pain from me.

May Ra put love of me in the hearEs of the peopleso that al l may be fond of me. May He grant me agood burial in the cemeteny of my city. For bhe sacnedland is in His grasp. May He make my name last likethe stars of heaven and my monument ast like thoseof His fo l lowers . May my d iv ine essence be nemem-bened in His temple day and night. May I renew myyouth like the moon and may my name not be forgot-ten in the yeans hat come forever after.

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THE BOOK OF THE MORAL NARHATIVE. Although thereare other moral narratives in ancient Egyptian sacred wis-dom, none is so clear, beautiful and definitive as the Book ofKhun-Anup. This Book is called "The Eloquent Peasant" bytnaditional egyptologists, However, I have chosen to call it bythe name of the man who is i t s cent ral character andspokesman, a peasant or farmen who is unjustly treated and

appeals or relief, justice and nighteousness r"om the HighS t e w a r d , F l e n s i , w h o h a n d l e d s u c h m a t t e r s . B e n s i i simpressed with Khun-Anup's eloquence and reponts it to bhepharoah. The pharoah impressed by the nepont asks Flensi odelay ruling on the case in order to benefit from Khun-Anup'sbeautiful speech which in ancient Egypt as in othen parts ofAfnica was/is highly appreciated. Rensi was also ondered totake care of Khun-Anup's amily for the days he kept Khun-

Anup waiting for a decision and to meticulously copy down allhe said.

What follows is a senies of nine petitions made by Khun-Anup for jus t ice and righteousness or as the Egypt ianscalfed both, maat. As stated in the intnoduction o the Bookof Knowing he Creations, maat was the foundation of boththe natural and social order, lts cone concept is nightness nnature and righteousness (which makes an onder or systemright) in human society. Although traditional egyptologiststranslate maat mostly as justice in this narrative, I tna nslateit mostly as righteousness. For among the three most usedmeanings tnuth, iustice and righueousness righteous-ness seems to me to be the most comprehensive nd inclu-s ive tenm and suggests and necessi tates both tnuth andjustice.

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Books Of Wise lnstnuction

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y o u may l iv e lo n g o n ear th " , F o n "mo re accep t ab l e s th ebnead f Ehe ighteous

han the ox of those who do evil".cleanly bhen, maat, uhe quintessen[ial monal and spiriuual

co n cep t o f an c i en t Eg y p t i an sac r ed l i t e r - a tu r e , o n ms Lhecone ocus of the Instructions even though some rather sec-ular situations and solutions ane posed. Moreoven, given theinseparable ink in ancient Egypt and othen pants of Afr-icabetween the sacred and seculan, he attempt to separatethem makes liLtle sense and meets with even less success.Thus, he sages teach thei r chi ldren and the people o th inkmaat, speak maat and do maat in seculan and sacred situa-t ions . For th is wi l l not only insure a mutual ly beneficial om-munity based on maat, but also everlasting ife,

I n t en ms o f b h e names o f t h e Bo o k s , I h av e mad e twoch an g es n names wh ich sh o u ld b e n o t ed . F i r " s t , h e b o o kcalled he "lnstructions for Merikare" by traditional egyptolo-

gists is re-titled "The Book of Kheti", This was done becauseit is relatively centain the pharoah who wrote it was namedK h e t i a n d t h e " B o o k f o n M e r i k a r e " w o u l d b e i n c o n s r s r e n tw i t h t h e o t h e r ' B o o k s o f " , S e c o n d l y, h e b o o k c a l l e d h ePapyrus Insingen by traditional egyptologists s ne-titled theBook of Phebhor after its authon. The traditional egyptolo-gists and collector-s ad the nather- nsettling and even arro-gant habi t of naming ancient Egypt ian papyni y the name ofs o m e o n e

w h o b o u g h t t h e m" o r

c a m e i n t o p o s s e s s i o n o fthem" by various means, Thus , Ins inger. , anr" is , eat ty, etc . ,ane affixed o papyri which often have their own names. Nat-urally, saw no need or reason o follow chis pnactice.

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to say my means have entnapped me. l f one says I wil l

nob anothen, he wil l end up being robbed himself . Theplans of men and women do not always come to pass,f o n i n t h e e n d i t i s t h e w i l l o f G o d w h i c h p r e v a i l s .Thenefone, ne should live in peace with othens andthey will come and willingly give gifts which anotherwould take from them through fear.

tv.Be dil igent as long as you live, always doing mone

than is commanded of you. Do not misuse your t imewhile fol lowing youn heart , for i t is offensive to thesoul to waste one's t ime. Do not lose the daily oppon-

tunity to incnease hat which you have. Dil igence pno-duces gains and gains do not endure when dil igence sabandoned.

V.l f you are parents of wonth and wisdom, tnain youn

childnen o that they will be pleasing o God. And ifthey do what is r ight , fol lowingyout ' example, and han-dle yout ' affains as they should, do fon them all that isgood. Fon they are begotten of yout' own heart andsoul , Thenefone, epanate noL youn heart fnom lhem.But if they fai l to fol low your counse, oppose your wil l ,reject al l counsel ,

and se[ their mouthin motion with

vi le wonds , then dnive hem away. Fon they ane notyoun childnen and were not bonn for you. Those whoa n e g u i d e d d o n o t g o w n o n g , b u t t h o s e w h o w i l fu l l ylose heir way will not f ind a str"aight ounse.

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vl.l f you move among people, gain nespect and tnust

thnough speaking openly and tnuthfully. Those who anetnusted and speak tnuthfully, wil l become leaders andmastens of themselves.Those ho masten themselvesen joy a good name and ane not mal igned . hey ane ingood health and their face is turned towand thein peo-ple. And they ane pnaised without Ehein nowing t . Butt h o s e w h o s e h e a n t o b e y s b a s e d e s i n e s c a u s e s c o n -t e m p t n a t h e n h a n l o v e . T h e i r h e a n t d i m i n i s h e s a n dthein body dwindles. Those of greaL heant ane the cho-sen of God, but those who obey base desines, becomebhe possession f the enemy.

vll.l f you are a leaden, ee that the plans you make ane

cannied ut . Do gneat things which wil l be nememberedlong after you. Whene hene is pnaise, detnaction can-nol sunvive. But whene hose of i l l -wil lenten. ike croc-odiles, t r i fe also comes.

vlil .l f you are a leaden, e counteous and listen carefully

to the presenta t ions of pet i t ioner. s , S top not the i r-speech unti l they

havepouned

out their heant and spo-k e n t h a t w h i ch t h e y c a m e t o s a y. T h o s e w i t h g r. i e v -ances ike to speak out and have their pet i t ions heard.But whosoeven fops a pnesentat ion naises he ques-t i o n o f w h y d o e s o n e h a v i n g h i s p o w en a c t i n t h i smannen. Not al l that is asked fon can be granted, buta fain hearing atisfies he heart .

