PSALMS OF EGYPT

(Mazmor dMitzrin)
Psalm 1
The Great Hymn
1
Your appearing is beautiful in the horizon of heaven, the
Living Aten*, the beginning of life you rise in the horizon of the
east, you fill every land with your beauty.
*(See PrS 2:3)
2

You are very beautiful, brilliant and exalted above earth.

Your beams encompass all lands which you have made.

You are the sun, you set their bounds, You bind them with
your love.
4

You are afar off, but Your beams are upon the land; You are
on high, but the day passes with Your going.
5

You rest in the western horizon of heaven, and the land is in

darkness like the dead.
6

They lie in their houses, their heads are covered, their breath
is shut up, and eye sees not to eye; their things are taken, even
from under their heads, and they know it not.
7

Every lion comes forth from his den, and all the serpents
then bite, the night shines with its lights, the land lies in
silence for he who made them is in his horizon.
8

The land brightens, for You rise in the horizon, shining as the

Aten in the day, the darkness flees, for You give Your beams,
both lands are rejoicing every day.
Men awake and stand upon their feet, for You lift them up;
they bathe their limbs, they clothe themselves, they lift their
heads in adoration of Your rising, throughout the land they do
their labours.
10

The cattle all rest in their pastures, where grow the trees and
herbs, the birds fly in their places of safety, their wings
adoring Your Spirit, all the flocks leap upon their feet, the
small birds live when You rise upon them.
11

The ships go forth north and south, for every way opens at
Your rising.
12

The fishes in the river swim up to greet You; Your beams are
within the depth of the great sea.
13

You created conception in women, making the issue of

mankind, You make the son to live in the body of his mother;
You quiet him that he should not mourn, nursing him in the
body, giving the spirit that all his growth may live.
14

When he comes forth on the day of his birth, You open his
mouth to speak; You do what he needs.
15

The small bird in the egg, sounding within the shell, You give
to it breath within the egg, to give life to that which You make.
16

It gathers itself to break forth from the egg, it comes from

the egg, and chirps with all its might; it runs on its feet, when
it has come forth.
17

18

How many are the things which You have made!

You give life by Your will, You alone, to the land with its
peoples, herds and flocks, everything on the face of the earth
that walks on its feet, everything in the air that flies with its
wings.
19

In the hills from Syria to Kush, and the plain of Egypt, You
give to every one his place; You frame their lives, to every one
his belongings, reckoning his length of days.
20

Their tongues are diverse in their speech, their natures in the

colour of their skin.
21

22

As the divider You divide the various peoples.

When You have made the Nile beneath the earth, You bring
it according to Your will to make the people to live: Even as
You have formed them unto Yourself, You are throughout their
Lord, even in their weakness. O Lord of the land that rises for
them.
24
Aten of the day, revered by every distant land, You give them
life, You placed a Nile in heaven that it may rain upon them,
that it may make waters upon the hills like the great sea,
watering their fields amongst their cities. How excellent are
Your ways!
23

O Lord of eternity, the Nile in Heaven is for the strange

people, and all wild beasts that go upon their feet.
25

The Nile that comes from below the earth is for the land of
Egypt, that it may nourish every field. You shine and they live
26

by You.
You make the seasons of the year to create all Your works
the winter making them cool, the summer giving warmth.
27

You make the far-off heaven, that Your Presence may rise in
it, that You may see all that You made when You were alone.
28

Rising in Your forms as the living Aten, shining afar off and
returning.
29

The villages, the cities, and the tribes, on the road and the
river, all eyes see You before them; You are the Aten of the day
over all the land.
30

You are in my heart, there is none who knows You, excepting

Your son Akhenaten*; You have willed that he should have
understanding, in Your ways and in Your might.
*(See PrS 3:2)
31

The land is in Your hand, even as You have given life to it;
You shine and all its inhabitants live, and when You set they
die; for by You the people live. They look on Your excellencies
until Your setting; they put aside all their labours when You
set in the west, and when You rise, they grow.
32

