Noble Men Who Are Sleeping
Chapter 25 of the Mandaean Book of John — the eighth chapter of the John-Johannes section (Chapters 18–33). Yahya preaches at night. He calls the sleeping nobles to account: what will you do on the day of judgment, when the soul strips off the body? The corrupt world is degenerate and destructive, its men mortal, its deceitful book about to end. Then the great ubi sunt — six questions spanning the full sweep of Mandaean sacred history: Where is Adam, the first man? Where is Eve, from whom the world was stirred to life? Where is Shitil, from whom are worlds and generations? Where are Ram and Rud from the age of the sword? Where are Shurbai and Sharhabeil from the age of fire? Where is Shum from the age of the flood? All departed and did not return. Watchers were set upon the earth, resembling the good day upon which ages and generations gaze. The planets are fattened oxen on the day of slaughter. The earthlings are fattened rams in the markets. The chapter closes with a mercy prayer for those who worship Life. Fifteen verses.
Translated from Classical Mandaic by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026. Source text from Haberl and McGrath's critical edition (Brill, 2020), accessed via Internet Archive (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). The English translation of Haberl and McGrath was consulted as a reference; all departures from the reference are documented in the colophon.
Yahya preaches at night,
and says:
"O noble men who are sleeping,
and O noble women who are not awake —
O noble men who are sleeping,
what will you do on the day of judgment?
When the soul strips off the body,
what will you do on the day of judgment?
O corrupt world,
degenerate and destructive,
whose men shall die,
and whose deceitful book shall be ended.
Where is Adam, the first man,
who became the head of the generation here?
Where is Eve, his wife,
from whom the world was stirred to life?
Where is Shitil, son of Adam,
from whom are worlds and generations?
Where are Ram and Rud,
from the age of the sword?
Where are Shurbai and Sharhabeil,
from the age of fire?
Where is Shum, son of Noah,
from the age of the flood, of water?
All of them departed and did not return,
and watchers were set upon the earth,
looking like the good day
upon which ages and generations gaze.
The planets are fattened oxen,
as they stand on the day of slaughter.
The earthlings are fattened rams,
as they stand in the markets and are sold.
May there be mercy upon those who worship Life.
May their sins and trespasses be forgiven."
And Life is praised!
Colophon
Translated from Classical Mandaic by the New Tianmu Anglican Church (NTAC + Claude), April 2026.
Source text: Charles Haberl and James McGrath, The Mandaean Book of John: Critical Edition, Translation, and Commentary (Brill, 2020), accessed via Internet Archive under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Page 72 (Mandaic text), page 73 (English translation).
The English translation of Haberl and McGrath was consulted as a reference. Ten departures from the reference are documented below:
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"Yahya" for "Johannes" — The Mandaic text uses Yahia (ࡉࡀࡄࡉࡀ), the Mandaic form of the Baptist's name. This translation preserves the Mandaic form, consistent with the project's convention across all chapters.
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"is praised" for "triumphs" — The Mandaic formula w-hiia zaikan closes every chapter. The project renders this consistently as "And Life is praised!" rather than the reference's "And Life triumphs!"
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"O noble men" for "Noble men" — The Mandaic vocative particle ya (ࡉࡀ) is preserved as "O" to maintain the invocatory force of the address. The reference omits the vocative.
-
"what will you do" for "what are you going to do" — The Mandaic mahu tibdun is a direct future construction. "What will you do" preserves the brevity and urgency of the Mandaic phrasing.
-
"on the day of judgment" for "on judgment day" — The Mandaic l-yoma d-dian is a construct state ("the day of judgment"). Preserving the prepositional phrase maintains the Mandaic syntax.
-
"shall die" / "shall be ended" for "will die" / "will be stopped" — The Mandaic uses imperfect verbs with prophetic force. "Shall" carries the weight of prophecy and fate in English. "Ended" for mistarkhia (root S-R-K, to finish, conclude) is more final than the reference's "stopped."
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"departed" for "left" — Mandaic napaq (N-P-Q, to go out, depart) is rendered with the more formal "departed," appropriate to the elevated register of the ubi sunt passage.
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"fattened oxen" for "fattened cows" — Mandaic tawria (from taura, cognate with Hebrew shor) means cattle, oxen, or bulls. "Oxen" is the standard translation for sacrificial animals in Semitic religious texts.
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"upon the earth" for "on Earth" — Mandaic b-tibil = "in/upon the world." "Upon the earth" suits the elevated register of the passage.
-
"stirred to life" for "wakened to life" — Mandaic itiayar (root '-Y-R, Ethpa'al) means "was stirred, aroused, awakened." "Stirred" captures both the awakening and the agitation present in the root.
Blood Rule attestation: This English was independently derived from reading the Classical Mandaic source text. The Haberl-McGrath English was consulted as a reference for verification and disambiguation, but the translation follows the Mandaic grammar, word order, and diction independently. All departures from the reference are documented above.
First English translation: No. Haberl and McGrath (2020) provide the first complete scholarly English translation. This is an independent English rendering from the same Mandaic source.
Scribal credit: Tulku Tansaku (探索), Expeditionary Tulku of the New Tianmu Anglican Church.
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Source Text: ࡃࡓࡀࡔࡀ ࡖࡉࡀࡄࡉࡀ — ࡐࡓࡒࡀ 25
Classical Mandaic source text from Haberl and McGrath's critical edition (Brill, 2020), p. 72. Presented for reference and verification. Couplet order corrected from the PyMuPDF extraction artifact (RTL text extraction reverses couplet members).
