Odes of Solomon


The discovery of the Odes of Solomon

In 1909, J. Rendel Harris discovered, in a batch of Syriac manuscripts from the Tigris region that had been forgotten on a shelf in his office, a hymnbook containing the Psalms of Solomon, the beginning of which, he eventually identified, contained the Odes of Solomon that had been thought lost. These odes were known from their inclusion in a known list of apocryphal writings and from the fact that significant fragments appeared in Coptic in the Gnostic book known as Pistis Sophia (3rd c.). In addition, the Roman and Christian author Lactantius (3rd c.) quotes these odes in Latin. The subsequent discovery in 1912 by F.C. Burkitt of another Syriac manuscript and a Greek version of Ode 11, as well as the intensive studies that followed, led scholars to the conclusion that the Odes of Solomon are not Gnostic writings (e.g., H. Gressmann who states at the beginning of his article The Odes of Solomon (Revue de théologie et de philosophie 1(1913)195-2017): "The Odes of Solomon are hymns of Gnostic origin"), but a collection of early Christian hymns.

Handwritten sources

Unfortunately, the complete Odes of Solomon does not exist in any manuscript. The earliest is a Greek manuscript dated to the 3rd c., Papyrus Bodmer XI (P72), a collection of early Christian writings compiled in Egypt, in which we find, among other things, Ode 11, but amplified by a portion that Harris's version would have omitted. The Askewianus codex (4th c.) is a Coptic translation of Pistis Sophia, a Gnostic writing, and cites only Odes 1:1-5; 5:1-11; 6:8-18; 25:1-12; 22:1-12. The Syriac codex Nitrisiensis, the one discovered by F.C. Burkitt at the Syriac monastery Wadi El Natrun south of Cairo, is dated to the 10th century and contains Odes 17, 7b to 42. The manuscript discovered by Harris, called codex Syriacus 9, is said to date from the 15th c., and is therefore the most recent, but it is the most complete: it is mutilated at the very beginning and has preserved Odes 3, 1b to 42, 20.

Composition

Since the earliest manuscript was Greek, it was believed at first that Solomon's Odes were originally composed in Greek. But since then, there is a consensus among scholars that the Odes were composed in Syriac, for the following reasons:

  • The oldest manuscript written in Greek gives all the signs of a translation from a seminal language and does not appear to have been composed first in Greek
  • The Syriac text offers a language of great quality, and some puns that appear here and there are understandable only in Syriac
  • The assonance, the metrical structure and the rhythm are completely Syriac
  • The variations between the two great Syriac manuscripts can only be explained by the confusion in the reading of certain Syriac words

As for the date of composition, we place it around the year 100 CE: there is much similarity with the Gospel of John, then Ignatius of Antioch seems to quote some of the odes, and there are clear parallels with the Hodayoth (hymns of thanksgiving) of Qumran.

As for the milieu in which Solomon's Odes was born, the most attractive hypothesis is that of the Jewish Christian community of Edessa in northern Syria (see Ephrem Azar, Solomon's Odes, 1996), because of the language, the ideas close to the gospel of John and Ignatius of Antioch. The somewhat conservative Jewish character is seen in the fact that the author avoids being defiled by the gentiles, even though he loves them (10:5). The kinship with the Hodayoth of Qumran is striking: one finds the same sense of being a unique community of the faithful, the saints whom God has established as the rock and foundation of his glory; one notes similar vocabulary such as "knowledge," "war," "crown," "living water," and "sun," to the point of wondering if the author was not at one time a member of the Qumran sect. Similarly, a parallel can be drawn with the Johannine community where Jesus is presented as "I am", the "Word", and where eschatology is already present. Finally, we note the great influence of the Psalms, in particular Psalm 22, and a little of Ezekiel, Proverbs, Genesis and Isaiah.

The Odes of Solomon in history

One of the earliest authors to refer to it is Lucius Caecilius Firmianus, known as Lactantius (250-325), born in Algeria in the Roman province of Africa, who converted to the Christian faith around the year 300 and became tutor to Crispus one of Constantine's sons; he cites Ode 19 (Divinae Institutiones, 4, 12, 3). The Odes are also mentioned in a 6th century work by Pseudo-Athanasius (Synopsis Sacrae Scripture) who writes: "There are other books of the Old Testament which are not considered canonical, but which are read to catechumens... Maccabees... Psalms and Odes of Solomon". They appear in a list provided by Nicephorus I (758-828), Patriarch of Constantinople, concerning the Stichometry (the calculation of the number of lines in manuscripts) of the sacred books under the heading of non-canonical books of the Old Testament: Psalms and Odes of Solomon, 2,100 lines.

In the 10th century a scribe testifies to the interest of the Odes by taking the trouble to copy them, which gave us the codex Nitrisiensis discovered in Egypt. An interesting indication is provided by the 12th century Greek manuscript 1505, found in the Laura Monastery on Mount Athos in Greece, which gives us a list of the books of the New Testament, among which are the Psalms and the Odes of Solomon; in the latter case, it is possible to think that the scribe saw fit to add hymns celebrating the messiah at the end of the New Testament texts. In the 15th century, the fact that a scribe transcribed the Syriac text in a version that Harris says he found in the Tigris region of present-day Iraq demonstrates the continuing interest in the Odes.

One observation emerges from the history of the Odes of Solomon: these seem to have been of particular interest to monastic circles, especially communities that prayed the psalms together and sang the hymns, as evidenced by the codex Nitrisiensis found at the Syriac monastery Wadi El Natrun and the Greek manuscript 1505 from the Laura monastery on Mount Athos; the Odes gave voice to the expression of their faith. Conversely, since they were not known to a wide audience, it is not surprising that they have been somewhat lost. But it is different today with their rediscovery. Already new translations are multiplying, and a great number of Internet sites, devoted to the spiritual life, display one or the other of the Odes.

