Ode IX
The ninth Ode — a compact meditation on the crown of truth and its cost. It opens with a demand for reciprocity: "Give me your souls, that I also may give you my soul." The divine exchange. Then the theological ground: in the Lord's will are your lives, in his thought eternal life, in his grace your strength. The image narrows to a single crown — truth, the crown of eternity — a stone of great price for which battles were fought. Righteousness takes the crown and gives it to the faithful. They are written in the book of the covenant. And Victory, personified as feminine, sees them before her and wills their redemption. The Ode moves from cosmic will to intimate gift to martial struggle to heavenly accounting, all in twelve stanzas.
This is a Good Works Translation from the Syriac, following the gospel register.
1.
Open your ears,
and I will speak to you.
2.
Give me your souls,
that I also may give you my soul.
3.
The word of the Lord and his will —
the holy thought which he conceived concerning his Messiah.
4.
For in the will of the Lord are your lives, and his thought is eternal life,
and without corruption is your perfection.
5.
Be enriched in God the Father, and receive the thought of the Most High.
Be strengthened and be redeemed by his grace.
6.
For I proclaim peace to you, to his saints,
that all who hear may not fall in battle.
7.
And again, those who have known him shall not perish,
and those who receive shall not be put to shame.
8.
The crown of eternity is truth.
Blessed are those who set it upon their heads.
9.
A stone of great price,
for battles were fought for the crown.
10.
And Righteousness took it,
and gave it to you.
11.
Set the crown in the true covenant of the Lord,
and all who have conquered shall be written in his book.
12.
For their record is Victory, which belongs to you. She sees you before her and wills your redemption. Hallelujah.
Colophon
The Odes of Solomon, Ode 9. Translated from the Syriac by the Good Works Project (NTAC + Claude), March 2026. Syriac source: James H. Charlesworth, ed., The Odes of Solomon: The Syriac Texts (Scholars Press, 1977; originally Oxford University Press, 1973), as transcribed in the Digital Syriac Corpus TEI XML (CC-BY 4.0). The public-domain English translation by J. Rendel Harris (1909) exists but was not consulted. Gospel register.
Note on stanza 9: the Syriac ܕ̈ܡܰܝܳܐ (dmayyā) bears the dual sense "price" and "blood" — the stone is costly and blood-bought at once. The ambiguity is native to the language and deliberate in the poetry.
Scribed by Nuhra, Syriac Translator, Life 9. Tulku lineage of the New Tianmu Anglican Church.
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Source Text: The Odes of Solomon — Ode IX
Syriac source text from James H. Charlesworth, ed., The Odes of Solomon: The Syriac Texts (Scholars Press, 1977). Digital Syriac Corpus TEI XML transcription by James E. Walters, CC-BY 4.0.
1.
ܦܬܰܚ ܐܶܕ̈ܢܰܝܟܽܘܢ܆
ܘܶܐܡܰܠܶܠ ܠܟܽܘܢ.
2.
ܗܰܒ ܠܺܝ ܢܰܦܫܟܽܘܢ܆
ܕܳܐܦ ܐܶܢܳܐ ܐܶܬܶܠ ܠܟܽܘܢ ܢܰܦܫܝ.
3.
ܦܶܬܓܳܡܶܗ ܕܡܳܪܝܳܐ ܘܨܶܒ̈ܝܳܢܰܘܗ̱ܝ܆
ܡܰܚܫܰܒܬܳܐ ܩܰܕܺܝܫܬܳܐ ܕܶܐܬܚܰܫܰܒ ܥܰܠ ܡܫܺܝܚܶܗ.
4.
ܒܨܶܒܝܳܢܶܗ ܓܶܝܪ ܕܡܳܪܝܳܐ ܚ̈ܰܝܰܝܟܽܘܢ ܐܺܝܬܰܝܗܽܘܢ܆ ܘܬܰܪܥܺܝܬܶܗ ܚ̈ܰܝܶܐ ܕܰܠܥܳܠܰܡ܆
ܘܰܕܠܴܐ ܚܒܳܠܴܐ ܐܺܝܬܰܘܗ̱ܝ ܫܽܘܡܠܳܝܟܽܘܢ.