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long as you live. For she is of

husband. Be not bnutal to her..ation witl influence her bettert ion to what she wishes, aimsThus, she wil l nemain with you.cal l hen and show hen youn ove.

great value to you her

Kindness and considen-than fonce. Pay atten-ab and negands highly.

Open youn anms o hen;

xll.S h a n e w i t h y o u n f n i e n d s h a t w h i ch y o u h a v e , f o n

that which is youns s a gift of God. Those who fai l toshare with thein fniends ane shunned on having a self-i s h s o u l . A l t h o u g h p e o p l e m i g h t p l a n fo r t o m o n n o w,they do not know what wil l come to pass, But i t i snighteousness y which people ane sustained. Thene-fone, f misfontune omes and you have been nighteouswibh youn niends, oun niends wil l welcome you. peacewil l not be found in a city where fniends ane fongottenand hein needs not answened.

xil .l f you ane one of worth and wisdom who stts on ac o u n c i l o f g o v e n n a n c e , p p l y y o u r h e a r a n d m i n dtoward that which is wise. Speak only when you knowy o u c a n a s s i s t i n t h e s o l u t i o n o f a d i f f i c u l t y. F o rsi lence s betten than useless chatter. Ther"e s an antlo giving sound advice n council , Sunely b is mone dif-

ficult than all othen duties. Those who gnasp his canmake t serve hem well .

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XIV.l f you ane a powenful penson, gain nespect through

knowledge nd gentleness of speech and conduct . Givec o m m a n d s o n l y w h en e n e c e s s a n y a n d f i t t i n g , T h o s ew h o a b u s e t h e i n a u t h o r i t y p n o v o k e n e s i s t a n c e . A n dthose who place themselves above others ane broughtlow. Be not si lent when i t is youl- duty to speak, buLbe

cautious n youn speech lest you offend. When youa n s w e n h e a n g n y, s h o w s e l f - c o n t r " o l . o n L h e a n g n yheant speaks fier-ywonds, but those who walk gently,t h e i n p a t h i s a l n e a d y p a v e d . M o n e o v e n , h o s e w h oworny all day will have no happy moment. But thosewho punsue pleasune ll day wil l not be able to sustainthemselves.

XV.l f you ane a judge chosen to maintain orden among

the people, handle mattens with a stnict sense of just-ice. Do nob lean to one side on the other ' . Take caret h a t n o o n e c o m p l a i n s h a t y o u a n e u n f a i n a n d y o u ractions nesult n a judgment against you,

XVI.l f you ane angered by a wnong done you by anothen,

lean not towand nemembening t , but toward nighteous-ness, Pass o ven i t quickly and do not hold i t in yout-heant aften he first day t happens.

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XX.lf nespect for night exists in the heant of those who

h a v e b e e n s e t i n a u t h o r i t y, t h e y w i l l b e b e n e f i c e n ta l w a y s a n d t h e i n w i s d o m s h a l l e n d u n e o rev en . T h eheant of the wise reloices when wisdom is estabrishedand is happy when it pnospers on earth. The wise anek n o w n b y t h e i n w i s d o m a n d t h e g rea t b y t h e i n g o o dactions. Thein heant is

in harmony with thein tongue,t h e i r l i p s a r e t n u e w h en t h e y s p e a k , h e i n e y e s s eerightly and their ears hear that which is profitable fortheir childnen, o that they may do what is r ight andare free fnom unnighteousness,

XXI.lf a son and daughten accept the righteaus teach-

i n g s o f t h e i n p a n e n t s , n o n e o f t h e i n p l a n s w i l l g ow n o n g . Teach y o u n c h i l d n e n , h e n , t o b e t h o s e w h ohear well ; Lhey will be valued by those of weight andsubstance and their speech will be informed by whatthey have heand, Respected ane those who listen well ,

they wil l excel and thein deeds wil l dist inguish hem,But fai lune wil l fol low those who hean not , The wisewake eanly n onden o establish themselves, but foolsalways ail to nise at the oppontune ime.

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TheBook of Kagemni

t .The modest penson s stnong and one who is

wond and just in deed is pnaised. Houses aneto the humble and a wide seat is given to onegentle in speech and conduct. But sharp knivesneady on the unr ighteous nt ruden . Fon thereentnance xcept or the righteous,

true inopenedwho is

standi s n o

l l .Those who ane blameless n mattens of conduct , no

wonds can prevail against them. And those who areself-mastered, he harsh ane kinden o them than theirown mothers, and all people become thein senvants.Let your name go fonth, then, while you younself , anesi lenb nd you willbe necognized nd nespected.

l l l .Be not annogant among youn peens because of your

s tnength . And bewane of act ing in such a way toe n c o u n a g e p p o s i t i o n . F o r o n e k n o w s n o t w h a t w i l lcome to pass or the things God will do to punish theevil.

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TheBook of Kheri

t .Be skil led n speech so that you will succeed. The

tongue of a man is his sword and effect ive speech sstnongen han all f ighting. None can ovencome he skii l -f u l , A w i s e p e n s o n s a s c h o o l f o n t h e n o b l e s a n dthose who ane aware of his knowledge do not attackhim. No evil takes place when he is near, Truuh comesto him in its essential onm, shaped n the sayings ofthe ancestons.

i l .Follow n the footsteps of youn ancestons, on the

mind s tnained hnough knowledge, Behold, heir wondsendune n books, Open and read them and fol low theirwise counsel . Fon one who is taught becomes skil led.Do not be evil fon kindness s good. Make the memonyo f y o u l a s t t h n o u g h o v e o f y o u . M u l t i p l y h e p e o p l ewhom the ci ty sheltens, hen God wil l be pnaised onyour- onations. And the people wil l. . . give thanks fonyoun goodness nd pnay on youn health.

l l l .Advance your officials so that they will act by your

l a w s . O n e w h o h a s a b u n d a n c e a t h o m e w i l l n o t b ebiased, One has wealth when he on she has no wants.A poor person may not speak Eruly and one who says"l wish I had" is not stnaightfonwand. e leans towand

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the place hat it knows and sErays ot from its fonmerpath.

vll.Make wonthy your house in the west and make firm

your place in the city of the depanted by being upnightand ust . l t i s on this that the hearts of men and womenrely. For mone acceptable s the virtue of the righteousthan the ox of those that do evif.serve God thati" ,.yalso wonk or you.

vilt .well caned for is humankind who are the flocks of

God. He made the sky and earth for their sake. Hedestroyed the dangers of the waten. He gave thebneath of l i fe fon thein noses, They are in nis imagea n d c a m e f r o m H i s b o d y. H e s h i n e s i n t h e s k y f o ntheir sake. He made plants fon them and catt le, f ishand fowl to nounish hem. He has ki l led His enemiesand neduced His childnen when they conspined o nebelagainst Him, He makes daylight or their sakes and Hesails around in His sacred boat so that He can seethem. He has buil t His shnine anound hem and whenthey weep He heans. He made for them nulers evenfnom the egg, leaders to fift the load from the back ofthe weak. He made fon them words of power as weap-ons to ward off the blow of evil events, guanding hemby day and by night. He has slain the traitons amongt h e m a s a m a n s t n i k e s h i s s o n f o r t h e s a k e o f h i sbnother. Fon God knows eveny name.