-André Gilbert, December 2018

References :

  • James H. Charlesworth, Odes of Solomon, in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, v. 2, ed. James H. Charlesworth. Doubleday: Garden City, 1985, p. 725-775.
  • P. Batiffol, J. Labourt, Les Odes de Salomon, Revue Biblique, 7(1910)483-500, et Revue Biblique, 8(1911)5-59.
  • Lee Martin McDonald, The Odes of Solomon: Their Origin and Use in Early Christianity, in https://haventoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/odes.pdf


    Overview

    Ode 1The singer sees the Lord as a living crown on his head, bearing fruits of salvation
    Ode 3The singer sings the love of the Lord, because he feels loved by Him, and this closeness will be for him a source of eternal life
    Ode 4The singer expresses his faith that the Lord has made a place for himself forever in the hearts of his faithful and he will never stop pouring into them what he has promised
    Ode 5Faced with his persecutors, the singer is not afraid, for he believes that the Lord will know how to thwart their plans and will protect him from any catastrophe
    Ode 6Like water that floods the universe and nothing can stop it, the Spirit of the Lord has poured out his knowledge through his ministers, like a drink for the thirsty that snatches them from death
    Ode 7The Lord took on human form to become like us, thus diminishing his greatness and allowing us to know him, thus making the ignorance of the earth disappear and triggering in all a song of praise
    Ode 8Even before we existed, the Lord knew us and revealed himself to us to share his secret with us, that knowledge that nourishes us like milk from the breast and lifts us from our humiliation; so let us remain in this faith and in this love to taste incorruptibility
    Ode 9The singer invites us to open our hearts to the word and the will of the Lord, in order to receive the crown of the victor, to taste peace, and to be written in the book of life
    Ode 10Through the mouth of the singer, Christ announces that he has gathered the scattered peoples into unity so that they may be saved and be with him for eternity
    Ode 11The heart of the singer was pruned by the Lord and he abandoned the madness spread on the earth, and he became drunk with the knowledge of the Lord, and his life became a fertile land, like a paradise where the tree of immortality bears fruit
    Ode 12The singer sees himself as the herald of the Word, and thanks to him the Word resides in people, who discover who they are and consequently live in harmony
    Ode 13Invitation to cleanse one's face to resemble the Lord
    Ode 14Turning to God as a son to his father, the singer asks him to be filled with the fruits of his love
    Ode 15 The singer celebrates the light received from the Lord that allowed him to abandon the road of error and to taste an immortal life
    Ode 16 The singer now has the mission to sing the praises of God, especially the wonders of his creation
    Ode 17 The singer celebrates the fact of being a new being and gives the floor to Christ who announces that he has freed the chained ones to save them, now becoming their head
    Ode 18 The singer prays to God to give him the strength to stay away from the ignorance spread on the earth
    Ode 19 The Father poured from his breast of milk who gave us his son born of a virgin mother
    Ode 20 The sacrifice that the Lord wants is that of justice towards the neighbor
    Ode 21 The singer can only exult before the science of the Lord who is his light and has unified his person
    Ode 22 The Lord gave the singer the power to destroy evil, so that even though the world was created corruptible, it has now received the vital energy to become incorruptible
    Ode 23 The singer meditates on the power of the word of God which has conquered everything in its path
    Ode 24 The anointing of the Messiah caused fear in the world of darkness which fled from the truth
    Ode 25 The singer celebrates the strength and the light of the Lord that allowed him to overcome all his adversaries
    Ode 26 The singer presents his role to sing for the whole universe a hymn to the Lord
    Ode 27 By extending his hands, the singer expresses the symbol of the cross
    Ode 28 Living in intimacy with the Spirit, the singer lets Christ speak and tells how he was scorned, a scorn to which he responded with gentleness and from which he emerged victorious
    Ode 29 The singer celebrates the fact that he has been snatched from the grip of death and his enemies, and it is now he who subdues the nations
    Ode 30 Invitation to drink from the living source of the Lord
    Ode 31 The singer lets Christ speak, recalling his trial, his condemnation and the sufferings he endured for the salvation of all
    Ode 32 The believer overflows with the joy and strength that comes from the Most High
    Ode 33 Call to conversion launched by the Virgin who promises to take people out of perdition to make them take the path of truth and salvation
    Ode 34 Who follows the path of truth, lives the unity of the heart and is not interested in things below, but in things above
    Ode 35 Even when the universe is shaken, the singer feels at peace, carried by the Lord as a mother carries her child
    Ode 36The singer praises the work of the Holy Spirit who begat Christ and anointed him to spread justice
    Ode 37The singer raises his voice to the Lord who makes his work fruitful
    Ode 38The singer rejoices that the truth has kept him away from error, from corruption, from seduction, thanks to the Lord who has made him a beautiful and great plant
    Ode 39Those who follow the paths of faith will not be disturbed by the vagaries of life
    Ode 40The singer cannot help but let the joy that overflows from his heart flow out
    Ode 41It is the day to celebrate this Son, who existed from all eternity, whom the Father begot out of love, to be light for the believer
    Ode 42Celebration of the resurrection of Christ, who now extends the arms of his love to those who believe in him, like the arm of the bridegroom to his bride, bringing life to those who were dead and in darkness


    Note: English translation by J.H. Charlesworth, Odes of Solomon, in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, v. 2, ed. James H. Charlesworth. Doubleday: Garden City, 1985, p. 735-775. In square brackets are words restored based on analogy with other verses.

    Full Text

    VerseEnglish Translation

    Ode 1

    1The Lord is on my head like a crown,
    and I shall never be without him.
    2Plaited for me is the crown of truth,
    and it caused your branches to blossom in me.
    3For it is not like a parched crown that blossoms not;
    4But you lived upon my head,
    and have blossomed upon me.
    5Your fruits are full and complete;
    they are full of your salvation.

    Ode 2

    (lost)

    Ode 3

    1...
    I am putting on (the love of the Lord].
    2And his members are with him,
    and I am dependent on them; and he loves me.
    3For I should not have known how to love the Lord,
    if he had not continuously loved me.
    4Who is able to distinguish love,
    except him who is loved?
    5I love the Beloved and I myself love him,
    and where his rest is, there also am I.
    6And I shall be no foreigner,
    because there is no jealousy with the Lord Most High and Merciful.
    7I have been united (to him), because the lover has found the Beloved,
    because I love him that is the Son, I shall become a son.
    8Indeed he who is joined to him who is immortal,
    truly will be immortal.
    9And he who delights in the Life
    will become living.
    10This is the Spirit of the Lord, which is not false,
    which teaches the sons of men to know his ways.
    11Be wise and understanding and vigilant.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 4

    1No man can pervert your holy place, O my God;
    nor can he change it, and put it in another place.
    2Because (he has) no power over it;
    for your sanctuary you designed before you made special places.
    3The ancient one shall not be perverted by those which are inferior to it.
    You have given your heart, O Lord, to your faithful ones.
    4Never will you be idle,
    nor will you be without fruits;
    5For one hour of your faith
    is more excellent than all days and years.
    6For who shall put on your grace and be rejected?
    7Because your seal' is known;
    and your creatures are known to it.
    8And your hosts possess it,
    and the elect archangels are clothed with it.
    9You have given to us your fellowship,
    not that you were in need of us,
    but that we are always in need of you.
    10Sprinkle upon us your sprinklings,
    and open your bountiful springs which abundantly
    supply us with milk and honey.
    11For there is no regret with you;
    that you should regret anything which you have promised;
    12Since the end was manifest to you.
    13For that which you gave, you gave freely,
    so that no longer will you draw back and take them again.
    14For all was manifest to you as God,
    and was set in order from the beginning before you.
    15And you, O Lord, have made all.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 5

