The Fifth Repentance of Pistis Sophia

MacDermot Translation:

l. 0 Light of my salvation, I sing praise to thee in the place of the height, and again in the Chaos.

2. I will sing praise to thee in my song, with which I have praised thee in the height, and with which I have praised thee when I was in the Chaos; may it reach thee. And give heed, 0 Light, to my repentance.

3. My power has been filled with darkness; and my light has come down to the Chaos.

4. I have become like the archons of the Chaos which have gone to the darkness below; I have become like a material body, which has no one in the height who will save it.

5. I have become like material things whose power has been taken from them as they were cast into the Chaos, which thou hast not saved; and they have been destroyed by thy ordinance.

6. Now at this time I have been placed in the darkness below, in dark things and in material things which are dead; and there is no power within them.

7. Thou hast brought thy ordinance upon me; with all things which thou hast ordained.

8. And the Spirit has departed and left me; and again, through thy ordinance, the emanations of my aeon have not helped me; and they have hated me and they have ceased towards me, and yet I am not completely destroyed.

9. And my light has diminished within me, and I have cried out to the light with all the light that is in me; and I have stretched out my hands to thee.

10. Now at this time, 0 Light, wilt thou perhaps fulfil thy ordinance in the Chaos? And will the saviours, perhaps, who came according to thy ordinance, arise in the darkness and come and be disciples to thee?

II. Will they, perhaps, say the mystery of thy name in the Chaos?

12. Or will they not rather say thy name in matter of the Chaos, this in which thou wilt not purify?

13. But I have sing praises to thee, 0 Light, and my repentance will reach thee in the height.

14. May thy light come down upon me.

15. My light has been taken from me and I am in distress on account of the light, from the time when I was emanated forth. And when I looked to the height to the light, I looked down to the light-power which is in the Chaos; I rose, I came down.

16. Thy ordinance came down upon me, and the fears which thou didst ordain for me, agitated me.

17. And they surrounded me roaring like water, they seized me at once for all my time.

18. And through thy ordinance, thou didst not allow my fellow-emanations to help me; and thou didst not allow my partner to save me from my afflictions.

Mead Translation:

1. Light of my salvation, I sing praise unto thee in the region of the height and again in the chaos.

2. I sing praise unto thee in my hymn with which I sang praise in the height and with which I sang praise unto thee when I was in the chaos. Let it come into thy presence, and give heed, O Light, to my repentance.

3. For my power is filled up with |68. darkness, and my light hath gone down into the chaos.

4. I am myself become as the rulers of the chaos, who are gone into the darknesses below; I am become as a material body, which hath no one in the height who will save it.

5. I am become also as matters from which their power hath been taken, when they are cast down into the chaos,–[matters] which thou hast not saved, and they are condemned utterly by thy commandment.

6. Now, therefore, have they put me into the darkness below,–in darknesses and matters which are dead and in them [is] no power.

7. Thou hast brought thy commandment upon me and all things which thou hast decreed.

8. And thy spirit hath withdrawn and abandoned me. And moreover by thy commandment the emanations of my eon have not helped me and have hated me and separated themselves from me, and yet am I not utterly destroyed.

9. And my light is diminished in me, and I have cried up to the light with all the light in me, and I have stretched forth my hands unto thee.

10. Now, therefore, O Light, wilt thou not accomplish thy commandment in the chaos, and will not the deliverers, who come according to thy commandment, arise in the darkness and come and be disciples for thee’?

11. Will they not utter the mystery of thy name in the chaos?

12. Or will they not rather utter thy name in a matter of the chaos, in which thou wilt not [thyself] purify?

13. But I have sung praises unto thee, O Light, and my repentance will reach unto thee in the height.

14. Let thy light come upon me,

15. For they have taken my light, and I am in pain on account of the Light from the time when I was emanated. And when I had looked into the height to the Light, then I looked down below at the light-power in the chaos; I rose up and went down.

16. Thy commandment came upon me, and the terrors, which thou didst decree for me, have brought me into delusion.

17. And they have surrounded me, in numbers as water, they have laid hold on me together all my time.

18. And by thy commandment thou hast not suffered my fellow-emanations to help me, nor hast thou suffered my pair to save me out of my afflictions.