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TheBook of Ani

l .Do not go in and out of the court of just ice so that

y o u r n a m e m a y n o t b e s o i l e d , D o n o t c o n t e n d i n aquarnel . Keep silent and it wil l serve you well . Go notin the pnesence of a dnunkard even if it promises tobning ou honor.

i l .

Pour l ibat ion on youn athen and mothen who nest inthe val ley of the dead. God will witness your actionand accept it. Do not fonget to do this even when youare away fnom home. For as you do for your panents,youn hildnen i l l do fon you also.

l l l .Do not fnequent tavenns lesL evi l wor-ds a l l f rom

your mouth and you know not what you ane saying, lfyou fal l , your l imbs may be bnoken and thene will be noone to help you. Even youn dninking companions mays t a n d u p a n d s a y " P u t t h e d n u n k a n d u t . " l f o n ecomes o seek and talk with you,

one wil lf ind you

lyingon the gnound s if you wene a l i t t le child.

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xlll .E a t n o t b n e a d w h i l e a n o t h e n s t a n d s b y w i t h o u t

extending oun hand to him or hen. As fot ' food, i t i salways hene, t is man and woman who do nor remain.A person may be nich on poon but bread remains withthose who share it, One who was nich last yean maybe a vagrant this yean. Thenefone, e noL anxious ofill youn belly without regard for others. Fon you knownot whene your course wil l lead. l f you become needy,another may do good by you. The waten counse of lasty e a r h a s d i s a p p e a n e d n d t h i s y e a n an o t h en s t n e a mhas appeared n its place. Gneat watens have becomet r a c t s o f d n y l an d a n d s e a s h o n e s h av e d i s ap p ea redinto the ocean depths. No man on woman, then, walksa single way. This s a lesson nom he Lord of Life.

XIV.Do not onden your wife around in her house when

you know she keeps i t in excellent order. Do not askher "whene s it" on say to her "bning t to us" whenshe has put i t in the propen place. Wabch hen carefullyan d k eep s i l e n t a n d y o u w i l l s ee h o w w e l l s h e m an -ages. How happy s your house when you support her,Thene ane many men who do not know this. But if aman nefrains rom provoking strife at home, he will notsee its inception. Thus, every man who wishes to mas-ter his house, must f i rst master his emotions.

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XV.Answer not elders who ane angry. Let them have

thein way. speak sweetly when they speak bit tenly, Foni t i s a n e m e d y h a t s o o t h e s t h e h e a n t . c o n t e n t i o u sanswens pnovoke strife and eventually youn will will bebroken. Let not your heant be tnoubled, on they willsoon netunn o pnaise you when thein houn of nage haspassed. When your wonds please the heant, the heartis incl ined o accept them. seek serf-masteny hen andyour self-mastery willsubdue hem.

TheBook of Amenomope

t .Bewane of robbing the poon and of oppnessing he

weak and helpless. Raise not yout" hand against theaged non addness an elden with impnoper peech. Letnot yourself be sent on an evil mission non stand in

the company of those who havepenfonmed

t. Ragenot against hose who injune you, non on your accountanswen them. The wharf falls fr^om unden the wickedand a flood of waten washes them away, The nonthwind comes down to end thein houn on ear-th and tunnsinto a tempest; the thunder noars and the crocodilescome without mercy,

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V.B et t e r i s a b u s h e l w h i ch G o d g i v e s y o u t h a n f i v e

thousand wnongfully otten, such gains"l"y

not a dayin the stonehouse or bann and they ane oi no use inmaking beer', Their stay in the storehouse is no monethan a moment. when morning comes they have sunkfrom sight . Bet ten to be poor- n the hands of Godthan niches n the stonehouse. Betten

is bnead with ahappy heant han niches with much wonny.

vt.Rejoice not over niches gained by robbery non mounn

because of pover.ty. f anchens n fnont advance toofar, then thein company abandons them. The boat ofthe covetous s abandoned n the mud, but the ship ofthe self-mastened man and woman sails with the wind.Pray then to God each day as the sun rises, saying,"Gnant me pnospenity nd health." And God wil l giveyou all you need n l ife and you willbe safe from fear.

vil.Keep youn tongue away from words of detnaction,

and you will be one loved by the people. You will f indyour seat in the Temple of God and your gifts shall be

among he offenings o youn Lond. You wil l be gneatlyhononed n old age, duly concealed n your coffin, andsafe from the wnath of God.

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xl.D o n o t c o n f u s e a p e n s o n n t h e co u r t o f r aw n o n

mistneat the righteous. Do not give considenation obhose n clean clothes and reject those who appear nr a g s . A c c e p t n o t t h e g i f t o f t h e s t n o n g m a n n o noppress the weak fon him. Justice is a gneat gift ofGod and God gives it to whom God wiils. sr.ely, thestrength of one who is rike

God saves the wretchedfnom hein oppresson.

xll.Do not say: "Find me a stnong pnotecton, or one in

m y c i t y h as i n j u r ed m e . " A n d s ay n o t " F i n d m e aredeemer, or one who hates me has done me harm.Sunely, ou know not the plans of God and cannot seet o m o n n o w. S e t t l e d o w n , t h en , i n t h e h a n d s o f G o d .And your self-mastery in silence will overthrow them.For ancient and deep is the fean of the cnocodile whomakes no sound.

xlll.Bane not your soul to everybody non damage thereby

nespect or you. Spnead not youn wonds among othersnon associa te younsel f wi th those who bane the i r

hear t . Bet ter are those whose knowledge remainsi n s i d e h e m , t h a n t h o s e w h o t a l k t o t h e i r d i s ad v an -tage. One does not nun to neach penfection. And onedoes not cneate t in onden o destnoy t.