    1I praise you, O Lord,
    because I love you.
    20 Most High, abandon me not,
    for you are my hope.
    3Freely did I receive your grace,
    may I live by it.
    4My persecutors will come' but let them not see me.
    5Let a cloud of darkness fall upon their eyes;
    and let an air of thick darkness obscure them.
    6And let them have no light to see,
    so that they cannot seize me.
    7Let their counsel become dull,
    so that whatever they have conspired will return upon their own heads.
    8For they have devised a counsel,
    but it was not for them.
    ((And they were vanquished although they were powerful.))
    9They prepared themselves maliciously,
    but they were found to be impotent.
    10Indeed my hope) is upon the Lord,
    and I shall not fear.
    11And because the Lord is my salvation,
    1 shall not fear.
    12And he is as a crown upon my head,
    and I shall not be disturbed.
    13Even if everything should be shaken,
    I shall stand firm.
    14And though all things visible should perish,
    I shall not die;
    15Because the Lord is with me,
    and I with him.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 6

    1As the [wind] moves through the harp
    and the strings speak.
    2So the Spirit of the Lord speaks through my members,
    and I speak through his love.
    3For he destroys whatever is foreign,
    and everything is of the Lord.
    4For thus it has been from the beginning,
    and (will be) until the end.
    5So that nothing will be contrary,
    and nothing will rise up against him.
    6The Lord has multiplied his knowledge,
    and he was zealous that those things should be known which through his grace have been given to us.
    7And his praise he gave us on account of his name;
    our spirits praise his Holy Spirit.
    8For there went forth a stream,
    and it became a river great and broad;
    indeed it carried away everything, and it shattered
    and brought (it) to the Temple.
    9And the restraints of men were not able to restrain it,
    nor even the arts of them who habitually restrain water.
    10For it spread over the face of all the earth,
    and it filled everything.
    11Then all the thirsty upon the earth drank
    and thirst was relieved and quenched;
    12For from the Most High the drink was given.
    13Blessed, therefore, are the ministers of that drink,
    who have been entrusted with his water.
    14They have pleased the parched lips,
    and have restored the paralyzed will.
    15Even lives who were about to expire,
    they have seized from Death.
    16And members which had fallen,
    they have restored and set up.
    17They gave power for their coming,
    and light for their eyes.
    18Because everyone recognized them as the Lord's,
    and lived by the living water of eternity.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 7

    1As is the course of anger over wickedness,
    so is the course of joy over the Beloved;
    and brings in of its fruits unhindered.
    2My joy is the Lord and my course is toward him,
    this way of mine is beautiful.
    3For there is a Helper for me, the Lord.
    He has generously shown himself to me in his simplicity,
    because his kindness has diminished his grandeur.
    4He became like me, that I might receive him.
    In form he was considered like me, that I might put him on.
    5And I trembled not when I saw him,
    because he was gracious to me.
    6Like my nature he became, that I minght understand him.
    And like my form, that I might not turn away from him.
    7The Father of knowledge
    is the Word of knowledge.
    8He who created wisdom
    is wiser than his works.
    9And he who created me when yet 1 was not
    knew what I would do when I came into being.
    10On account of this he was gracious to me in his abundant grace,
    and allowed me to seek from him and to benefit from his sacrifice.
    11For he it is who is incorruptible,
    the perfection of the worlds and their Father.
    12He has allowed him to appear to them that are his own;
    in order that they may recognize him that made them,
    and not think that they came of themselves.
    13For toward knowledge he has set his way,
    he has spread it out and lengthened it and brought it to complete perfection.
    14And has set over it the traces of his light,
    and it proceeded from the beginning until the end.
    15For by him he was served,
    and he was pleased by the Son.
    16And because of his salvation he will possess everything.
    And the Most High will be known by his holy ones:
    17To announce to those who have songs of the coming of the Lord,
    that they may go forth to meet him and may sing to him,
    with joy and with the harp of many tones.
    18The Seers will go before him,
    and they will appear before him.
    19And they will praise the Lord in his love,
    because he is near and does see.
    20And hatred will be removed from the earth,
    and with jealousy it will be drowned.
    21For ignorance was destroyed upon it,
    because the knowledge of the Lord came upon it.
    22Let the Singers sing the grace of the Lord Most High,
    and let them offer their songs.
    23And let their heart be like the day,
    and their gentle voices like the majestic beauty of the Lord.
    24And let there not be any person
    that is without knowledge or voice.
    25For he gave a mouth to his creation:
    to open the voice of the mouth toward him,
    and to praise him.
    26Praise his power
    and declare his grace.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 8

    1Open, open your hearts to the exultation of the Lord,
    and let your love abound from the heart to the lips.
    2In order to bring forth fruits to the Lord, a holy life;
    and to speak with watchfulness in his light.
    3Stand and be established,
    you who once were brought low.
    4You who were in silence, speak,
    for your mouth has been opened.
    5You who were despised, from henceforth be raised,
    for your Righteousness has been raised;
    6For the right hand of the Lord is with you,
    and he will be your Helper.
    7And peace was prepared for you,
    before what may be your war.
     Christ Speaks
    8Hear the word of truth,
    and receive the knowledge of the Most High.
    9Your flesh may not understand that which 1 am about to say to you;
    nor your garment that which I am about to declare to you.
    10Keep my mystery, you who are kept by it;
    keep my faith, you who are kept by it.
    11And understand my knowledge, you who know me in truth;
    love me with affection, you who love;
    12For I turn not my face from my own,
    because I know them.
    13And before they had existed,
    I recognized them;
    and imprinted a seal on their faces.
    14I fashioned their members,
    and my own breasts I prepared for them,
    that they might drink my holy milk and live by it.
    15I am pleased by them,
    and am not ashamed by them.
    16For my work are they,
    and the power of my thoughts.
    17Therefore who can stand against my work?
    Or who is not subject to them?
    18I willed and fashioned mind and heart;
    and they are my own.
    And upon my right hand I have set my elect ones.
    19And my righteousness goes before them;
    and they will not be deprived of my name;
    for it is with them.
     The Odist Speaks
    20Seek and increase,
    and abide in the love of the Lord;
    21And you who are loved in the Beloved;
    and you who are kept in him who lives;
    and you who are saved in him who was saved.
    22And you shall be found incorrupted in all ages,
    on account of the name of your Father.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 9