Since the day that You laid the foundations of the earth, You
raised them up for Your son who came forth from Your
substance, the king of Egypt, living in Truth, lord of both
lands, Akhenaten, son of the sun, living in Truth, Akhenaten,
great in his duration NeferneferuAten Nefertiti, living and
flourishing for ever eternally.
33

Psalm 2
A Hymn of Praise
1
A Hymn of Praise to Aten when He rises like a great falcon in
the heights of the Two Horizons.
Homage to You, Aten, Beautiful One of every day! You shoot
up at sunrise without fail - how many are Your works, O Great
Creator. Your radiance is in Your face, and as far as bright
copper metal it does not resemble Your many splendours.
2

Self-existent One, You moulded Your members into physicallike forms; giving birth, but he was not born; One by himself
by reason of his power or abilities, Traverser of Eternity, He
who is over the ways of millions of years, maintaining His
Divine Form.
3

As are the beauties of the celestial regions even so are Your

beauties. More brilliant is Your complexion than that of the
heavens.
4

You sail across the heavens, all faces look at You as You go,
though You Yourself are hidden from their eyes.
5

You manifest the symbol of Your power at the break of day in

beams of light, strong is Your Divine Barge * under Your
majesty. In a little day You journey over a road of millions and
hundreds of thousands of minutes. When Your day passes,
You set.
*(or, Ship)
6

The hours of the night likewise You make to fulfil themselves.

No interruption takes place in Your toil. All eyes direct their
gaze upon You, they cease not to do so. You quickly rise up
7

early in the morning, Your sparkling rays flash in the eyes.

Praise be to You, O Aten of the day, Creator of mortals and
Creator of their life. Praise be to You!
8

You are like a Great Hawk whose feathers are many coloured,
You, O Creator, who raise Yourself up from non-existence!
9

He exists by His own power; He was not born, He who

dwells in the heights.
10

Humankind cries out joyfully at His rising and at His setting

likewise.
11

He is the provider of what the ground produces, conqueror

of the Two Lands, from the great one to the little one.
12

You, Mother, splendid over all gods and men, artificer,

gracious one, exceedingly great, progressing in her work.
13

The cattle cannot be counted. The strong herdsman, driving

his strong beasts, You provide shelter for them.
14

He provides the sustenance for their life, springing up,

traversing the course of the Creator, manifesting Himself and
raising up His beautiful form.
15

He illumines the Two Lands with His Divine Symbol the

Disc, he is the primeval substance of the Two Lands.
16

17

He makes Himself known.

18

He looks on what He has accomplished, the One Lord,

bringing along into captivity countless lands every day,

observing those who walk about upon the earth; shining in the
sky He performs transformations by day.
He makes the seasons from the months.
20
He loves the heat of summer. He loves the cold of winter.
19

21

He makes every member of the body to droop.

22

He embraces every land.

All of creation cries out in adoration of Him when He rises

daily.
23

His son Akhenaten says, I am the representative of the

throne of Aten for the earth and the overseer of works in His
sanctuary, and His beloved son, the Lord of the Two Lands,
the giver of life, which Aten made for you.
24

My Lord appointed me to be the officer in charge of the

great city of God and all its monuments and treasures.
25

I keep watch diligently, I serve the office of director

strenuously, performing the laws of the heart of Aten.
26

I know how to teach you so you may have rest upon the
Truth, making you great to do it upon the earth.
27

28

I am truth who abominates false words and deeds.

I never take pleasure in any conversation wherein are

words of exaggeration and lies.
29

30

I take pleasure in your affairs.

Psalm 3
A Hymn to Aten
1
A Hymn to Aten when He Rises* on the Horizon and when He
Sets.
*(See ToS 4:8)
Praise be to You, O Aten, who rises as the One God in the
circle above the earth.
2

You are adored. Your beauties are before my eyes, and Your
splendour falls upon my body.
3

You go to your setting in the Divine Barge with fair winds,

and Your heart is glad.
4

The hearts of Your worshippers rejoice.

