Book of the Dead

The Heart at the Balance

My heart from my Mother, My whole heart from my birth, Let no evidence block my claim, let me face no obstacle from the divine Circle; do not turn against me in the presence of the one at the Balance.⁠a You are my spirit, at my side, the maker who keeps my limbs healthy. Come out to the happiness we are heading toward; Do not let those officials who treat a person according to how they lived bring disgrace on my name. The joy of the Weighing of the Words is pleasant for us and for the listener. Do not let lies be spoken in the presence of the great god, Lord of the Amenta. Look how great you are [as the Triumphant one].

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.⁠a 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.”