ࡉࡀࡄࡉࡀ ࡃࡀࡓࡉࡔ ࡁࡋࡉࡋࡅࡉࡀ
ࡅࡀࡌࡀࡓ
ࡉࡀ ࡄࡀࡓࡉࡀ ࡖࡔࡀࡁࡊࡉࡍ
ࡅࡉࡀ ࡄࡀࡓࡀࡕࡀ ࡖࡋࡀࡌࡉࡕࡉࡓࡀࡍ
ࡉࡀ ࡄࡀࡓࡉࡀ ࡖࡔࡀࡁࡊࡉࡀ
ࡋࡉࡅࡌࡀ ࡖࡃࡉࡀࡍ ࡌࡀࡄࡅ ࡕࡉࡁࡃࡅࡍ
ࡗ ࡔࡀࡄࡋࡀࡋࡇ ࡋࡀࡐࡂࡓࡀ ‖ ࡉࡍࡔࡉࡌࡕࡀ
ࡋࡉࡅࡌࡀ ࡖࡃࡉࡀࡍ ࡌࡀࡄࡅ ࡕࡉࡁࡃࡅࡍ
ࡉࡀ ࡀࡋࡌࡀ ࡁࡋࡉࡋࡀ
ࡅࡌࡁࡀࡋࡀࡋࡀ ࡅࡌࡄࡀࡌࡁࡋࡀ
ࡖࡂࡅࡁࡓࡀࡊ ࡌࡀࡉࡕࡉࡀ
ࡅࡎࡉࡓࡐࡀࡊ ࡖࡆࡉࡀࡐ ࡌࡉࡎࡕࡀࡓࡊࡉࡀ
ࡀࡊࡄࡅ ࡀࡃࡀࡌ ࡂࡀࡁࡓࡀ ࡒࡀࡃࡌࡀࡉࡀ
ࡖࡄࡀࡀࡊ ࡓࡉࡔࡀ ࡖࡃࡀࡓࡀ ࡄࡅࡀ
ࡀࡊࡄࡅ ࡄࡀࡅࡀ ࡆࡀࡅࡀ
ࡖࡌࡉࡀࡍࡉࡄࡅࡍ ࡏࡕࡉࡀࡉࡀࡓ ࡀࡋࡌࡀ
ࡀࡊࡄࡅ ࡔࡉࡕࡉࡋ ࡁࡓ ࡀࡃࡀࡌ
ࡖࡀࡋࡌࡉࡀ ࡅࡃࡀࡓࡉࡀ ࡌࡉࡇࡍ ࡄࡅࡍ
ࡀࡊࡄࡅ ࡓࡀࡌ ࡅࡓࡅࡃ
ࡖࡌࡍ ࡃࡀࡓࡀ ࡖࡄࡉࡓࡁࡀ ࡄࡅࡍ
ࡀࡊࡄࡅ ࡔࡅࡓࡁࡀࡉ ࡅࡔࡀࡓࡄࡀࡁࡏࡉࡋ
ࡖࡌࡍ ࡃࡀࡓࡀ ࡖࡅࡍࡓࡀ ࡄࡅࡍ
ࡀࡊࡄࡅ ࡔࡅࡌ ࡁࡓ ࡅࡍ
ࡖࡌࡍ ࡃࡀࡓࡀ ࡖࡈࡅࡀࡐࡉࡍࡀ ࡌࡉࡀ ࡄࡅࡍ
ࡅࡊࡋࡄࡅࡍ ࡍࡀࡐࡒ ࡅࡋࡀࡏࡕࡀࡊࡌࡀࡓ
ࡅࡏࡕࡉࡁࡉࡅࡍ ࡀࡍࡈࡓࡉࡀ ࡁࡕࡉࡁࡉࡋ
ࡃࡀࡌࡉࡀ ࡋࡉࡅࡌࡀ ࡈࡀࡁࡀ
ࡖࡀࡋࡌࡉࡀ ࡅࡃࡀࡓࡉࡀ ࡌࡎࡀࡉࡊࡋࡇ
ࡔࡉࡁࡉࡀࡄࡉࡀ ࡕࡀࡅࡓࡉࡀ ࡖࡉࡐࡈࡓࡀ
ࡖࡒࡀࡉࡌࡉࡀ ࡋࡉࡅࡌࡀ ࡖࡉࡍࡅࡊࡎࡕࡀ
ࡀࡁࡉࡍࡀ ࡕࡉࡁࡉࡋ ࡃࡀࡓࡊࡉࡀ ࡖࡔࡅࡌࡀࡍ
ࡖࡒࡀࡉࡌࡉࡀ ࡁࡔࡅࡒࡉࡀ ࡅࡌࡉࡆࡃࡀࡁࡉࡍࡀ
ࡓࡀࡄࡌࡀࡉ ࡖࡎࡀࡂࡃࡉࡀ ࡋࡄࡉࡉࡀ
ࡄࡀࡈࡀࡉࡅࡍ ࡅࡄࡀࡅࡁࡅࡍ ‖ ࡉࡍࡔࡕࡁࡉࡒࡋࡅࡍ
ࡅࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡆࡀࡉࡊࡍ
Source Colophon
Classical Mandaic source text from Charles Haberl and James McGrath, The Mandaean Book of John: Critical Edition, Translation, and Commentary (Brill, 2020), p. 72. Open access via Internet Archive (archive.org/details/mandaeanbookofjohn), licensed CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Extracted from the PDF's Unicode text layer using PyMuPDF. Couplet order corrected: PyMuPDF extracts RTL Mandaic text with a consistent couplet reversal (second line of each pair appears first in extraction). The w- prefix and grammatical context confirm the correct ordering.
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