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and mother. May the moon follow the sun and not failto nise. May I necognize my fniends that I may sharemy goods with them. May I necognize my bnother andsister that I may open my heart to them. And may lifealways ollow death.

Do not send a wise man in a small matter when animportant matten is waiting. Happy is the heart of himwho has made a judgment befone a wise man. A wisemaster who asks advice, his house stands foneven. Awise man seeks a friend, a fool seeks an enemy. Thechildren of a fool wander in the street, but those ofthe wise ane a lways wi th them. A wise man i s onewho knows what goes on anound him.

l l l .May the hear t of a wi fe be the hear t o f her hus-

b an d s o t h a t t h ey m ay b e f r ee o f co n t en t i o n , f awoman is at peace with hen man, they will neven arebadly. f a woman whispers about her man, they willneven are well. A good woman of noble chanacten sfood that eomes in t imes

of hunger. A woman whoremains a woman at night is praised duning he day.He who violates a marnied woman on the bed will havehis wife violated on the gnound. A woman lets herselfbe loved according o the character of her man.

Do not send a fool in an important matter when youcan send one who is wise. Do not instruct a fool lesthe hate you fon it. When one isntnucts a fool, he orshe says "What they are doing nsults me." The fniendo f a f o o l i s a f o o l . T h e f n i e n d o f a w i s e p e r s o n i sanothen wise person. lf you are given bread for beingstupid, you may learn to despise instruction. Althoughthe way of God is befone all people, the fool cannotfind it.

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lv.Do not belittle the eldenly n youn heant. Honon the

eldenly n youn heart , and you will be hononed n theheants of al l . Do not laugh at youn son in front of hismother lest you leann the measune of his fathen. Donot prefer one of youn childnen o the othen, for youknow not which one of them willbe kind o you.

There i s no tooth that decays tha t s tays in i t splace. Thene s no friend who walks alone. There is nowise one who comes to gr ief . Thene s no fool whofinds profit. There is no one who deserts his tnavellingcompanion hom God does not hold accountable or i t .Thene s no one who deceives who is not deceived andno one who does wnong that goes on and tnuly pnos-pers.

V.Do not hunl a lance if you cannot aim connectly. Do

not do evil to a person and thus cause anothen o do

it to you. Let youn generosity neach one who needs it.Do not be stingy, fon wealth is no real security. Speaktruth to evenyone; et it cling to your speech. Do notd o t o a p e n s o n w h a t y o u d i s l i k e a n d t h u s c a u s eanother to do it to you also, Thene s no good deedexcept the good deed that is done fon one who needsi t , Those who s tnuggle ogether wi th the people ofthein own willnejoice n the victory with them.

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vll.l f the wise ane not carm, the i r manner i s noL per-

f ec t . l f n o c a l m co m es i n b a t t l e , t h e an m y g e t s n orest. lf thene is no calm between feasts, the mastenand mistress of the house cannot enjoy themselves.And if there is no calm in a temple, God abandons t .Thus, pnaise s given o the wise because of thein calmand old age is a good time in life because

of the calmthat comes with i t .

vlll .Do not take lightly a small thing lest you suffen fnom

it. Deadly hanm comes to the fool fon taking gneatnessl ightly n his heart . Likewise, hanm comes to a greatperson for taking smallness ightly. lt is God who givesthe wise the discerning heant in onden hat they mayhave appropr ia te nespect . one who fears a l l hanmavoids al l harm. Do not take rightrya small i l lness onwhich here is a nemedy, ake the nemedy.

A small snake has poison. A small r iver has i ts dan-gens. A small fire should be feared. A small documenthas gneat benefi t . A small cond binds. A small truthdefends its ownen. A small rie causes tnouble for onewho tells it. A little food gives health to one who hasit, A little saving leads to wearth. The rittle heant sus-ta ins i t s ownen. A l i t t l e good news make the hear thappy, A l i t t le dew gives ife to rhe fields. A l ir t le windca r r i e s b h e b o a t a l o n g . A l i t t l e b ee b r i n g s h o n ey. Asmall locust lays waste the grapevine. A smail wrongleads owands death. And a small good deed s not hid-den from God. Thus, many ane the small things thatdeserve nespect but few ane the gneat th ings tha tmenit admination.

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T H E B O O K S O F C O N T E MPL AT IO N . T hese books con ta tnthnee fonms of contemplation: amentations, pnophetic asser-tions and meditations on death and etennal ife. These booksre f l ec t a skep t i c i sm, sadness and con templa t ive pos tuneborn of the collapse and transformaEion of the social order

and the re su l t an t chaos and loss o f cu l tu ra l cen te r th i sbnought. The Books of Khakheper-Ra-Soneb, nd lpuwer rep-resent lamentations on Ehe low state to which the societyhad fallen. As Khakheper-Ra-Soneb ays, "Maat, righteous-ness and order, has been cast out and isfet, evil and chaos,is in the Counci l Hal l , The way of God is viola ted and HisCommandants re bnushed aside, The land is in tunmoil andthere is mounning venywhere."

lpuw er lamen t s the revensa l o f the soc ia l o rde r w henoutsiders have destroyed the intennal hanmony and stabilityof ancient Egyptian society. "Behold now," he says, "howgreatly the people have changed," "The nobber has becomerich and the hononable enson a thief." The foreigners haveimposed new ways and created new relations and the right-eous "Egyptian of yesterday cannot be found anywhere."

In the Book of Dialog with the Soul a man expresses despairat the changed social cincumstances and contemplates death.This is the eanliest known literary example of a soul in turmoilconfronting unjust suffening and raising the question of whyand what is to be done. lt predates the Hebnew Book of Jobapproximately ifteen hundned yeans which represenbs a similarconcenn and question and to which it has been compared. The

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TheBook of Khakheper-Ba-Soneb

l .Wo u l d t h a t I k n ew w h a t o t h e r s an e i g n o n an t o f ,

something hat had not alneady been said, that I mightspeak and have my hear t answen me. That I might

explain o it my distness and shift to it the bunden onmy back and speak of that which affl icts me. That Imight tel l i t what I suffer and breathe a sigh of rel iefafterwand.