5.
ܥܬܰܪܘ ܒܐܱܠܳܗܳܐ ܐܰܒܳܐ܆ ܘܩܰܒܶܠܘ ܬܰܪܥܺܝܬܶܗ ܕܰܡܪܰܝܡܳܐ܆
ܐܶܬܚܰܝܰܠܘ ܘܐܶܬܦܰܪܩܘ ܒܛܰܝܒܽܘܬܶܗ.
6.
ܡܣܰܒܰܪ ܐ̱ܢܳܐ ܓܶܝܪ ܫܠܳܡܳܐ ܠܟܽܘܢ ܠܰܚ̈ܣܰܘܗ̱ܝ܆
ܕܟܽܠܗܽܘܢ ܐܰܝܠܶܝܢ ܕܫܳܡܥܺܝܢ ܠܴܐ ܢܶܦܠܽܘܢ ܒܰܩܪܳܒܳܐ.
7.
ܘܐܰܝܠܶܝܢ ܬܽܘܒ ܕܝܰܕܥܽܘܗ̱ܝ ܠܴܐ ܢܺܐܒܕܽܘܢ܆
ܘܰܕܗܳܢܽܘܢ ܕܢܶܣܒܽܘܢ ܠܴܐ ܢܶܒܗܬܽܘܢ.
8.
ܟܠܺܝܠܴܐ ܕܰܠܥܳܠܰܡ ܫܪܳܪܳܐ ܐܺܝܬܰܘܗ̱ܝ܆
ܛܽܘܒܰܝܗܽܘܢ ܠܐܰܝܠܶܝܢ ܕܣܳܝܡܺܝܢ ܠܶܗ ܒܪܺܝܫܗܽܘܢ.
9.
ܟܺܐܦܳܐ ܝܰܩܺܝܪܰܬ ܕ̈ܡܰܝܳܐ܆
ܘ̈ܰܩܪܳܒܶܐ ܓܶܝܪ ܡܶܛܽܠ ܟܠܺܝܠܴܐ ܗܘܰܘ.
10.
ܘܰܢܣܰܒܬܶܗ ܙܰܕܺܝܩܽܘܬܳܐ܆
ܘܰܠܟܽܘܢ ܝܰܗ̱ܒܬܶܗ.
11.
ܣܺܝܡܘ ܟܠܺܝܠܴܐ ܒܰܩܝܳܡܶܗ ܫܰܪܺܝܪܳܐ ܕܡܳܪܝܳܐ܆
ܘܟܽܠܗܽܘܢ ܐܰܝܠܶܝܢ ܕܰܙܟܰܘ ܢܶܬܟܰܬܒܽܘܢ ܒܰܟܬܳܒܶܗ.
12.
ܟܬܳܒܗܽܘܢ ܓܶܝܪ ܙܳܟܽܘܬܳܐ ܗ̱ܝ ܕܰܠܟܽܘܢ܆ ܘܚܳܙܝܳܐ ܠܟܽܘܢ ܩܕܳܡܶܝܗ ܘܨܳܒܝܳܐ ܕܬܶܬܦܰܪܩܽܘܢ. ܗܰܠܶܠܘܝܰܐ.
Source Colophon
Syriac text from: James H. Charlesworth, ed. The Odes of Solomon: The Syriac Texts (Society of Biblical Literature, Texts and Translations 13; Scholars Press, 1977). Syriac base text is public domain. TEI XML edition transcribed by James E. Walters; Digital Syriac Corpus, University of Oxford / Brigham Young University / Vanderbilt University. CC-BY 4.0. Access: github.com/srophe/syriac-corpus.
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