You stride over the heavens in peace, all Your foes being cast
down.
6

The stars and the planets which never rest sing hymns to
You, and the stars which never vanish glorify You as You set to
rest in the horizon of the celestial heights.
7

You are beautiful at morning and at evening, O Living Lord,

the Unchanging One, my Lord.
8

Homage to You who rise in the east and set in the west in
Your beauty.
9

10

You rise and shine across the sky, O You who are crowned

King of the gods.

The sky pays homage to You, and law and Truth embrace
You at morning and evening.
12
Joyfully You stride over the heavens and the great watery
abyss in the heavens is content.
11

Your enemies are cast down headlong, their arms and hands
are cut off, and Your dagger has severed the joints of their
backbone.
13

Aten comes like a cool wind, His Barge advances and comes
into port.
15
The winds of the South, the North, the West and the East
praise You, O divine substance, from whom all forms of life
spring forth.
14

When You speak the earth is flooded with silence, O SelfExisting One, who has dwelt in heaven before the earth and
the mountains ever came into being.
16

O Shepherd, O Lord, O Self-Existent One, Creator of all

things, You make the tongue of all the spirit beings.
17

You have made all that springs forth from the waters, and
You shoot up from them over the land of the pools of the
Divine Lake.
18

Let me breathe the air which comes from Your nostrils and
the north wind which is from the Mother.
19

20

Glorify my spirit, and make my soul divine.

O Lord of the gods, You are worshipped, setting in peace,

and are exalted because of all Your wondrous works, shine
upon my body each day.
21

Psalm 4
A Hymn to Aten
1
A Hymn to Aten, when He Rises in the East.
Praise be to You Aten, Lord of rays, who rise on the horizon
day by day! Shine with Your beams of light upon the face of
those who speak truth, who sing hymns to You at dawn, and
adore You in the evening.
2

Let their souls appear with You in heaven. Let them sail out
in the Divine Barge and arrive in port, and let them cleave
their way among the stars that never vanish.
3

Praise be to You, O Aten, who are the Life-giver, the SelfExistent One!
4

When You rise and send forth Your beams upon the lands of
the South and the North, You are beautiful, yes, You are
beautiful, and all the spirits rejoice when they see You, the
King of the Universe.
5

The denizens of the underworld come to meet You, they bow

before You in homage at the sight of Your Beautiful Form.
6

I would come before You daily to be with You and to behold

Your Beautiful and Divine Symbol. Let me be neither
prevented nor repulsed.
7

Grant that when I look upon Your beauties my members may

be made young again, even as are the members of Your

favoured ones.
I am one who worships You on earth. Let me enter the
Eternal Land in the Everlasting Country. O my Lord, I beseech
You to decree this for me.
9

Praise be to You who rise in the east as Aten on Your horizon

and rest in the west!
10

You pass over the sky, all eyes observe Your course, You
yourself being unseen. You show Yourself at dawn and at
evening daily.
11

The Divine Barge of Your Majesty goes forth like a mighty

ship, Your beams fall upon every face, Your variegated lights
and colours cannot be numbered, and cannot be
comprehended.
12

May I go forward as You advance without pause, and in a

moment pass over untold leagues and as You sink to rest even
so may I.
13

You are crowned with the majesty of Your beauties; You

fashion Your members as You advance, and produce them
without the pangs of labour in the form of Aten, and rise up
into the heights.
14

Grant that I may come into the everlasting heaven and the
mountain where Your favoured ones dwell.
15

Let me join myself to those who are holy and perfect in the
divine Other World, and let me appear with them to behold
16

Your beauties in the evening.

I lift my hands to You in adoration when You the living One
set. You are the Eternal Creator of Light and are adored at
Your setting in the heavens.
17

I have given my heart to You without wavering, O You who

are the mightiest of all.
18

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