The Ninth Repentance of Pistis Sophia

MacDermot Translation:

1. ‘0 Light, smite down those who have taken my power away from me; and take the power from those who have taken mine from me.

2. For I am thy power and thy light; come and save me.

3. May a great darkness cover over those that oppress me; say to my power: it is I who will save thee.

4. All those who want to take my light from me completely: may their power fail; those who want to take my light from me completely: may they turn to the Chaos and become powerless.

5. May their power become like dust; and may Jeu, thine angel, smite them down.

6. And if they come to go to the height, may a darkness seize them, so that they stumble and turn to the Chaos; and may thine angel, Jeu, pursue them and send them to the darkness below.

7. For without my having done evil to them, they have ensnared me with a lion-faced power from which their light will be taken; they have oppressed the power within me, which they will not able to take away.

8. Now at this time, 0 Light, take away what is purified from the lion-faced power, without his knowing; and the thought which the Authades had (lit. thought), to take away my light : take his own away; and Iet the light of the lionfaced power, which ensnared me, be taken away.

9. My power will flourish in the light and will rejoice because it will save it.

10. And all the parts of my power will say: there is now no saviour except thee; for it is thou who wilt save me from the hands of the lion-faced power which has taken my power from me. And it is thou who savest me from the hands of those who have taken my power and my light from me.

11. For they stood up against me and to1d lies about me. And they say: I know the mystery of the light which is in the height, in which I have believed. And they have compelled me, saying: Tell us the mystery of the light which is in the height, this one which I do not know.

12. And they have repaid me with all these wicked things, because I have believed in the light of the height; and they have made my power to be without light.

13. But when I was compelled, I sat in the darkness, while my soul was humble in sorrow.

14. And, 0 Light, concerning whom I sing praises to thee, save me; I know that thou wilt save me, because I have done thy will since I was in my aeon. I have done thy will like the invisible ones who are in my place, and like my partner; and I became sorrowful as I looked, seeking for thy light.

15. Now at this time all the emanations of the Authades have surrounded me; and have rejoiced over me, and they have oppressed me greatly, without my knowing; and they have run away, they have left me, and they have not been merciful to me.

16. They turned again and tempted me, and they oppressed me with great oppression; they gnashed their teeth at me, wanting to take away my light from me completely.

17. How long now, 0 Light, dost thou sujfer them, that they oppress me? Save my power from their wicked thoughts, and save me from the lion-faced power, for I alone among the invisible ones am in this place.

18. I will sing praise to thee, 0 Light, while I am in the midst of all those gathered against me. And I will cry out to thee in the midst of all those that oppress me.

19. Now at this time, 0 Light, Iet not those that hate me and want to take away my power from me, rejoice over me; these who hate me, as they move their eyes against me, without my having done anything to them.

20. For indeed they flatter me with sweet words while they seek from me the mysteries of the light which I do not know; speaking to me with cunning against me, and raging against me, because I have believed in the light which is in the height.

21. They have opened their mouths against me; they have said: Yes. We will take away her light.

22. Now at this time, 0 Light, thou hast known their cunning; suffer them not, and Iet not thy help be far from me.

23. Make haste, 0 Light, judge me and avenge me.

24. And give judgment to me in thy goodness; now at this time, 0 Light of Lights, Iet them not take my light from me.

25. And do not Iet them say in their hearts: Our power has satisfied itself with her light; and Iet them not say: We have swallowed her power.

26. But rather Iet darkness come down upon them; and Iet those that want to take away my light from me become powerless; and those that say: We will take away her light and her power, Iet them be covered with Chaos and darkness.

27. Now at this time, save me, that I may rejoice, because I want the thirteenth aeon, the place of righteousness. And I will say at all times : May the light of Jeu, thy angel, give more light.

28. And my tongue will sing praises to thee in thy knowledge, all my time in the thirteenth aeon’.

Mead Translation:

1. O Light, smite down them who have taken away my power from me, and take away the power from them who have taken away mine from me.

2. For I am thy power and thy light. Come and save me.

3. Let great darkness cover my oppressors. Say unto my power: I am he who will save thee.

4. Let all those who would take away my light from me utterly, lack their power. Let them face about unto the chaos and become powerless, who would take away my light from me utterly.

5. Let their power be as dust, and let Yew, thy angel, smite them.

6. And if they would go into the height, let darkness seize upon them and let them slip down and turn to the chaos. And let thy angel Yew pursue them and cast them down into the darkness below.

7. For they have set a lion-faced power as a trap for me, although I have done them no ill, from which its light will be taken; and they have oppressed the power in me, which they will not be able to take away.

8. Now, therefore, O Light, take away the purification from the lion-faced power without its knowing it,–the thought which Self-willed hath thought, to take away my light; take away his own and let the light be taken away from the lion-faced power, which set the trap for me.

9. But my power will exult in the Light and rejoice that he will save it.

10. And all the portions of my power shall say: There is no saviour but thee. For thou wilt save me out of the hand of the lion-faced power, which hath taken away my power from me, and thou savest me out of the hands of them who have taken away my power and my light from me.

11. For they have risen up against me, lying against me and saying that I know the mystery of the Light which is in the height, [the Light] in which I have had faith. And they have constrained me, [saying:] Tell unto us the mystery of the Light in the height,–that which I know not.

12. And they have requited me with all this ill because I have had faith in the Light of the height; and they have made my power lightless.

13. But when they constrained me, I sat in the darkness, my soul bowed down in mourning.

14. And do thou, O Light–for that reason sing I praise to thee–save me. I know that thou wilt save me because I fulfilled thy will ever since I was in my æon. I fulfilled thy will, as the invisibles who are in my region, and as my pair. And I mourned, looking unceasingly and searching for the Light.

15. Now, therefore, have all the emanations of Self-willed surrounded me and rejoiced over me and sore oppressed me without my knowing [paragraph continues] [them]. And they have fled away and ceased from me but have had no pity upon me.

16. They have returned again and made trial of me and they have oppressed me in great oppression and ground their teeth against me, desiring to take away my light from me utterly.

17. How long, therefore, O Light, dost thou suffer them, that they oppress me? Save my power from their evil thoughts and save me from the hand of the lion-faced power; for I alone of the invisibles am in this region.

18. I will sing praises unto thee, O Light, in the midst of all who are gathered together against me, and I will cry unto thee in the midst of all who oppress me.

19. Now, therefore, O Light, let not them who hate me and desire to take away my power from me, rejoice over me–who hate me and flash their eyes against me, though I have not done anything unto them.

20. For indeed they have fawned upon me with sweet words, asking me concerning the mysteries of the Light which I know not, and have craftily spoken against me and been enraged against me, because I have had faith in the Light in the height.

21. They have opened their chops against me and said: Well indeed, we will take from her her light.

22. Now, therefore, O Light, thou hast known their guile; suffer them not and let not thy help be far from me.

23. Quickly, O Light, vindicate and avenge me,

24. And give judgment on me according to thy goodness. Now, therefore, O Light of lights, let them not take away my light from me,

25. And let them not say in their heart: Our power is glutted with her light. And let them not say: We have consumed her power.

26. But rather let darkness come upon them, and let those who long to take away my light from me, become powerless, and let them be clothed with chaos and darkness, who say there: We will take away her light and her power.

27. Now, therefore, save me that I may rejoice, for I long for the thirteenth æon, the region of Righteousness, and |93. I shall say ever-more: May the light of thy angel Yew shine more and more.

28. And my tongue will sing praises to thee in thy gnosis my whole time in the thirteenth æon.’