    1Open your ears,
    and I shall speak to you.
    2Give me yourself,
    so that 1 may also give you myself;
    3The word of the Lord and his desires,
    the holy thought which he has thought concerning his Messiah.
    4For in the will of the Lord is your life,
    and his purpose is eternal life,
    and your perfection is incorruptible.
    5Be enriched in God the Father;
    and receive the purpose of the Most High.
    Be strong and saved by his grace.
    6For I announce peace to you, his holy ones,
    so that none of those who hear will fall in the war.
    7And also that those who have known him may not perish,
    and so that those who receive (him) may not be ashamed.
    8An everlasting crown is Truth;
    blessed are they who set it on their head.
    9(It is) a precious stone,
    for the wars were on account of the crown.
    10But Righteousness has taken it,
    and has given it to you.
    11Put on the crown in the true covenant of the Lord,
    and all those who have conquered will be inscribed in his book.
    12For their book is the justification which is for you,
    and she sees you before her and wills that you will be saved.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 10

    1The Lord has directed my mouth by his Word,
    and has opened my heart by his Light.
    2And he has caused to dwell in me his immortal life,
    and permitted me to proclaim the fruit of his peace.
    3To convert the lives of those who desire to come to him,
    and to capture a good captivity for freedom.
     Christ Speaks
    4I took courage and became strong and captured the world,
    and it became mine for the glory of the Most High, and of God my Father.
    5And the gentiles who had been scattered were gathered together,
    but I was not defiled by my love (for them),
    because they had praised me in high places.
    6And the traces of light were set upon their heart,
    and they walked according to my life and were saved,
    and they became my people for ever and ever.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 11

    1My heart was pruned and its flower appeared,
    then grace sprang up in it,
    and it produced fruits for the Lord.
    2For the Most High circumcised me by his Holy Spirit,
    then he uncovered my inward being toward him,
    and filled me with his love.
    3And his circumcising became my salvation,
    and I ran in the Way in his peace,
    in the Way of truth.
    4From the beginning until the end
    I received his knowledge.
    5And I was established upon the rock of truth,
    where he had set me.
    6And speaking waters touched my lips
    from the spring of the Lord generously.
    7And so I drank and became intoxicated,
    from the living water that does not die.
    8And my intoxication was not with ignorance;
    but I abandoned vanity;
    9And turned toward the Most High, my God,
    and was enriched by his favors.
    10And I abandoned the folly cast upon the earth,
    and stripped it off and cast it from me.
    11And the Lord renewed me with his garment,
    and possessed me by his light.
    12And from above he gave me immortal rest;
    and I became like the land which blossoms and rejoices in its fruits.
    13And the Lord (is) like the sun
    upon the face of the land.
    14My eyes were enlightened,
    and my face received the dew;
    15And my breath was refreshed
    by the pleasant fragrance of the Lord.
    16And he took me to his Paradise,
    wherein is the wealth of the Lord's pleasure.
    16a((I contemplated blooming and fruit-bearing trees,
    and self-grown was their crown.
    16bTheir branches were flourishing
    and their fruits were shining;
    their roots (were) from an immortal land.
    16cAnd a river of gladness was irrigating them,
    and the region round about them in the land of eternal life.))
    17Then I adored the Lord because of his magnificence.
    18And I said, blessed, O Lord, are they
    who are planted in your land,
    and who have a place in your Paradise;
    19And who grow in the growth of your trees,
    and have passed from darkness into light.
    20Behold, all your laborers are fair,
    they who work good works,
    and turn from wickedness to your kindness.
    21For they turned away from themselves the bitterness of the trees,
    when they were planted in your land.
    22And everyone was like your remnant.
    ((Blessed are the workers of your water,))
    and the eternal memorial of your faithful servants.
    23Indeed, there is much room in your Paradise.
    And there is nothing in it which is barren,
    but everything is filled with fruit.
    24Praise be to you, O God, the delight of Paradise for ever.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 12

    1He has filled me with words of truth,
    that I may proclaim him.
    2And like the flowing of waters, truth flows from my mouth,
    and my lips declare his fruits.
    3And he has caused his knowledge to abound in me,
    because the mouth of the Lord is the true word,
    and the door of his light.
    4And the Most High has given him to his generations,
    (which are) the interpreters of his beauty,and the narrators of his glory,
    and the confessors of his thought,
    and the preachers of his mind,
    and the teachers of his works.
    5For the subtlety of the Word is inexpressible,
    and like his expression so also is his swiftness and his acuteness,
    for limitless is his path.
    6He never falls but remains standing,
    and one cannot know his descent or his way.
    7For as his work is, so is his expectation,
    for he is the light and dawning of thought.
    8And by him the generations spoke to one another,
    and those that were silent acquired speech.
    9And from him came love and harmony,
    and they spoke one to another whatever was theirs.
    10And they were stimulated by the Word,
    and knew him who made them,
    because they were in harmony.
    11For the mouth of the Most High spoke to them,
    and his exposition was swift through him.
    12For the dwelling place of the Word is man,
    and his truth is love.
    13Blessed are they who by means of him have recognized everything,
    and have known the Lord in his truth.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 13

    1Behold, the Lord is our mirror.
    Open (your) eyes and see them in him.
    2And learn the manner of your face,
    then announce praises to his Spirit.
    3And wipe the paint6 from your face,
    and love his holiness and put it on.
    4Then you will be unblemished at all times with him.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 14

    1As the eyes of a son upon his father,
    so are my eyes, O Lord, at all times toward you.
    2Because my breasts and my pleasure are with you.
    3Do not turn aside your mercies from me, O Lord;
    and do not take your kindness from me.
    4Stretch out to me, my Lord, at all times, your right hand,
    and be to me a guide till the end according to your will.
    5Let me be pleasing before you, because of your glory,
    and because of your name let me be saved from the Evil One.
    6And let your serenity, O Lord, abide with me,
    and the fruits of your love.
    7Teach me the odes of your truth,
    that I may produce fruits in you.
    8And open to me the harp of your Holy Spirit,
    so that with every note I may praise you, O Lord.
    9And according to the multitude of your mercies, so grant unto me,
    and hasten to grant our petitions.
    10For you are sufficient for all our needs.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 15

    1As the sun is the joy to them who seek its daybreak,
    so is my joy the Lord;
    2Because he is my sun,
    and his rays have restored me;
    and his light has dismissed all darkness from my face.
    3Eyes I have possessed in him,
    and have seen his holy day.
    4Ears I have acquired,
    and have heard his truth.
    5The thought of knowledge I have acquired,
    and have lived fully through him.
    6I abandoned the way of error,
    and went toward him and received salvation from him generously.
    7And according to his generosity he gave to me,
    and according to his majestic beauty he made me.
    8I have put on incorruption through his name,
    and stripped off corruption by his grace.
    9Death has been destroyed before my face,
    and Sheol has been vanquished by my word.
    10And eternal life has arisen in the Lord's land,
    and it has become known to his faithful ones,
    and been given without limit to all that trust in him.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 16

