Part 13

Said he to her, Well (done) Maria. Added also Jesus, said he to his disciples [82^b]. It happened therefore also after these (things), having oppressed the Pistis Sophia in the Chaos, the emanations of the Self-willed, she said the ninth Repentance, saying, O Light, Smite those who took away my power from me, and take away the power of those who took away mine from me, because I am thy power with thy light. Come and deliver me. Let a great darkness cover over those who oppress me. Say to my power, I am he who will deliver thee. Let them be diminished of their power, all these who wish to take away my light from me altogether. Let them turn them unto the Chaos, and let them be powerless, those who wish to take away my light from me altogether. Let their power become as dust, and let smite them Ieou thy [83^a] angel; and whenever they should set out to come unto the Height, let darkness catch them, and let them slide down, and let them turn them unto the Chaos. And let persecute them Ieou thy angel, and send them unto the darkness below. Because they ensnared me with a power of face of lion, I having not done evil to them, this (power) from which they will take away its light: they oppressed the power which (is) in me, this which they will not be able to take away. Now therefore, O Light, take away the purgations of the light of the power of face of lion, it having not known: and the thought which thought the Self-willed to take away my light, take away his own also; and let them take away the light of the power of face of lion, this which ensnareth me. My power itself will be cheerful in the light, and it will rejoice because thou wilt deliver it. And will say all parts of my power, There is not other deliverer except thee; because thou [83^b] art he who will deliver me from the power of face of lion, this which took away my power and my light from me, and thou art he who delivereth me from those who took away my power from me with my light. Because they stood against me, lying about me and saying, I know the mystery of the Light which (is) in the Height, this which I believed, and they compelled me, saying, Say unto us the mystery of the Light which is in the Height, this indeed which I know not. And they repaid to me all these evils, because that I believed the Light of the Height. And they made my power lightless. But I, they having compelled me, I sat down in the darkness, my soul being humbled in a lamentation. And, O Light, because of whom I hymn up unto thee, Deliver me. I know that thou wilt deliver me, because that I was doing thy wish since [84^a] becoming in my Aeon. I was doing thy wish as the Invisibles who become in my Place, and as my partner, and I was lamenting, gazing, seeking after thy Light. Now therefore surrounded me all the emanations of the Self-willed, and they rejoiced over me, and they oppressed me greatly, while I know not (the cause?). And they ran (away) they ceased from me, and they had not mercy upon me, they turned (back) also, they tempted me, and they oppressed me in the great oppression: they gnashed their teeth at me, wishing to take away my light from me altogether. How long therefore, O Light, art thou bearing with them oppressing me? Deliver my power out of their evil thoughts, and deliver me from the power of face of lion, because I alone among the Invisibles am that which becometh in this [84^b] Place. I shall hymn unto thee, O Light, being in the midst of all those who collected unto me, and I shall cry up at thee in the midst of all those who oppress me. Now therefore, O Light, let not rejoice at me those who hate me, and who wish to take away my power from me, these who hate me; who move their eyes at me, I having not done anything to them. Because they were flattering me indeed in words fair, seeking from me the mysteries of the Light, these which I know not; saying unto me, being crafty unto me, and being angry with me because I believed the Light which (is) in the Height. They opened their mouth against me, said they, Yea, we shall take away her light. Now therefore, O Light, thou knewest their guile. Bear not with them, and let not thy help be far away [85^a] from me. Hasten, O Light. Do my judgment with my avenging, and give judgment unto me in thy goodness. Now therefore, O Light of the Lights, let them not take away my light from me, and let them not say within them, Our power was satisfied with her light, and let them not say, (We) swallowed (down) her power, but let darkness rather come upon them, and let them be powerless, those who wish to take away my light from me: and let them clothe them with Chaos and darkness, those who say, We shall take away her light with her power. Now therefore deliver me that I may rejoice, because I wish for the thirteenth Aeon the Place of the righteousness. And I shall say at every time, Shall make more light the light of Ieou thy angel, because I long for the light, [85^b] and my tongue will hymn unto thee in thy knowledge in all my time in the thirteenth Aeon.