I m ed i t a t e o n w h a t h as h ap p en ed , o n t h e t h i n g swhich have come to pass thnoughout he land. Changesare taking place and it is not l ike last year, One yean

is mone roublesome han the next . The land is in tun-moil , and being destroyed. Maat , r ighteousness andorden, has been cast out and lsfet, evil and chaos, isin the Council Hall . The way of God is violated and Hiscommandments ane brushed aside. The land is in tun-moiland thene s mounning venywhene,

i l .Eveny day that dawns bnings events fnom which the

face is forced to turn. I speak out strongly against it.My limbs are heavy laden and my heart is heavy withgnief, t is painful not to speak about i t . Anothen heantmight bend on break, but a strong heant in the midst

of difficult ies s an ally o i ts ownen.Then Khakhepen-Ra-Soneb aid to his heant: Come

my heant , tha t I might speak to you and you mightrespond to what I have said, lnterpret for me what ishappening n the land, why those who wene once sobnilliantare now brought low. I meditate on what has

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wicked, stretched out His arm against them. surely, He

would have destroyed heir seed and their legacy,

TheBook of Dialog Wirh the Soul

l .I spoke to my soul

To whom shall I speakevil and fniends oday

gneat with greed andbon's goods, Kindnessimposed on everyone.

To whom shall I speak today? people willinglyacceptevil and goodness is cast to the gnound evenywhere.Those who should enrage people by their wrongdoingmake them laugh at thein evll deeds. people piunoer

and everyone eizes his or her neighbor's goods.

l l .To whom shall I speak

is an int imate fniend andused to deal s an enemy,and none netunn he goodand sisters are evil and

that I might answen what i t said:today? Bnothers and sisters ane

ane not worth loving. Hearts ane

everyone seizes his on her neigh-has passed away and violence s

today? The one doing wnongthe bnother with whom oneNo one nemembens he pastdeed that is done. Bnothers

people turn to stnangers forrighteousness or affection.

To whom shall I speak today? Faces are empty andall tunn their faces fnom thein brothers and sisters .

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Heants ane great with gneed and thene is no heart of

a man on woman upon which one might lean. None anejust on righteous and the land is left to the doers ofevil.

To whom shall I speak today? Thene ane no intimatefniends and the people urn to strangers to tel l theintroubles. None ane content and those with whom oneused to walk no longen exist . I am burdened with gnief

and have no one to comfont me. Thene s no end tothe wnong which noams he eanth.

| . Thus ,

D ea t h , t o m e , t o d ay i s l i k e h ea l t h t o t h e i l l , l i k e

going outdoors after confinement. Death, to me, todayis l ike the smell of myrnh, ike si t t ing unden he sai l ona windy day. Death, to me, today, is l ike the fnagnanceof lotus, like sitting on the shone of feasting.

Death, to me, today is l ike a well-trodden way, l ikenetunning ome from wan. Death, to me, today, is l ikethe cleaning p of clouds fnom the sky, l ike a pensondiscovening hat which was unknown, Death, to me,today, is l ike longing o see home aften spending manyyeans n captivity.

tv.Sunely, one who neaches he beyond will be a l ivinggod, punishing he offenses of the wrongdoen. Sunely,

one who reaches he beyond will be one who stands int h e S u n B ark o f R a , cau s i n g ab u n d an t g i f t s t o b eg i v en o t h e t em p l e s . S u re l y, o n e w h o n each es h eb ey o n d w i l l b e co n s i d en ed w i s e an d w i l l n o t b e p re -vented nom appealing o Ra when he on she speaks.

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And my soul said to me. cast youn complaints aside,

my comnade nd bnothen. Make offenings on the sacni-f i c i a l i n e a n d c l i n g o l i f e a s l h a v e s a i d . L o v e m e ,yaur soul , hene . Set as ide thoughts of death anddesine death only when youn body oins the eanth, ThenI will alight on you afren you have become tnuly weanyand we shall dwell ogethen oneven.

TheBook of Songs

I

L Song of Phanoah ntef, the vindicated:

Pnospenous s this good pnince. For his kind dest inyhas come to pass. One genenation asses and anothenremains since the Lime of the ancestons. The exaltedones who l ived n formen times now nest in their pyra-m i d s . A n d t h e b l e s s ed n o b l e s an e l i k ew i s e b u n i ed nthein pynamids also. Yet those who buil t those pyr.a-mids, thein places ane no mone. Behold what has beendone o them.

I have heand the wonds of lmhotep and Handedef,two sages of old, whose teaching ane nepeated often.Yet whene ane thein places now. Their walls al l havewasted away and thein places ane gone as though heyhad neven exis ted . There i s none who netunns nomthene tha t he on she may te l l us how they fane , onwhat they need so that oun hearts may be at peaceunti lwe too neach he place whene hey have gone.

Let your heant be happy then, and fonget your dayof departure. Follow the desine of youn heart fon long

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like lmhotep? None stands among oul' nelatives who is

like Neferti or Kheti, the foremost of them. Isubmit

to you the name of Ptah-em-Djehuti and of Khakheper-Ra Soneb, s there another like Ptah-hotep on one whois equal to Ka-iris? That which came fnom the mouthsof these learned men who foretold Lhe future came topass. And it is found as a clear statement wnitten inthe i r books . Though they may have concealed heinwonds of powen nom evenyone else, they can be found

in thein books of instnuction. Death might have causedtheir names to be forgotten, but it is thein wnitingsthat causes hem to be remembened.

TheBook of Neferti

l .And His Majesty Phanoah Snefru said: "Come Nef-

erti, my fniend and speak to me some beautiful wordsand well-chosen hrases which might please me uponheaning hem. And the teachen-priest , Nefenti , de-ploned what had come to pass in Egypt, speaking onthe condit ion of the East where Asiat ic peoples noamin strength, fr ightening hose about to hanvest theincrops and seizing att le even at the plough. He said:

Be moved my heart and mounn or this land in whichyou wene born, For there is si lence befone evil ; whatshould be condemned s feared and the great ane oven-thnown in the land of your birth. Tine not then whilethis evil exists . Rise up against that which is befoneyou. Fon o, the gneat no longen nule he land and what

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lv.But a king shall come from the south named Ameni,

the vindicated one, the son of a woman of Nubia. Hewill join together the Double Cnown and the land wil lbe enclosed n his gnasp. The people of his neign willnejoice, or Ameni, he son of man, wil l make his namefor all eternity. The evil-minded lottens of treason willhold back their speech thnough ear of him. The Asi-atic invaders will fall before his funy and the Libyaninvaders wil l be consumed by his flame. Rebels wil lyield before his wrath and tnaitors will be brought lowby his might. Then, Maat, righteousness and orden, willretunn to its place and lsfet, evil and chaos, will bedriven away.

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The

Book of Declanationsof Uirtues

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THE BOOK OF DECLARATIONS OF VIFTUES. As sta tedearlier, the heart of ancient Egyptian ethics and spiritualstriving s maat. Ancient Egyptian ethics and spirituality, ikeall African ethics and spinituality, ave and stress a practicaldimension. Righteousness s real only in personal and socialpractice, Maat, Ehen, s a social as well as spiritual ask for

w h ich the r ew ard i s an en joyab le and beau t i fu l r i f e in thecommunity on earth and a spiritual life in the heavens as alivinggod. [see below in the Books of Bising Like Ra). In aword, maat is both a pensonal nd social Eask and the prom-ise and reward for completing t.