    1As the work of the plowman is the plowshare,
    and the work of the helmsman is the steering of the ship,
    so also my work is the psalm of the Lord in his praises.
    2My art and my service are in his praises,
    because his love has nourished my heart,
    and his fruits he poured unto my lips.
    3For my love is the Lord;
    hence I shall sing unto him.
    4For I am strengthened in his praises,
    and I have faith in him.
    5I shall open my mouth,
    and his spirit will speak through me
    the praise of the Lord and his beauty,
    6The work of his hands,
    and the service of his fingers;
    7For the multitude of his mercies,
    and the strength of his word.
    8For the word of the Lord investigates that which is invisible,
    and perceives his thought.
    9For the eye sees his works,
    and the ear hears his thought.
    10It is he who spread out the earth,
    and placed the waters in the sea.
    11He expanded the heaven,
    and set the stars.
    12And he set the creation and aroused it,
    then he rested from his works.
    13And created things run according to their courses,
    and work their works,
    and they are not able to cease and be idle.
    14And the hosts are subject to his word.
    15The reservoir of light is the sun,
    and the reservoir of darkness is the night.
    16For he made the sun for the day so that it will be light;
    but night brings darkness over the face of the earth.
    17And (by) their acceptance one from another
    they complete the beauty of God.
    18And there is nothing outside of the Lord,
    because he was before anything came to be.
    19And the worlds are by his word.
    and by the thought of his heart.
    20Praise and honor to his name.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 17

    1Then I was crowned by my God,
    and my crown is living.
    2And I was justified by my Lord,
    for my salvation is incorruptible.
    3I have been released from vanities,
    and am not condemned.
    4My chains were cut off by his hands;
    I received the face and form of a new person,
    and I walked in him and was saved.
    5And the thought of truth led me,
    and I went after it and did not err.
     Christ Speaks
    6And all who saw me were amazed,
    and I seemed to them like a stranger.
    7And he who knew and exalted me
    is the Most High in all his perfection.
    8And he glorified me by his kindness,
    and raised my understanding to the height of truth.
    9And from there he gave me the way of his paths,
    and I opened the doors which were closed.
    10And I shattered the bars of iron,
    for my own iron(s) had grown hot and melted before me.
    11And nothing appeared closed to me,
    because I was the opening of everything.
    12And I went toward all my bondsmen in order to loose them;
    that I might not abandon anyone bound or binding.
    13And I gave my knowledge generously,
    and my resurrection through my love.
    14And I sowed my fruits in hearts,
    and transformed them through myself.
    15Then they received my blessing and lived,
    and they were gathered to me and were saved;
    16Because they became my members,
    and I was their head.
     Doxology
    17Glory to you, our Head, O Lord Messiah.
     Hallelujah

    Ode 18

    1My heart was raised and enriched in the love of the Most High,
    so that I might praise him with my name.
    2My members were strengthened,
    that they may not fall from his power.
    3Infirmities fled from my body,
    and it stood firm for the Lord by his will;
    because his kingdom is firm.
    4O Lord, for the sake of those who are in need,
    do not expel your word from me.
    5Nor, for the sake of their works,
    withhold your perfection from me.
    6Let not light be conquered by darkness,
    nor let truth flee from falsehood.
    7Let your right hand set our salvation to victory,
    and let it receive from every region,
    and preserve (it) on the side of everyone who is besieged by evils.
    8You are my God, falsehood and death are not in your mouth;
    only perfection is your will.
    9And vanity you knew not,
    because neither does it know you.
    10And you knew not error;
    because neither does it know you.
    11And ignorance appeared like dust,
    and like the foam of the sea.
    12And vain people thought that it was great,
    and they became like its form and were impoverished.
    13But the wise understood and contemplated,
    and were not polluted by their thoughts;
    14Because they were in the mind of the Most High,
    and mocked those who were walking in error.
    15Then they spoke the truth,
    from the breath which the Most High breathed into them.
    16Praise and great honor to his name.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 19

    1A cup of milk was offered to me,
    and I drank it in the sweetness of the Lord's kindness.
    2The Son is the cup,
    and the Father is he who was milked;
    and the Holy Spirit is she who milked him;
    3Because his breasts were full,
    and it was undesirable that his milk should be released without purpose.
    4The Holy Spirit opened her bosom,
    and mixed the milk of the two breasts of the Father.
    5Then she gave the mixture to the generation without their knowing,
    and those who have received (it) are in the perfection of the right hand.
    6The womb of the Virgin took (it),
    and she received conception and gave birth.
    7So the Virgin became a mother with great mercies.
    8And she labored and bore the Son but without pain,
    because it did not occur without purpose.
    9And she did not seek a midwife,
    because he caused her to give life.
    10She bore as a strong man with desire,
    and she bore according to the manifestation,
    and possessed with great power.
    11And she loved with salvation,
    and guarded with kindness,
    and declared with greatness.
     Hallelujah

    Ode 20

    1I am a priest of the Lord,
    and to him I serve as a priest;
    2And to him I offer the offering of his thought.
    3For his thought is not like the world,
    nor like the flesh,
    nor like them who serve according to the flesh.
    4The offering of the Lord is righteousness,
    and purity of heart and lips.
    5Offer you inward being faultlessly;
    and do not let your compassion oppress compassion;
    and do not you yourself oppress anyone.
    6You should not purchase a foreigner because he is like yourself,
    nor seek to deceive your neighbor,
    nor deprive him of the covering for his nakedness.
    7But put on the grace of the Lord generously,
    and come into his Paradise,
    and make for yourself a crown from his tree.
    8Then put (it) on your head and be refreshed,
    and recline upon his serenity.
    9For his glory will go before you;
    and you will receive of his kindness and of his grace;
    and you will be anointed in truth with the praise of his holiness.
    10Praise and honor to his name.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 21

    1I raised my arms on high
    on account of the grace of the Lord.
    2Because he cast off my chains from me,
    and my Helper raised me according to his grace and his salvation.
    3And I stripped off darkness,
    and put on light.
    4And even I myself acquired members.
    In them there was nod sickness
    or affliction or suffering.
    5And abundantly helpful to me was the thought of the Lord,
    and his incorruptible fellowship.
    6And I was lifted up in the light,
    and I passed before his face.
    7And I was constantly near him,
    while praising and confessing him.
    8He caused my heart to overflow, and it was found in my mouth;
    and it sprang forth unto my lips.
    9Then upon my face increased the exultation of the Lord and his praise.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 22