It happened, Jesus having finished saying these words unto his disciples, said he to them, He who is sober among you, let him utter their explanation. Came forward Iakobos. He kissed the breast of Jesus, said he, My Lord, was sober in me thy spirit, and I am ready to utter their explanation. Concerning this indeed thy power prophesied once by David in the thirty-fourth psalm, saying thus concerning the ninth repentance of the Pistis Sophia. Give judgment, O Lord, unto those who illtreat me, fight with those who fight with me: lay hold on a weapon with a shield and arise to help me. Draw out a sword [86^a] and shut off (the way) in the presence of those who afflict me. Say to my soul, I am thy salvation: let them be ashamed and be disgraced those who seek after my soul. Let them turn them back and be ashamed those who think unto me evil (things). Let them be as the dust before a wind and the angel of the Lord persecuting them. Let their road become darkness and slippery and the angel of the Lord afflicting them. Because they hid unto me a snare without cause unto their own destruction. And they reproached my soul with that which is vain. Let come to them the snare which they know not, and let seize them the trap which they hid for me, and they will fall into this snare. But my soul will be glad over the Lord, and [86^b] it will be cheerful over its salvation. All my bones will say, O Lord, who is he who will be able to be like thee? Thou savest the poor (one) from the hand of him who is stronger than he, and thou deliverest a poor (one) with a miserable (one) from those who spoil him. Arose witnesses of violence; they questioned me about the things which I know not: they repaid to me evil (things) instead of good, (things) and childlessness to my soul. But I, they having annoyed me, I clothed me with a sackcloth and I humbled my soul in a fasting, my prayer will turn (back) into my bosom. I was pleasing to thee, as he who is my neighbour, and as my brother; and I humbled my(self) as he who lamenteth, and as he who mourneth. They delighted [87^a] over me, and they were ashamed. Scourges collected upon me, and I knew not. They were separated, and they were not pained at heart. They tempted me and they derided me in derision, they gnashed their teeth upon me. O Lord, when wilt thou look upon me? Set up my soul out of their evil works, and deliver mine only sonship from the lions. I shall manifest to thee, O Lord, in a congregation which is many, and I shall bless thee in a people which hath not number. Let them not rejoice at me, those who are enemies unto me in violence, those who hate me without a cause, and they are winking with their eyes. Because I indeed, they are wont to speak with me in words of peace, and they are [87^b] wont to think in anger in guiles. They widened their mouth upon me, and they said, Well (done) our eyes were full of sight of him. Thou sawest, O Lord. Be not silent, O Lord, withdraw not thee from me. Arise, O Lord, and give heed unto my judgment. Give heed unto my avenging, my God and my Lord. Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness: let them not rejoice at me, my God, nor let them say, Well (done), our soul! Let them not say, We swallowed him (up). Let them be ashamed and be disgraced together, those who rejoice over my evil. Let them clothe them with shame with disgrace, those who say great words against me. Let them be glad and be joyful, those who wish my righteousness [88^a] and let them say, Let the Lord be great and be exalted. Let them be exalted, those who wish the peace of his servant. My tongue will be glad for thy righteousness with thy honour in all the day.

These therefore having said them Iakobos, said he Jesus, Well (and) fairly (done), Iakobos: this is the explanation of the ninth repentance of the Pistis Sophia. Amen, amen I say to you, Ye will be first in unto the kingdom of the heavens before all the Invisibles with all the Gods with all the Rulers, these which become in the thirteenth Aeon and in the twelve Aeons. But ye, not ye alone, [88^b] but every one also who will do my mysteries. But these having said them, said he to them, Understand ye in what manner I am speaking with you? Sprang up again Mariham, said she, Yea, O Lord, This is that which thou saidst to us once, The last (ones) will be first, and the first (will) be last. The first (ones) therefore (are those) whom they fashioned before us, the Invisibles. Since they it is, who became before the mankind, they with the Rulers, and the men who will receive mysteries, will be first (before) them in unto the kingdom of the heavens. Said he to her Jesus, Well (done), Mariham. Added also Jesus, said he to his disciples, It happened therefore, she having uttered [89^a] the ninth repentance the Pistis Sophia, oppressed her again the power of face of lion, wishing to take away every power from her. She cried also up unto the Light, saying, O Light, whom I believed from at first, because of whom I suffered these great tribulations, help me. And they accepted from her her repentance at that hour: heard her the First Mystery and they dispatched me by his command, I came to help her, I brought her up from the Chaos, because she repented, and also because that she believed the Light, she suffered these great tribulations with these great dangers, (she was deceived) by the Self-willed God, and she was not deceived by any work except [89^b] by a power of light, because of the likeness to the light which she believed. Because of this therefore they dispatched me by the command of the First Mystery for me to help her in concealment: but that I should not yet come unto the Place of the Aeons altogether. But I came out of all their midst, not any power knew (it), neither those of the inward part of the inward parts, nor those of the outward part of the outward, except the First Mystery only.