The ancient Egyptians, thus, developed an ideal charactentype rooEed n and neflective of maat which the Instructionsurge and the Declarations of Vintues state as both an accom-plished act and a model to emulate. This ideal type was thegerLt, he self-mastened, ,e,, calm, silent, controlled, modest,wise, gentle and socially active; and the geru maaf, who wastruly the self-mastened. The first was the serf-mastered. hesecond a kind of master of the self-mastered. The opposite ofthe self-mastered is the unnestrained person - hot-mouthed,hot-Eempered, ggressive, and generally nfused with isfet, theopposite of maat.

what one sees, then, in the Declarations of Virtues is thepnac t i ce o f bas ic va lues on the pe r sona l and soc ia l l eve lwhich pose an ideal type and serve as a model of maat forothers to emulate, t is important to note that the personalis inseparable fnom the socia l , that r ighteousness andnestnaint are always, as in other African ethics and spinit-

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uality, achieved, tested and tempered in nelations with oth-

e r s . Maa t beg ins w i th fami ly ne laE ions ha t makes onepraised by his ther) father, loved by his (her) mother, andcherished by his (herl bnothers and sisters. Maat expnessesi tse lf in a c lass ic s ta tement of Egyptian moral i ty whichappears thousands of years laten in Hebrew-Chnistian acredbex t s : " l gave food to the hungry, c lo thes to the naked ,water to the thirsty and a boat to those without one." Thelast part of this declaration of vintue, of course, reflectsaga in the anc ien t E gyp t i an sea - f n ing env i ronmen t andreveals he essentiality of having a means of transportationon water.

These Declarations which were usually ound on stelae, akind of memorial plaque, onm a parallel and complement othe Declarations of lnnocence which appear in the Book ofComing Forth by Day (see belowl and thus, expness a con-sistent ethic of right thought and practice whose reward is

found n this life and the next.

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TheBook of Declarations of Virtues

l . H a rw a , ch i e f o f f i c i a l o f t h e H i g h P n i e s t e s s o fAmen-Ra ays:

I am a noble for whom one should act , one of finmheart to the end of l i fe. I am one beloved of his ci ty,p n a i s ed y h i s

d i s t n i c t ,k i n d -h ean t ed o h i s t o w n s . I

have done what the people love and God pra i ses . Iwas one tnuly venenated and had no fault , who gavebnead o the hungny and clothes to the naked, put anend to pain and enased wnongdoing, bunied he bles-sed, supported the aged and sat isfied the needs ofthe have-nots. was a shelten fon the child and helpto the widow; one who gave nank even to an infant .

I d i d t h e s e t h i n g s k n o w i n g h e i r v a l u e an d k n o w i n gthein newand nom the Lond of Maat , in a word , toendune n the mouth of the people without end, to bewell-remembered on yeans and yeans o come,

I tl l . Djedkhonsefankh, nophet f Amen-Ra, ays :

Hai l o you who wi l l come af ter me, who shal l ive ntimes to come. I shall make you call me blessed, onmy destiny was gneat . Ra, as Khnum the Gneat Pot-ter, fashioned me into one most able, an advisol ' ofexcellent counsel . He made my chanacten upeniot ' oothens and guided my tongue to that which was excel-lent. I kept my mouth fnee fr^om attacking those whoattacked me. My patience urned my foes into fniends

and my enemies nto allies. conbnolled my mouth andwas skil led n nesponse, yet I did not submib o evildoing .

The people udged me as one genenous, Fon I hatedthe hoanding f riches, I caused them all to gneet mefon my excellence, aying homage o my innen essence

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and saying of me "he is a righteous offspring of his

fathen and a divine descendent of his mother. No onespoke evil of my panents because of me. My panentsw e n e h o n o n e d g r e a t l y b e c a u s e o f m y w o n t h i n e s s ,Indeed, hey found me helpful while they lived upon theeanth, And I pnovide offenings on them now that theyhave depanted. Moreover, I did not allow my senvantst o ad d n es s m e as " o u r m as t en " , b u t i n s t ead m ad emyself n the image of their fathen.

l l l . Paheni , cn ibe of the noyar neasuny nd mayon ftwo towns, says:

I am a noble who served his Lord, one skilled andfnee of negligence. walked the noad I had explored.

w as g u i d ed b y m y o w n h ea r t o n t h e ro ad o f t h o s epraised by the pharoah. My good chanacten aised mehigh. I was summoned as one in whom no faulb wasfound, lf I wene placed on the scales, I would comeout complete, blameless nd without a blemish. cameand went with a firm heart , tel l ing no lies to anyone.know the God that dwells n man and woman. KnowingHim I knew this fnom that and perfonmed he tasks asthey were commanded. neven confused he messagewith the messengen. did not speak vurgan wonds ontalk with wonthless people. ndeed, was the model ofk indness .

lV. Harkuf, governon of Uppen Egypt and teacher-pniest ,

ays:The phar"oah naised me and my fathen made for me

a wil l , fon I was one wonthy. One beloved of his fathen,p n a i s ed b y h i s m o t h en an d o n e w h o m a l l h i s s i s t e r sand bnothens oved. gave bnead o the hungny, loth-ing o the naked and brought he boatless o dry land.

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the weak fnom the strong and was a boat to cnosswaten or everyone.

I was a worthy noble who did God's wish and onekind and compassionate o his fniends. was genenousto the have-nots . My heart did not say "give me" toanyone, was one who loved ust ice and hated wnong-doing. And I always did what was good.

Vl l . Nebnefer.u , nophe t f Amen Ra, says :

I live on earth as . one who gave guidance n workto the unawane, who instnucted he cnaftsman by therufe. Who knew what to say when speaking n the pal-ace, who enased wnong n eveny si tuat ion, who pleasedGod with cleansing. spoke to the people n a mannerthey l iked and judged evenyone cconding o thein chan-acben, iving t tent ion o what they wished.