     Christ Speaks
    1He who caused me to descend from on high,
    and to ascend from the regions below;
    2And he who gathers what is in the middle,
    and throws them to me;
    3He who scattered my enemies,
    and my adversaries;
    4He who gave me authority over chains,
    so that I might loosen them;
    5He who overthrew by my hands the dragon with seven heads,
    and placed me at his roots' that I might destroy his seed;
    6You were there and helped me,
    and in every place your name surrounded me.
    7Your right hand destroyed the evil poison,
    and your hand leveled the way for those who believe in you.
    8And it chose them from the graves,
    and separated them-from the dead ones.
    9It took dead bones
    and covered them with flesh.
    10But they were motionless,
    so it gave (them) energy for life.
    11Incorruptible was your way and your face;
    you have brought your world to corruption,
    that everything might be broken and renewed.
    12And the foundation of everything is your rock.
    And upon it you have built your kingdom,
    and it became the dwelling place of the holy ones.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 23

    1Joy is for the holy ones.
    And who will put it on but they alone?
    2Grace is for the elect ones.
    And who will receive it but they who trusted in it from the beginning?
    3Love is for the elect ones.
    And who will put it on but they who possessed it from the beginning?
    4Walk in the knowledge of the Lord
    and you will know the grace of the Lord generously;
    both for his exultation and for the perfection of his knowledge.
    5And his thought was like a letter,
    and his will descended from on high.
    6And it was sent from a bow like an arrow
    that has been forcibly shot.
    7And many hands rushed to the letter,
    in order to catch (it), then take and read it.
    8But it escaped from their fingers;
    and they were afraid of it and of the seal which was upon it.
    9Because they were not allowed to loosen its seal;
    for the power which was over the seal was better than they.
    10But those who saw the letter went after it;
    that they might know where it would land,
    and who should read it,
    and who should hear it.
    11But a wheel received it,
    and it (the letter) came over it.
    12And with it was a sign,
    of the Kingdom and of providence.
    13And everything which was disturbing to the wheel,
    it mowed it and cut it down.
    14And it restrained a multitude of adversaries;
    and bridged rivers.
    15And it crossed over (and) uprooted many forests,
    and made a wide way.
    16The head went down to the feet,
    because unto the feet ran the wheel,
    and whatever had come upon it.
    17The letter was one of command,
    and hence all regions were gathered together.
    18is And there appeared at its head, the Head which was revealed,
    even the Son of Truth from the Most High Father.
    19And he inherited and possessed everything,
    and then the scheming of the many ceased.
    20Then all the seducers became headstrong and fled;
    and the persecutors became extinct and were blotted out.
    21And the letter became a large volume,
    which was entirely written by the finger of God.
    22And the name of the Father was upon it;
    and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
    to rule for ever and ever.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 24

    1The dove fluttered over the head of our Lord Messiah,
    because he was her Head.
    2And she sang over him,
    and her voice was heard.
    3Then the inhabitants were afraid,
    and the foreigners were disturbed.
    4The bird began to fly,
    and every creeping thing died in its hole.
    5And the chasms were opened and closed;
    and they were seeking the Lord as those who arc about to give birth.
    6But he was not given to them for nourishment,
    because he did not belong to them.
    7But the chasms were submerged in the submersion of the Lord,
    and they perished in that thought with which they had remained from the beginning.
    8For they labored from the beginning;
    and the end of their labor was life.
    9And all of them who were lacking perished,
    because they were not able to express the word so that they might remain.
    10And the Lord destroyed the thoughts,
    of all those who had not the truth with them.
    11For they were lacking in wisdom,
    they who exalted themselves in their mind.
    12So they were rejected,
    because the truth was not with them.
    13For the Lord declared his way,
    and spread out his grace.
    14And those who recognized it
    knew his holiness.
     Hallelujah

    Ode 25

    1I was rescued from my chains,
    and I fled unto you, O my God.
    2Because you are the right hand of salvation,
    and my Helper.
    3You have restrained those who rise up against me,
    and they did not appear again.
    4Because your face was with me,
    which saved me by your grace.
    5But I was despised and rejected in the eyes of many,
    and I was in their eyes like lead.
    6And I acquired strength from you,
    and help.
    7A lamp you set for me both on my right and on my left,
    so that there might not be in me anything that is not light.
    8And I was covered with the covering of your spirit,
    and I removed from me my garments of skin.
    9Because your right hand raised me,
    and caused sickness to pass from me.
    10And I became mighty in your truth,
    and holy in your righteousness.
    11And all my adversaries' were afraid of me,
    and I became the Lord's by the name of the Lord.
    12And I was justified by his kindness,
    and his rest is for ever and ever.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 26

    1I poured out praise to the Lord,
    because I am his own.
    2And I will recite his holy ode,
    because my heart is with him.
    3For his harp is in my hand,
    and the odes of his rest shall not be silent.
    4I will call unto him with all my heart,
    I will praise and exalt him with all my members.
    5For from the East and unto the West
    is his praise;
    6Also from the South and unto the North
    is his thanksgiving.
    7Even from the peak of the summits and unto their end
    is his perfection.
    8Who can write the odes of the Lord,
    or who can read them?
    9Or who can train himself for life,
    so that he himself may be saved?
    10Or who can press upon the Most High,
    so that he would recite from his mouth?
    11Who can interpret the wonders of the Lord?
    Though he who interprets should perish,
    yet that which was interpreted will remain.
    12For it suffices to perceive and be satisfied,
    for the Odists stand in serenity;
    13Like a river which has an increasingly gushing spring,
    and flows to the relief of them that seek it.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 27

    1I extended my hands
    and hallowed my Lord;
    2For the expansion of my hands
    is his sign.
    3And my extension
    is the upright cross.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 28

    1As the wings of doves over their nestlings,
    and the mouths of their nestlings toward their mouths,
    so also are the wings of the Spirit over my heart.
    2My heart continually refreshes itself and leaps for joy,
    like the babe who leaps for joy in his mother's womb.
    3I trusted, consequently I was at rest;
    because trustful is he in whom I trusted.
    4He has greatly blessed me,
    and my head is with him.
    5And the dagger shall not divide me from him,
    nor the sword.
    6Because I am ready before destruction comes,
    and have been placed in his incorruptible arms.
    7And immortal life embraced me,
    and kissed me.
    8And from that (life) is the Spirit which is within me.
    And it cannot die because it is life.
     Christ Speaks
    9Those who saw me were amazed,
    because I was persecuted.
    10And they thought that I had been swallowed up,
    because I appeared to them as one of the lost.
    11But my defamation
    became my salvation.
    12And I became their abomination,
    because there was no jealousy in me.
    13Because I continually did good to every man
    I was hated.
    14And they surrounded me like mad dogs,
    those who in stupidity attack their masters.
    15Because their mind is depraved,
    and their sense is perverted.
    16But I was carrying water in my right hand,
    and their bitterness I endured by my sweetness.
    17And I did not perish, because I was not their brother,
    nor was my birth like theirs .
    18And they sought my death but were unsuccessful,
    because I was older than their memory;
    and in vain did they cast lots against me.
    19And those who were after me
    sought in vain to destroy the memorial of him
    who was before them.
    20Because the mind of the Most High cannot be prepossessed;
    and his heart is superior to all wisdom.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 29

