Go to Related Reading
About this book

Book of the Dead

Egyptian Funerary Text

About this book
Chapter 125

Hail, gods! I know you, and I know your names. Do not strike me down. Do not report any evil that may be within me to the god you serve. Do not bring about my downfall through your words. Do not accuse me before the Lord of Truth, for I have done what is right in the land of Egypt. I have not cursed the gods; do not let my downfall come through the King who rules in his day. Hail, you gods of the Hall of Justice, flawless in nature, who live on righteousness in Heliopolis and are nourished by reverence before the god in his disk— Deliver me from Babai, who feeds on the livers of princes on the Day of the Great Judgment. See me: I have come to you free of wrongdoing, without deceit, innocent and truthful. Do not find me guilty. Let no judgment be rendered against me. I live by what is right; I am filled with honesty of heart. I have done what people expect and what pleases the gods.⁠ I have satisfied the god with offerings he loves. I gave bread to the hungry, water to the thirsty, clothes to the naked, and a boat to the shipwrecked. I offered sacrifices to the gods and funerary gifts to the dead. Save me, protect me, and do not bring charges against me before the great god. I am one whose mouth is pure, whose hands are clean. Those who look upon me say, “Come, enter in peace.” I have heard the sacred words spoken in the house of Hept-ro. I have been examined by the god who sees behind himself—he who judges me, so that I may behold what lies beneath the sacred Persea tree in the realm of the dead. I am one who praises the gods and understands their mysteries. I have come, awaiting the judgment of truth, and for the Scales to be set in the Hall of the Eternal. O you who are lifted on your pedestal and named the Lord of Air— Deliver me from your messengers, those who bring disaster, who wear no coverings on their faces. I have lived in righteousness before the Lord of Righteousness. I have purified myself. My front is washed, my back is pure, and my insides are steeped in the Pool of Righteousness. There is not a single part of me that lacks justice. I have washed in the Southern Pool, and I have rested at the Northern Lake in the Garden of Reeds. Even the Boatmen of Ra purify themselves there, whether by night or day, and the hearts of the gods are at peace when I pass through. They say to me: “Come.” They ask: “Who are you?” They ask: “What is your name?” And I answer: “I am he who grows under the grass and lives in the olive tree.” Then they say: “Pass on.” I continue on to the place north of the olive tree. They ask: “What did you see there?” I reply: “A thigh and a leg.” They ask: “What did they say to you?” I reply: “That I will receive greetings in the land of the Fenchu.” They ask: “What did they give you?” I reply: “A flame of fire and a pillar of crystal.” They ask: “What did you do with them?” I reply: “I buried them on the shore of the Lake of Truth as an evening offering.” They ask: “What did you find there?” I reply: “A flint scepter called ‘Giver of Breath.’” They ask: “What did you do next?” I say: “I called out to them, retrieved them, extinguished the fire, shattered the pillar, and formed a new pool.” Then they say: “You may now enter the Hall of Truth, for you know us.” But the door challenges me: “I will not let you pass unless you tell me my name.” And I answer: “You are the Pointer of Truth.” The right doorpost says: “I will not let you pass unless you tell my name.” And I reply: “You are the Scale Pan of One Who Upholds Justice.” The left post says: “Tell my name.” And I reply: “You are the Scale Pan of Wine.” The threshold says: “You may not cross me unless you tell my name.” And I say: “Ox of Seb is your name.” The lock says: “I will not open unless you know my name.” And I reply: “Bone of An-maut-ef.” The latch says: “Tell me my name.” And I answer: “The Eye of Sobek, Lord of the Riverbanks.” The Keeper of the Door says: “I will not allow you through unless you tell my name.” And I say: “The Knee of Shu, which supports Osiris.” The lintels say: “We will not let you pass unless you tell our names.” And I respond: “You are the Serpent Offspring of Renenutet.” Then they say: “You know us. You may pass.” The floor of the hall speaks: “I will not let you walk on me until I know the names of your feet.” And I answer: “The one who walks before Amsu is my right foot, and the Truncheon of Hathor is my left.” “Then walk on,” it says, “for you know us.” The doorkeeper says: “I will not announce you unless you know my name.” And I answer: “You are he who knows the heart and examines the soul.” “Then I will announce you.” They ask: “Who is the god who resides in his own time?” And I answer: “He who provides for both worlds—it is Thoth.” Thoth asks: “Why have you come?” And I answer: “I am here to be judged. I have purified myself from the sins of those who live for themselves. I no longer walk among them.” Then Thoth declares: “You are announced.” I enter the hall whose roof is fire, whose walls are living serpents, and whose floor is running water. Who lives here? It is Osiris. And I am told: “Come forward, for you are pure.” “You shall receive bread from the Eye, beer from the Eye, and offerings from the altars of the gods. You shall not be turned away from any gate of the realm of the dead. You shall walk among the kings of the North and South and appear in the presence of Osiris—forever and ever.”

Texts in conversation

Compare Book of the Dead 125 and Psalm 24:3

Ancient Near East, Egyptian · Hebrew Bible

Share:

Summary

Psalm 24 and the Egyptian Book of the Dead list conditions for entering sacred space, excluding liars, thieves, and the impure, following ancient Near Eastern tradition that the temple is a "heaven on earth," requiring moral and ritual purity to access.

Passages

Book of the Dead 125

Ancient Near East, Egyptian · Egyptian Funerary Text
See me: I have come to you free of wrongdoing, without deceit, innocent and truthful. Do not find me guilty. Let no judgment be rendered against me. I live by what is right; I am filled with honesty of heart. I have done what people expect and what pleases the gods. I have satisfied the god with offerings he loves. I gave bread to the hungry, water to the thirsty, clothes to the naked, and a boat to the shipwrecked. I offered sacrifices to the gods and funerary gifts to the dead. Save me, protect me, and do not bring charges against me before the great god. I am one whose mouth is pure, whose hands are clean. Those who look upon me say, “Come, enter in peace.”
1550 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Book of the Dead

Psalm 24:3

Hebrew Bible
3 Who is allowed to ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may go up to his holy dwelling place? 4 The one whose deeds are blameless who has clean hands and a pure heart*, who does not lie, or make promises with no intention of keeping them. 5 Such godly people are rewarded by the Lord, and vindicated by the God who delivers them. 6 Such purity characterizes the people who seek his favor, Jacob’s descendants, who pray to him. (Selah)
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

References

"... Psalms 15 and 24 stand out as profiles of temple etiquette for Israel, but this type of instruction is known from other Ancient Near Eastern cultures as well. Psalm 24:3–6 poses the question: “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?” The answer follows: “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of his salvation.” A similar question occurs in the Egyptian Book of the Dead, along with a list of affirmations which the entrant must recite in order to be found acceptable: “I have brought the incense that placates him who resides in it.” And who will arise? “One who is equipped, pure of arm and sweet of tongue, in the mouth without duplicity, and who spits not.” And what shall be done (to him)? “Let him be borne to the tents.” Motifs parallel to Psalms 15:1–3 and 24:3–4 are also found in other cultures: “One pure of hands and who trusts in pure words… (shall enter the temple)” and “Clean of hands and true of tongue, (he) who despises the wicked” ..."
Moshe Weinfeld, “Instructions for Temple Visitors in the Bible and in Ancient Egypt,” Scripta Hierosolymitana 28 (1982): 224–250.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Your feedback

Book of the Dead 125 and Psalm 24:3

Leave a comment

Your questions and comments are welcome!

Comments

Glossary

Search the Library