Vl l l . Ankhr i f i , gnear ru te r o f fhe d i smicrs of Edfuand Hienaconpolis , ays:

I am the vanguand nd neanguand f the people. Onewho finds the solut ion whene t is lacking, A leader- fthe land thnough act ive assent ion. choose and usewonds well and am collected n thought on the day ofthe joining of three southenn most dis tnicts . Fon I ama champion without peen who spoke out when the peo-ple were silenb, on the day of fean when Upper Egyptwas si lent . Those on whom I placed my hand, nevenmet misfortune, or. my heant was committed and my

counsel xcel lent .

lX. Beka, s tewand of the public gnanany, ays:

I was just and tnue and one without malice. Fon Iplaced God in my heant and was quick in discerning

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His will. I have reached the city of those who dwell in

etennity.I have done good on earth. I have not injured

othens. I have neither been evil nor approved of any-t h i n g ev i l o n o ff en s i v e . h av e d e l i g h t ed n s p eak i n gtnuth . For I knew wel l the neward that comes fromdoing this on earth from the Eime of one's first actt i l the t ime one reaches the grave . lndeed my suredefense shall be in speaking truth on the day when Ireach the divine udges, the ski l l ful nterpneters, dis-

coverens f all actions and chastisens of all offenses.I took pleasure n righteousness, staying in hanmony

with the laws of the Hall of Maat. I have not oppnes-sed the lowly nor done harm to those who honon God.I have spent my life in the way of righteousness. Thesincenity and goodness which wene in the heart of myfathen and mother I re turned through my love for

t h em . A n d I n ev e r ac t ed i n an ym an n e r o d i s h o n o r

them, even fnom the earliest days of my youth. Thoughof great status I have acted as one whose positionwas low. And I have not undermined anyone worthierthan myself.

X. Antef, High Stewand of the office of the Govenn-ment, says:

I am silent befone he angny, patient with the igno-n an t i n o rd en o q u e l l co n f l i c t , l am co o l , f r ee f ro mhasty acts , ant icipat ing he outcome, expecting whatoccuns. am one who counsels n si tuat ions of str ife,a person who knows which words incite anger. I amfr"iendly, hen cal led upon, to those who would tel l me

their concern. I am contnolled, ind, friendly, one whocomforts the weeper with good words. I am genenousto those who count on me and one who does good tohis peens . am one who i s ius t , n the house of h isLond, who recognizes lat teny when it is spoken. ampleasant , openhanded, possessor of food who doesnot hide his face from those in need. I am a friend of

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the poor and favonable o those who have not. I am

one who feeds the hungry who are needy and one whois openhanded o those who are destrtute.

I am one who is informed to those who lack knowl-edge and one who teaches a person what is usefu l tohim or her. I am upright in the house of the phanoah,one who knows that which should be sa id in everyoffice. I am a listener, one who listens to Maat andwho ponders t in the

heart. I am apeacemaker n

thehouse of his Lond, one who is remembered by reasonof his excellent quali t ies. am kind in the courts , onewho is calm, and not offensive,

I am a good man, not acting hastily, one who does notattack a person for a single remank. I am accunate ikethe scale, impartial and true like the Lord of Just Mea-sure. I am a man firm of foot whose plans ane wellthought out who is loyal to those who have caused himto prospen. am a knower who taught himself knowl-edge, an advisor whose advice is sought. I am one whospeaks n the hall of justice, one who is skilled n speechin difficult situations.

Moreover, he says:

I se t goodness under my house and love for mewent thnoughout he land. I gave bnead o the hungry,waten to the thirsty and helped the shipwrecked ont h e i n w ay. I b u r i ed t h e ag ed , I c l o t h ed t h e n ak ed . Icommitted no sin against man on woman and none thatGod hates. I applied he Law which the phanoah oved.I have come to my city and entered my home. I havedone that which both man and woman love and things

that are approved of by God.n/ \Hw

FIil

ltUg8

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Books of Rising Like Ba

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THE BOOKS OF HISING LIKE RA. These books are singu-larly and together the oldest written record of the dawn ofstrucEured moral consciousness, They nepresenb Afnicansleading he human rupture with the animal world and estab-lishing not only an ethical slandard of social behavior but

posing the possibility of resurrection, ascension and trans-formation nto a livinggod. ln this section, I have given hesebooks titles diffenent than those most tnaditional egyptolo-gists have assigned them. The oldcst texts which ane fromthe Old Kingdom and are called by them the Pyramid Texts,I have t i t l ed the B ook o f R is ing and Trans fo rma t ion . T herationale for this is the focus and activity expressed in thetext where the royal vindicated one, i,e., the pharoah n thisca se , r i s e s from the dead , a scends in the heavens andffansforms into a living god. Rising here refers both to res-unnection and ascension in the heavens. And transfonmationis achieved through having lived righteously, becoming onew i th G od and then becoming a l iv ing god onese l f , i . e . , apower n the heavens.

The texts from the Middle Kingdom are called the CoffinTexts by the tnaditional egypEologists . These I have titled

"The Book of Vindication" which, as the first line in the bookshows, is what at least one part of ib, if not the total text,w as ca l l ed . F ina l ly, have ne iec ted he t i t l e , B ook of theDead, and used also the title the ancient Egyptians assignedthe book, .e., The Book of Coming Forth By Day,

Although Ehe Book of Ris ing and Tnansformation was

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appanently irst used mainly or pharoahs, t was, in my esti-mation, a moder on human possibir i ty represented bytheperson who more than anyone else symbolized he possibility

of divinity. Moneover, this book and the others in this sec-tion wene eventuaily appnopriated by the masses and becamethe basic texts for "nising ike Ra", Thus, I used .,royal vindi-cated one", or "vindicated one" rather uhan he ,,N,, or nameof. a parti l'|". pharoah as is the practice of haditionar egyp-tologists' For it is not just the phanoah who nose and trans-formed, but any and all vindicated nes.

I have put the books in an orden that is reversed chrono-logically, ut which logically it acconding o the activity eachcontains. Finst a person comes forth (nesurrecLs), declareshis (her) innocence in the Hail of Judgment, is vindicated,and then rises and transforms into a riving god. ArEhoughthere is some of each in all, each book tendl 1o have moreof the activity by which it is named.