    1The Lord is my hope,
    I shall not be ashamed in him.
    2For according to his praise he made me,
    and according to his grace even so he gave to me.
    3And according to his mercies he raised me,
    and according to his great honor he lifted me up.
    4And he caused me to ascend from the depths of Sheol,
    and from the mouth of Death he drew me.
    5And I humbled my enemies,
    and he justified me by his grace.
    6For I believed in the Lord's Messiah,
    and considered that he is the Lord.
    7And he declared to me his sign,
    and he led me by his light.
    8And he gave me the scepter of his power,
    that I might subdue the thoughts of the gentiles,
    and humble the strength of the mighty.
    9To make war by his word,
    and to take victory by his power.
    10And the Lord overthrew my enemy by his word;
    and he became like the dust which a breeze carries off.
    11And I gave praise to the Most High,
    because he has magnified his servant and the son of his maidservant.
    0Hallelujah.

    Ode 30

    1Fill for yourselves water from the living spring of the Lord,
    because it has been opened for you.
    2And come all you thirsty and take a drink,
    and rest beside the spring of the Lord.
    3Because it is pleasing and sparkling,
    and perpetually pleases the self.
    4For more refreshing is its water than honey,
    and the honeycomb of bees is not to be compared with it;
    5Because it flowed from the lips of the Lord,
    and it named from the heart of the Lord.
    6And it came boundless and invisible,
    and until it was set in the middle they knew it not.
    7Blessed are they who have drunk from it,
    and have rested by it.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 31

    1Chasms vanished before the Lord,
    and darkness was destroyed by his appearance.
    2Error erred and perished on account of him;
    and Contempt received no path,
    for it was submerged by the truth of the Lord.
    3He opened his mouth and spoke grace and joy;
    and recited a new chant to his name.
    4Then he raised his voice toward the Most High,
    and offered to him those that had become sons through him.
    5And his face was justified,
    because thus his Holy Father had given to him.
     Christ Speaks
    6Come forth, you who have been afflicted,
    and receive joy.
    7And possess yourselves through grace,
    and take unto you immortal life.
    8And they condemned me when I stood up,
    me who had not been condemned.
    9Then they divided my spoil,
    though nothing was owed them.
    10But I endured and held my peace and was silent,
    that I might not be disturbed by them.
    11But I stood undisturbed like a solid rock,
    which is continuously pounded by columns of waves and endures.
    12And I bore their bitterness because of humility;
    that I might save my nation and instruct it.
    13And that I might not nullify the promises to the patriarchs,
    to whom I was promised for the salvation of their offspring.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 32

    1To the blessed ones the joy is from their heart,
    and light from him who dwells in them;
    2And the Word from the truth who is self-originate,
    3Because he has been strengthened
    by the holy power of the Most High;
    and he is unshaken for ever and ever.
     Hallelujah

    Ode 33

    1But again Grace was swift and repudiated the Corruptor,
    and descended upon him to renounce him.
    2And he caused utter destruction before him,
    and corrupted all his construction.
    3And he stood on the peak of a summit and cried aloud
    from one end of the earth to the other.
    4Then he drew to him all those who obeyed him,
    ford he did not appear as the Evil One.
    5However the perfect Virgin stood,
    who was preaching and summoning' and saying:
    6O you sons of men, return,
    and you their daughters, come.
    7And abandon the ways of that Corruptor,
    and approach me.
    8And I will enter into you,
    and bring you forth from destruction,
    and make you wise in the ways of truth.
    9Be not corrupted
    nor perish.
    10Hear me and be saved,
    for I am proclaiming unto you the grace of God.
    11And through me you will be saved and become blessed.
    1 am your judge;
    12And they who have put me on will not be rejected,
    but they will possess incorruption in the new world.
    13My elect ones have walked with me,
    and my ways I shall make known to them who seek me;
    and I shall promise them my name.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 34

    1There is no hard way where there is a simple heart,
    nor barrier for upright thoughts,
    2Nor whirlwind in the depth of the enlightened thought.
    3Where one is surrounded entirely (by) pleasing country,
    there is nothing divided in him.
    4The likeness of that which is below
    is that which is above.
    5For everything is from above,
    and from below there is nothing,
    but it is considered to be by those in whom there is no understanding.
    6Grace has been revealed for your salvation.
    Believe and live and be saved.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 35

    1The sprinkling of the Lord overshadowed me with serenity,
    and it caused a cloud of peace to stand over my head;
    2That it might guard me at all times.
    And it became salvation to me.
    3Everyone was disturbed and afraid,
    and there flowed from them smoke and judgment.
    4But I was tranquil in the Lord's legion;
    more than shade was he to me, and more than foundation.
    5And I was carried like a child by its mother;
    and he gave me milk, the dew of the Lord.
    6And I grew strong in his favor,
    and rested in his perfection.
    7And I extended my hands in the ascent of myself,
    and 1 directed myself near the Most High,
    and I was saved near him.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 36

    1I rested on the Spirit of the Lord,
    and she raised me up to heaven;
    2And caused me to stand on my feet in the Lord's high place,
    before his perfection and his glory,
    where I continued praising (him) by the composition of his odes.
     Christ Speaks
    3(The Spirit) brought me forth before the Lord's face,
    and because I was the Son of Man,
    I was named the Light, the Son of God;
    4Because I was most praised among the praised;
    and the greatest among the great ones.
    5For according to the greatness of the Most High, so she made me;
    and according to his newness he renewed me.
    6And he anointed me with his perfection;
    and I became one of those who are near him.
    7And my mouth was opened like a cloud of dew,
    and my heart gushed forth (like) a gusher of righteousness.
    8And my approach was in peace,
    and I was established in the spirit of providence.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 37

    1I extended my hands toward the Lord,
    and toward the Most High I raised my voice.
    2And I spoke with the lips of my heart,
    and he heard me when my voice reached him.
    3His Word came toward me,
    that which gave me the fruits of my labors;
    4And gave me rest by the grace of the Lord.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 38

