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The chapter of the divine (or, mighty) god, who created himself, who
made the heavens and the earth, and the breath of life, and fire, and
the gods, and men, and beasts, and cattle, and reptiles, and the fowl
of the air, and the fish, who is the king of men and gods, [who existeth]
in one Form, [to whom] periods of one hundred and twenty years axe as
single years, whose names by reason of their multitude are unknowable,
for [even] the gods know them not.
Behold, the goddess Isis lived in the form , of a woman, who had the
knowledge of words [of power]. Her heart turned away in disgust from
the millions of men, and she chose for herself the millions of the gods,
but esteemed more highly the millions of the spirits. Was it not possible
to become even as was Ra in heaven and upon earth, and to make [herself]
mistress of the earth, and a [mighty] goddess-thus she meditated in
her heart-by the knowledge of the Name of the holy god?
Behold, Ra entered [heaven] each day at the head of his mariners, establishing
himself upon the double throne of the two horizons. Now the divine one
had become old, he dribbled at the mouth, and he let his emissions go
forth from him upon the earth, and his spittle fell upon the. ground.
This Isis kneaded in her hand,' with [some] dust, and she fashioned
it in the form of a sacred serpent, and made it to have the form of
a dart, so that none might be able to escape alive from it, and she
left it lying upon the road whereon the great god travelled, according
to his desire, about the two lands.
Then the holy god rose up in the tabernacle of the gods in the great
double house (life, strength, health!) among those who were in his train,
and [as] he journeyed on his way according to his daily wont, the holy
serpent shot its fang into him, and the living fire was departing from
the god's own body, and the reptile destroyed the dweller among the
cedars.
And the mighty god opened his mouth, and the cry of His Majesty (life,
strength, health!) reached unto the heavens, and the company of the
gods said, "What is it?" and his gods said, "What is the matter?" And
the god found [no words] wherewith to answer concerning himself. His
jaws shook, his lips trembled, and the poison took possession of all
his flesh just as Hapi (i.e., the Nile) taketh possession of the land
through which he floweth.
Then the great god made firm his heart (i.e., took courage) and he
cried out to those who were in his following:-" Come ye unto me, O ye
who have come into being from my members,' ye gods who have proceeded
from me, for I would make you to know what hath happened. I have been
smitten by some deadly thing, of which my heart hath no knowledge, and
which I have neither seen with my eyes nor made with my hand; and I
have no knowledge at all who hath done this to me. I have never before
felt any pain like unto it, and no pain can be worse than this [is].
I am a Prince, the son of a Prince, and the divine emanation which was
produced from a god. I am a Great One, the son of a Great One, and my
father hath determined for me my name. I have multitudes of names, and
I have multitudes of forms, and my being existeth in every god. I have
been invoked (or, proclaimed?) by Temu and Heru.-Hekennu.
My father and my mother uttered my name, and [they] hid it in my body
at my birth so that none of those who would use against me words of
power might succeed in making their enchantments have dominion over
Me. I had come forth from my tabernacle to look upon that which I had
made, and was making my way through the two lands which I had made,
when a blow was aimed at me, but I know not of what kind.
Behold, is it fire? Behold, is it water? My heart is full of burning
fire, my limbs axe shivering, and my members have darting pains in them.
Let there be brought unto me my children the gods, who possess words
of magic, whose mouths are cunning [in uttering them], and whose powers
reach up to heaven."
Then his children came unto him, and every god was there with his cry
of lamentation; and Isis came with her words of magic, and the place
of her mouth [was filled with] the breath of life, for the words which
she putteth together destroy diseases, and her words make to live those
whose throats are choked (i.e., the dead).
And she said, "What is this, O divine father? What is it ? Hath a serpent
shot his venom into thee? Hath a thing which thou hast fashioned lifted
up its head against thee ? Verily it shall be overthrown by beneficent
words of power, and I will make it to retreat in the sight of thy rays."
The holy god opened his mouth, [saying], I was going along the road
and passing through the two lands of my country, for my heart wished
to look upon what I had made, when I was bitten by a serpent which I
did not see; behold, is it fire? Behold, is it water? I am colder than
water, I am hotter than fire, all my members sweat, I myself quake,
mine eye is unsteady. I cannot look at the heavens, and water forceth
itself on my face as in the time of the Inundation."
And Isis said unto Ra, "O my divine father, tell me thy name, for he
who is able to pronounce his name liveth." [And Ra said], "I am the
maker of the heavens and the earth, I have knit together the mountains,
and I have created everything which existeth upon them. I am the maker
of the Waters, and I have made Meht-ur to come into being; I have made
the Bull of his Mother, and I have made the joys of love to exist. I
am the maker of heaven, and I have made to be hidden the two gods of
the horizon, and I have placed the souls of the gods within them. I
am the Being who openeth his eyes and the light cometh; I am the Being
who shutteth his eyes and there is darkness. I am the Being who giveth
the command, and the waters of Hapi (the Nile) burst forth, I am the
Being whose name the gods know not. I am the maker of the hours and
the creator of the days. I am the opener (i.e., inaugurator) of the
festivals, and the maker of the floods of water. I am the creator of
the fire of life whereby the works of the houses are caused to come
into being. I am Kheperi in the morning, and Ra (at the time of his
culmination (i.e., noon), and Temu in the evening."'
Nevertheless the poison was not driven from its course, and the great
god felt no better. Then Isis said unto Ra, "Among the things which
thou hast said unto me thy name hath not been mentioned. O declare thou
it unto me, and the poison shall come forth; for the person who hath
declared his name shall live."
Meanwhile the poison burned with blazing fire and the heat thereof
was stronger than that of a blazing flame. Then. the Majesty of Ra,
said, "I will allow myself to be searched through by Isis, and my name
shall come forth from my body and go into hers."
Then the divine one hid himself from the gods, and the throne in the
Boat of Millions of Years was empty. And it came to pass that when it
was the time for the heart to come forth [from the god], she said unto
her son Horus, "The great god shall bind himself by an oath to give
his two eyes." Thus was the great god made to yield up his name, and
Isis, the great lady of enchantments, said, "Flow on, poison, and come
forth from Ra; let the Eye of Horus come forth from the god and shine(?)
outside his mouth. I have worked, and I make the poison to fall on the
ground, for the venom hath been mastered.
Verily the name hath been taken away from the great god. Let Ra live,
and let the poison die; and if the poison live then Ra shall die. And
similarly, a certain man, the son of a certain man, shall live and tbe
poison shall die."
These were the words which spake Isis, the great lady, the mistress of
the gods, and she had knowledge of Ra in his own name. The above words
shall be said over an image of Temu and an image of Heru-Hekennu, and
over an image of Isis and an image of Horus.
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