Odes of Solomon

tr. Harris, 1911

Chapter 6

¹As the hand¹ moves over the harp, and the strings speak, ²so speaks in my members the Spirit of the Lord, and I speak by His love. ³For it destroys what is foreign, and everything that is bitter²: ⁴for thus it was from the beginning and will be to the end, that nothing should be His adversary, and nothing should stand up against Him. ⁵The Lord has multiplied the knowledge of Himself, and is zealous ³that these things should be known, which by His grace have been given to us³. ⁶And the praise of His name He gave us⁴: our spirits praise His holy Spirit. ⁷For there went forth a stream and became a river great and broad; ⁸for it flooded and broke up everything and it brought [water] to the Temple⁵: ⁹and the restrainers of the children of men were not able to restrain it, nor the arts of those whose business it is to restrain waters; ¹⁰for it spread over the face of the whole earth, and filled everything: ⁶and all the thirsty upon earth were given to drink of it⁶; ¹¹and thirst was relieved and quenched: for from the Most High the draught was given. ¹²Blessed then are the ministers of that draught who are entrusted with that water of His: ¹³they have assuaged the dry lips, ⁷and the will that had fainted they have raised up; ¹⁴and souls that were near departing they have caught back from death⁷: ¹⁵and limbs that had fallen they straightened and set up: ¹⁶they gave strength for their feebleness⁸ and light to their eyes: ¹⁷for everyone knew them in the Lord, and they lived by the water of life⁹ for ever. Hallelujah.

Notes

Or perhaps plectrum.
Cod. and everything is of the Lord.
1 Cor. ii. 12.
lit. His praise He gave us to His name.
i.e. the temple at Jerusalem. Schmidt: ‘wandte sich gegen den Tempel.’
Schmidt: es tranken, die sich auf dem trockenen Sande befinden. Cf. Is. xxxv. 1.
Schmidt: ‘Herzensfreude haben empfangen die Entkräfteten. Sie haben Seelen erfasst, indem sie den Hauch hineinstiessen, dass sie nicht stürben.’
Cod. ex errore ‘for their coming.’
lit. by living water.