The Shabaka Stone
The Shabaka Stone is 92 x 137 cm in size. It has 62 vertical columns of text and 2 horizontal columns which rest across the top. Of the 62 vertical columns 23 have been worn away. The stone, before it was recognized for its value and rescued, was being used as a millstone resulting in the destruction of most of the text in the center of the stone.
Translation
The living Heru; Who prospers the Two Lands; the Two Ladies: Who prospers the Two Lands; the Golden Heru: Who prospers the Two Lands; King of Upper and Lower Chem: Neferkare; the Son of Re: Sha[baka], beloved of Ptah-South-of-his-Wall, who lives like Re forever.
This writing was copied out anew by his majesty in the house of his father Ptah-South-of-his-Wall, for his majesty found it to be a work of the ancestors which was worm-eaten, so that it could not be understood from the beginning to end. His majesty copied it anew so that it became better than it had been before, in order that his name might endure and his monument last in the House of his father Ptah-South-of-his-Wall throughout eternity, as a work done by the son of Re [Shabaka] for his father Ptah-Tatenen, so that he might live forever.
--- [King of Upper and Lower Chem] is this Ptah, who is called the great name: [Ta-te]nen [South-of-his-Wall, Lord of eternity] ---. --- [the joiner] of Upper and Lower Chem is he, this uniter who arose as king of Upper Chem and arose as king of Lower Chem. --- --- "self-begotten," so says Atum: "who created the Nine Neteru."
[Geb, lord of the gods, commanded] that the Nine Neteru gather to him. He judged between Heru and Seth; he ended their quarrel. He made Seth the king of Upper Chem in the land of Upper Chem, up to the place in which he was born, which is Su. And Geb made Heru King of Lower Chem in the land of Lower Chem, up to the place in which his father was drowned which is "Division-of-the-Two-Lands." Thus Heru stood over one region, and Seth stood over one region. They made peace over the Two Lands at Ayan. That was the division of the Two Lands.
Geb's words to Seth: "Go to the place in which you were born." Seth: Upper Chem. Geb's words to Heru: "Go to the place in which your father was drowned." Heru: Lower Chem. Geb's words to Heru and Seth: "I have separated you." --- Lower and Upper Chem.
Then it seemed wrong to Geb that the portion of Heru was like the portion of Seth. So Geb gave Heru his inheritance, for he is the son of his firstborn son.
Geb's words to the Nine Neteru: "I have appointed Heru, the firstborn."Geb's words to the Nine Neteru: "Him alone, Heru, the inheritance." Geb's words to the Nine Neteru: "To his heir, Heru, my inheritance." Geb's words to the Nine Neteru: "To the son of my son, Heru, the Jackal of Upper Chem --- Geb's words to the Nine Neteru: "The firstborn, Heru, the Opener-of-the-ways." Geb's words to the Nine Neteru: "The son who was born --- Heru, on the Birthday of the Opener-of-the-ways."
Then Heru stood over the land. He is the uniter of this land, proclaimed in the great name: Ta-tenen, South-of-his-Wall, Lord of Eternity. Then sprouted the two Great Magicians upon his head. He is Heru who arose as king of Upper and Lower Chem, who united the Two Lands in the Nome of the Wall, the place in which the Two Lands were united.
Reed and papyrus were placed on the double door of the House of Ptah. That means Heru and Seth, pacified and united. They fraternized so as to cease quarrelling in whatever place they might be, being united in the House of Ptah, the "Balance of the Two Lands" in which Upper and Lower Chem had been weighed.
This is the land ------the burial of Ausar in the House of Sokar. ------ Auset and Nebt-het without delay, for Ausar had drowned in his water. Auset [and Nebt-het] looked out, [beheld him and attended to him]. Heru speaks to Auset and nephthys: "Hurry, grasp him ---." Auset and Nebt-het speak to Ausar: "We come, we take you ---."
------ [They heeded in time] and brought him to [land. He entered the hidden portals in the glory of the lords of eternity]. -------. [Thus Ausar came into] the earth at the royal fortress, to the north of [the land to which he had come. And his son Heru arose as king of Upper Chem, arose as king of Lower Chem, in the embrace of his father Ausar and of the gods in front of him and behind him.]