    1I went up into the light of Truth as into a chariot,
    and the Truth led me and caused me to come.
    2And caused me to pass over chasms and gulfs,
    and saved me from cliffs and valleys.
    3And became for me a haven of salvation,
    and set me on the place of immortal life.
    4And he went with me and caused me to rest and did not allow me to err;
    because he was and is the Truth.
    5And there was no danger for me because I constantly walked with him;
    and I did not err in anything because I obeyed him.
    6For Error fled from him,
    and never met him.
    7But Truth was proceeding on the upright way,
    and whatever I did not understand he declared to me:
    8All the drugs of error,
    and pains of death which are considered sweetness.
    9And the corrupting of the Corruptor,
    I saw when the Bride who was corrupting was adorned,
    and the Bridegroom who corrupts and is corrupted.
    10And I asked the Truth, Who are these?
    And he said to me: This is the Deceiver and the Error.
    11And they imitate the Beloved and his Bride,
    and they cause the world to err and corrupt it.
    12And they invite many to the wedding feast,
    and allowed them to drink the wine of their intoxication;
    13So they cause them to vomit up their wisdom and their knowledge,
    and make them senseless.
    14Then they abandon them;
    and so they stumble about like mad and corrupted men.
    15Since there is no understanding in them,
    neither do they seek it.
    16But I have been made wise so as not to fall into the hands of the deceivers,
    and I myself rejoiced because the Truth had gone with me.
    17For I was established and lived and was saved,
    and my foundations were laid on account of the Lord's hand;
    because he has planted me.
    18For he set the root,
    and watered it and adapted it and blessed it,
    and its fruits will be forever.
    19It penetrated deeply and sprang up and spread out,
    and it was full and was enlarged.
    20And the Lord alone was praised,
    in his planting' and in his cultivation;
    21In his care and in the blessing of his lips,
    in the beautiful planting of his right hand;
    22And in the attainment of his planting,
    and in the understanding of his mind.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 39

    1Raging rivers (are like) the power of the Lord;
    they bring headlong those who despise him.
    2And entangle their paths,
    and destroy their crossings.
    3And catch their bodies,
    and corrupt their natures.
    4For they are more swift than lightnings,
    even more rapid.
    5But those who cross them in faith
    shall not be disturbed.
    6And those who walk on them faultlessly
    shall not be shaken.
    7Because the sign on them is the Lord,
    and the sign is the Way for those who cross in the name of the Lord.
    8Therefore, put on the name of the Most High and know him,
    and you shall cross without danger;
    because the rivers shall be obedient to you.
    9The Lord has bridged them by his word,
    and he walked and crossed them on foot.
    10And his footsteps were standing firm upon the waters, and were not destroyed;
    but they are like a beam (of wood) that is constructed on truth.
    11On this side and on that the waves were lifted up,
    but the footsteps of our Lord Messiah were standing firm.
    12And they are neither blotted out,
    nor destroyed.
    13And the Way has been appointed for those who cross over after him,
    and for those who adhere to the path of his faith;
    and who adore his name.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 40

    1As honey drips from the honeycomb of bees,
    and milk flows from the woman who loves her children,
    so also is my hope upon you, O my God.
    2As a spring gushes forth its water,
    so my heart gushes forth the praise of the Lord,
    and my lips bring forth praise to him.
    3And my tongue becomes sweet by his anthems,
    and [my] me[mbe]rs are anointed by his odes.
    4My face rejoices in his exultation,
    and my spirit exults in his love,
    and my nature shines in him.
    5And he who is afraid will trust in him,
    and salvation will be established in him.
    6And his possession is immortal life,
    and those who receive it are incorruptible.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 41

    1Let all the Lord's babes praise him,
    and let usb receive the truth of his faith.
    2And his children shall be acknowledged by him,
    therefore let us sing by his love.
    3We live in the Lord by his grace,
    and life we receive by his Messiah.
    4For a great day has shined upon us,
    and wonderful is he who has given to use of his glory.
    5Let us, therefore, all of us agree in the name of the Lord,
    and let us honor him in his goodness.
    6And let our faces shine in his light,
    and let our hearts meditate in his love,
    by night and by day.
    7Let us exult with the exultation of the Lord.
     Christ Speaks
    8All those who see me will be amazed,
    because I am from another race.
    9For the Father of Truth remembered me;
    he who possessed me from the beginning.
    10For his riches begat me,
    and the thought of his heart.
     The Odist Speaks
    11And his Word is with us in all our way,
    the Savior who gives life and does not reject ourselves.
    12The Man who humbled himself,
    but was raised because of his own righteousness.
    13The Son of the Most High appeared
    in the perfection of his Father.
    14And light dawned from the Word
    that was before time in him.
    15The Messiah in truth is one.
    And he was known before the foundations of the world,
    that he might give life to persons forever by the truth of his name.
     Doxology
    16A new chant (is) for the Lord from them that love him.
     Hallelujah.

    Ode 42

    1I extended my hands and approached my Lord,
    because the stretching out of my hands is his sign.
    2And my extension is the common cross,
    that was lifted up on the way of the Righteous One.
     Christ Speaks
    3And I became useless to those who knew me [not],
    because I shall hide myself from those who possessed me not.
    4And I will be with those
    who love me.
    5All my persecutors have died,
    and they who trusted in me sought me, because 1 am living.
    6Then I arose and am with them,
    and will speak by their mouths.
    7For they have rejected those who persecute them;
    and 1 threw over them the yoke of my love.
    8Like the arm of the bridegroom over the bride,
    so is my yoke over those who know me.
    9And as the bridal feast is spread out by the bridal pair's home,
    so is my love by those who believe in me.
    10I was not rejected although I was considered to be so,
    and I did not perish although they thought it of me.
    11Sheol saw me and was shattered,
    and Death ejected me and many with me.
    12I have been vinegar and bitterness to it,
    and I went down with it as far as its depth.
    13Then the feet and the head it released,
    because it was8 not able to endure my face.
    14And I made a congregation of living among his dead;
    and I spoke with them by living lips;
    in order that my word may not fail.
    15And those who had died ran toward me;
    and they cried out and said, "Son of God, have pity on us.
    16"And deal with us according to your kindness,
    and bring us out from the chains of darkness.
    17"And open for us the door
    by which we may go forth to you,
    for we perceive that our death does not approach you.
    18"May we also be saved with you,
    because you are our Savior."
    19Then 1 heard their voice,
    and placed their faith in my heart.
    20And I placed my name upon their head,
    because they are free and they are mine.
     Doxology
     Hallelujah.