It happened therefore, I having come unto the Chaos to help her, she saw me, I being comprehensible and enlightening greatly, becoming in mercifulness toward her. For I was not being self-willed as the power of face of lion, this which took away the power of light from the Sophia, and also this which oppressed her to take away all the light which (is) in her. [90^a] Saw therefore me enlightening, the Sophia, more than the power of face of lion a number of ten thousand times, and I am becoming in great mercifulness toward her. And she knew that I am out of the Height of the Heights, this whose light she believed from at first. Was confident of heart the Pistis Sophia, and she said the tenth Repentance, saying, I cried up unto thee, O Light of the Lights, in my being oppressed, thou heardest me. O Light, deliver my power out of lips of violence and the unlawful, and out of snares of guile, O Light, that which they will take away from me by a snare of guile, they would not have brought it to thee. For the snares of the Self-willed are spread abroad and with the traps of the unmerciful (ones). Woe [90^b] to me indeed, because my place of dwelling was distant, and I became in the places of dwelling of the Chaos: my power became in Places which are not mine; and I flattered those unmerciful (ones): and whenever I should flatter them they are wont to fight against me without a cause. These therefore Jesus having said them to his disciples, said he to them, Now therefore he whose spirit moveth him, let him come forward and say the explanation of the tenth repentance of the Pistis Sophia.

Answered Petros, said he, O Lord, concerning this also thy power of light prophesied by David once, saying in the hundred and nineteenth psalm, I cried up unto thee, O Lord, in my being oppressed, thou heardest me, O Lord, deliver my soul [91^a] out of lips of violence and from a tongue of guile. What will they give to thee, and what will they add unto thee with a tongue of guile? The arrows of the strong one are sharp with the coals of the desert. Woe to me because my place of dwelling became far away. I dwelt in the places of dwelling of Kedar. My soul was made sojourner in a multitude of places. I was being peaceable with those who hate the peace, whenever I should speak with them they are wont to fight with me without a cause. This therefore now, O Lord, is the explanation of the tenth repentance of the Pistis Sophia, that which she said while are oppressing her the material emanations of the Self-willed, they with his power of face of lion afflicted her greatly. Said he [91^b] to him Jesus, Well (done) Petros and fairly (said). This is the explanation of the tenth repentance of the Pistis Sophia.

Added also Jesus in the word, said he to his disciples, It happened therefore, having seen me the power of face of lion, I having come near unto the Pistis Sophia enlightening greatly, it was angry unto the more, and it emanated out of it other multitudes of emanations being fierce greatly. These therefore having become, said the eleventh Repentance the Pistis Sophia saying, Why exalted itself the power of the strong (one) among evils? Its thought is taking away the light from me at every time; and as iron they are cutting, [92^a] they took away a power from me. I loved to come down unto the Chaos, more than to remain in the Place of the thirteenth Aeon the Place of the righteousness; and they wished to take me by guile, for to swallow down all my light. Because of this therefore the Light will take away all their light, and (will) be overthrown all their other matter and it will take away their light, and not let them dwell in the thirteenth Aeon their place of dwelling, and not leave their name in the Place of those who will live: and will see the (things) which happened to thee O power of face of lion, the twenty-four emanations, and they (will) fear and not be disobedient, but they (will) give up the purgation of their light, and they will see thee, and (will) rejoice over thee, and (will) say, Behold, an emanation [92^b] which did not give up the purgation of its light, that it should be delivered, but it boasteth itself in the multitude of the light of its power, because that it did not emanate out of the power which is in it, and it said, I shall take away the light of the Pistis Sophia, this which they will not take from her. Now therefore he whose power was exalted in him let him come forward and utter the explanation of the eleventh repentance of the Pistis Sophia.

Then came forward Salome, said she, My Lord, concerning this thy power of light prophesied once by David, saying in the fiftieth with one psalm, Why doth the powerful boast himself in his wickedness? Thy tongue meditateth the violence all the day; as a razor [93^a] being sharp thou didst beguile. Thou lovedst the evil more than the good. Thou lovedst the violence more than speaking of the righteousness. Thou lovedst all the words of the deceit with a tongue of guile. Because of this God will overthrow thee for ever, he will pluck thee up, and he (will) drag thee out of thy abode: and he will tear (away) thy root, and he (will) cast it outside of those who live. Diapsalma. The righteous will see and they (will) fear and they will mock at him and they (will) say, Behold a man who put not God to him for helper. But he trusted upon his wealth which is much, and he presumed upon his vanity. But I, I am being as a tree of olive yielder of fruit in the house of the God, I trusted unto the mercy of God even unto age of the age. [93^b] And I shall manifest to thee because thou workedst with me, and I have patience upon thy name because kind it is in presence of thy holy (ones). This therefore now, my Lord, is the explanation of the eleventh repentance of the Pistis Sophia, thy power of light having moved me, I said it according to thy wish.