In the Book of coming Forth By Day, r have used the tide,Declarations of Innocence, fon the thirty-six and forty-twodeclarations made by a person in tne n"it of Righteousne"sto establish his ther) blamelessness. Although some tnadi-bional egyptologists call this statement, "the Negative con-fession", others have used "the Declarations of Innocence,,also. The Declaration s obviously not a confession eithen incon ten t o r con tex t . l t i s no t an admiss ion o f f au l t s , bu trather a denial of them. And the Hall of Righteousness snot a place where one confesses faults, buL rather whereone declares oneself innocent so that he or she may be vin-dicated and rise like Ra.

one of the majon significances of these "Books of RisingLike Ra" is Ehein emphasis on the ancient Egyptian belief inthe concept of the possibility of immontality and divinity fon

humans. ln a word, they posit that through right uhoughtand pnactice, one could become a god and liu" foreven atthe right hand of Ba. This could be achieved as these booksand oEhers of rhe Husia state and suggest, in thnee basicways: 1) achieved intennal devetopment; 2) excef ence insocial nelations; nd 3) significant socio-historical envice andachievement,

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Finally, t is important to note that in the Declarations of

lnnocence, as has been poinbed out often, we find a source

of the Ten Commandments and in the Books of Rising LikeFla we find again he histonical ource of so many othen con-

cepLs central to Hebrew and Chnistian heology, .e', resur-

rection, the Risen Savior, the Beloved Son, the Day and Hall

of Judgment, mmontality of the soul, etc. lt is this and the

other conEributions ited above as well as those unmentionedin this volume which form the rich and ancient moral and

spiritual egacy Africa, through its daughter, ancient Egypt,

has given he world,

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TheBook of Goming orth By Day

Hene begins the Book of Coming Fonth by Day, ofsongs of pnaising and glorifying,of coming fonth andentening God's Blessed Domain n the beaut iful West ,T h e s e a r e t o b e r e c i t e d o n t h e d a y o f b u r i a l , o fentering n after coming onth.

LO y o u w h o b n i n g b l a m e l e s s o u l s i n t h e H o u s e o f

Osiris the Risen Savior, bring this excellent soul withyou. Let him heil hean as you hean and see as yousee. Let him heil stand up even as you stand up andsit down as you sit down. O you who give bread and

been to blameless souls in the House of Osiris , givebread and beer day and night to this soul whose wordis true befone God, Lord of the sacred city of Abydos,and before you.

O you who open bhe way and clear bhe pa ths forblameless ouls in the House of Osinis , open the wayand clear the pa ths fo r the sou l o f th i s one whose

v o i c e i s v i n d i c a t e d b y y o u . M a y h e b h e l e n t e r t h eHouse of Osinis n boldness and ceme fonth in peace.May he bhd not be opposed on sent back, May hefshd en te r p ra i sed and come fon th loved and t r ium-phant. May his (herl commands be canried out in theHouse of Osiris. May his heil wonds travel wiEh you.And may he fshel not be found deficient in the Balanceand be free fnom all faults.

l l .May I not be judged

multitude. May my souland be found to have

according to the mouth of thelift itself up before my heant,

been nighLeous on earth, May

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ken that which is not true, nor have I done anythingwi th a fa l se hear t . Gnanf tha t I may be l ike thosefavoned ones who are in youn ollowingand that I maybe an Osiris - one vindicated and risen - and greatlyfavoned by the Beneficenb God

V.I come forth tniumphantly gainst my enemies. spl i t

the heavens and open up the horizon. t ravel acnosst h e e a n t h on t h e h e e l s o f m y e n e m i e s . c a u s e t h eG l o n i o u s n d G n e a t O n e s t o c o m e t o m e , f o r I amequipped wi th wonds of powen . I ea t wi th my ownmouth and chew with my own jaw. Fon I wonship Godin heaven and I am given tha t which endures in themidst of things which ane overthnown.

S t a n d b a c k f r o m m y p a t h , f o r I a m o n e w i t h R a ,coming fonth across the honizon against His enemy,who shal l not be nescued rom me, I have stneLchedout my hand as Lord of the Cnown of Upper Egypt . Il i f b e d u p m y l e g s as o n e w h o h u r r i e s t h e d a w n . M yenemy shall not escape me, Indeed he shall fall befone

me. He has been given o me and shall not be rescued.

vt.I stand up as Horus, betoved son and avenger of his

father. I sit down as Ptah, God who taid the founda-tions of the universe, I have gnown stnong as ThoLh,wisdom exalted. I have become as powenful as Atum- Ra as the Perfecter. I walk with my own feeb, Ispeak with my own mouth. I punsue my enemy. He isg i v e n o m e a n d h e s h a l l n o t b e n e s c u e d n o m h e , Ihave entened as a falcon and come fonth as a phoenix,

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He who shall accompany me who am about to f all

wil l l i f t me up when I have descended n the val ley ofAbydos and gone to nes t . For sunely I am one whoworships Him, I have assumed divine authority in theci ty where I found Him, I conquened nd carried awaythe dankness by my strength. I have taken possessionof the crown of Uppen Egypt. Truth is my body. I havecome to l igh ten dankness and to oven throw he ev i ls p i r i t s t h e n e i n . Th o s e w h o d w e l l e d n t h e d a r k n e s s

adore me. I have caused the weeping ones to stand upeven though they ane weary. Behold me, I am indeedthe Deep one who has subdued dankness. have drivenaway darkness so that light could be lifted up.

lx.These ane words which shall be said on arniving at

t h e G n e a t H a l l o f M a a t i , s o t h a t o n e m a y b e s e p a -rated from all offenses he on she may have committeda n d m a y b e h o l d h e f a c e s o f t h e d i v i n e o n e s . ( Th eDeclaration of lnnocenceJ

O n e s a y s : H o m a g e t o y o u , G n e a t G o d , L o n d o fMaati. I have come to you O' Lond that I may beholdyoun beauty. I know you; I know youn name; I know thenames of the forty-two divine beings who live with youin this Hall of Maati, who live on the doens of evil andfeed on their blood on the day of taking account ofcharacten n the pnesence of Osinis , The Good One,Sure ly, the Two Daughtens , he Two Eyes , Lond ofBighteousness s youn name: Behold, I have come toyou, I have bnought you righteousness and have doneaway with unnighteousness on you.

PART L have not done evil against people. I have notmistneated my family and associates . I have not toldlies in the court of law, the seat of Truth. I have not

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I have not spoken cunses. I have not violated the law, Ih a v e n o t k i l l e d s a c r e d

a n i m a l s ,I

h a v e n o td e a l t

deceitfully.

I have not stolen land. I have not eavesdnopped.I have not talked overmuch, I have not been angry with-out just cause. I have not committed adultery.I have not been unchaste. I have not ternorized anyone,I h a v e n o t v i o l a t e d t h e l a w. I h a v e n o t b e e n h o t -tempened. have not been deaf Lo wonds of tnuth. Ihave not stinred up str.ife. I have not been blind to injus-t i ce , I have no t engaged n unna tu ra l sex . I have no tbeen deceitful,

I have not indulged n quarnelling. have not engaged nvio lence . have no t been quick tempened , have no tmisrepnesented my natune. I have not gossiped. I havenot slandered he pharoah. I have not waded in drinkingwaten. I have not been loud voiced. I have not blas-phemed against God. I have not been ar.nogant. havenot discniminated gainst others. I have not coveted oth-ens' property, have not offended he God of my city.

X.Behold, have co