There was built the royal fortress [at the command of Geb ---]. Geb speaks to Tehuti: ------ Geb speaks to Tehuti: ------. -------. [Geb] speaks to Auset: -------- Auset causes {Heru and Seth to come. Auset speaks to Heru and Seth: "[Come] ----------- ."Auset Speaks to Heru and Seth: "Make peace -------." Auset speaks to Heru and Seth: "Life will be pleasant for you when -------." Auset speaks to Heru and Seth: "It is he who dries your tears -------." -------. -------.
The Gods who came into being in Ptah:
Ptah-on-the-great-throne --------.
Ptah-Nun, the father who [made] Atum.
Ptah-Naunet, the mother who bore Atum.
Ptah-the-Great is heart and tongue of the Nine [Gods].
[Ptah] ---------- who bore the gods.
[Ptah] ---------- who bore the gods.
[Ptah] ----------.
[Ptah] ---------- Nefertem at the nose of Re every day.
There took shape in the heart, there took shape on the tongue the form of Atum. For the very great one is Ptah, who gave [life] to all the gods and their kas through this heart and through this tongue, in which Heru had taken shape as Ptah, in which Tehuti had taken shape as Ptah.
Notation: An alternative to the above paragraph might read: Heart took shape in the form of Atum. Tongue took shape in the form of Atum. It is Ptah, the very great, who has given [life] to all the gods and their kas through this heart and through this tongue, from which Heru had come forth as Ptah, from which Tehuti had come forth as Ptah.
Thus heart and tongue rule over all the limbs in accordance with the teaching that it (the heart, or: he, Ptah) is in every body and it (the tongue, or: he Ptah) is in every mouth of all gods, all men, all cattle, all creeping things, whatever lives, thinking whatever it (or:he) wishes and commanding whatever it (or:he) wishes.
His (Ptah's) Ennead is before him as teeth and lips. They are the semen and the hands of Atum. For the Ennead of Atum came into being through his semen and his fingers. But the Ennead is the teeth and the lips in this mouth which pronounced the name of every thing, from which Shu and Tefnut came forth, and which gave birth to the Ennead.
Sight, hearing, breathing--they report to the heart, and it makes every understanding come forth. As to the tongue, it repeats what the heart has devised. Thus all the gods were born and his Ennead was completed. For every word of the god came about through what the heart devised and the tongue commanded.
Thus all the faculties were made and all the qualities determined, they that make all foods and all provisions, through this word. to him who does what is loved, to him who does what is hated. Thus life is given to the peaceful and death is given to the criminal. Thus all labor, all crafts are made, the action of the hands, the motion of the legs, the movements of all the limbs, according to this command which is devised by the heart and comes forth on the tongue and creates the performance of every thing.
(Thus it is said of Ptah: "He who made all and created the gods." And he is Ta-tenen, who gave birth to the gods, and from whom everything came forth, foods, provisions, divine offerings, all good things. Thus is recognized and understood that he is the mightiest of the gods. Thus Ptah was satisfied after he had made all things and all divine words.
He gave birth to the gods,
He made the towns,
He established the nomes,
He placed the gods in their shrines,
He settled their offerings,
He established their shrines,
He made their bodies according to their wishes.
Thus the gods entered into their bodies,
Of every wood, every stone, every clay,
Every thing that grows upon him
In which they came to be.
Thus were gathered to him all the gods and their kas,
Content, united with the Lord of the Two Lands.
The Great Throne that gives joy to the heart of the gods in the House of Ptah is the granary of Ta-tenen, the mistress of all life, through which the sustenance of the Two Lands is Provided, owing to the fact that Ausar was drowned in his water. Auset and Nebt-het looked out, beheld him, and attended to him. Heru quickly commanded Auset and Nebt-het to grasp Ausar and prevent his drowning (i.e., submerging). They heeded in time and brought him to land. He entered the hidden portals in the glory of the lords of eternity, in the steps of him who rises in the horizon, on the ways of Re the Great Throne. He entered the palace and joined the gods of Ta-tenen Ptah, lord of years.
Thus Ausar came into the earth at the Royal Fortress, to the north of the land to which he had come. his son Heru arose as king of Upper Chem, arose as king of Lower Chem, in the embrace of his father Ausar and of the gods in front of him and behind him. _____________________
Nine Gods = Nine Neteru
Thoth = Tehuti
Egypt = Chem, Kemet Horus = Heru, Hru
Osiris = Ausar, Asr Nephthys = Nebt-Het
Isis = Auset, Ast
