Ode X
The tenth Ode — six stanzas that compress the entire mission of the Messiah into a single lyric arc. The Lord opens the mouth and the heart (stanzas 1–2), sends the speaker to turn souls and lead captivity to freedom (3), empowers the speaker to captivate the world for God's glory (4), gathers the scattered peoples (5), and closes with one of the most luminous images in Syriac poetry: the footprints of light set upon the hearts of the faithful, who walk in those tracks toward redemption (6). The Syriac word for "footprints" is ʿeqbātā — literal tracks, the imprint of a foot in earth. Light leaves footprints on the heart. Those footprints become a path.
This is a Good Works Translation from the Syriac, following the gospel register.
1.
The Lord directed my mouth by his word,
and opened my heart by his light.
2.
And he caused his deathless life to dwell in me,
and gave me to speak the fruit of his peace.
3.
To turn the souls of those who desire to come to him,
and to lead a goodly captivity to freedom.
4.
I was empowered and I grew mighty, and I captivated the world,
and it was mine for the glory of the Most High, and of God my Father.
5.
And the peoples who had been scattered were gathered together, and I was not defiled by their sins,
for they praised me in the heights.
6.
And the footprints of light were set upon their hearts,
and they walked in my life and were redeemed,
and they were with me forever and ever. Hallelujah.
Colophon
The Odes of Solomon, Ode 10. 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 5: the Syriac reads ḥawbay ("my sins") with a first-person suffix, but the christological context — the Messiah gathering nations — makes "their sins" the likely sense: contact with sinners did not defile the speaker. Some manuscripts may read ḥawbayhon.
Note on stanza 6: ʿeqbātā d-nuhrā, "footprints of light" — the image is literal in Syriac. ʿeqbātā are the tracks left by feet in earth. Light itself has walked across the heart and left its prints. The faithful follow those prints.
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 X
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.
ܬܰܪܶܨ ܦܽܘܡܝ ܡܳܪܝܳܐ ܒܡܶܠܬܶܗ܆
ܘܰܦܬܼܰܚ ܠܶܒܝ ܒܢܽܘܗܪܶܗ.
2.
ܘܐܷܥܡܰܪ ܒܺܝ ܚܰܝܰܘ̈ܗ̱ܝ ܕܠܴܐ ܡܰܘܬܳܐ܆
ܘܝܰܗ̱ܒ ܠܺܝ ܕܶܐܡܰܠܶܠ ܦܺܐܪܳܐ ܕܰܫܠܳܡܶܗ.
3.
ܠܡܰܦܢܳܝܽܘ ܢܰܦܫܴ̈ܬܳܐ ܕܐܱܝܠܶܝܢ ܕܨܳܒܶܝܢ ܠܡܶܐܬܴܐ ܠܘܳܬܶܗ܆
ܘܰܠܡܶܫܒܳܐ ܫܒܺܝܬܳܐ ܛܳܒܬܳܐ ܠܚܺܐܪܽܘܬܳܐ.
4.
ܐܶܬܚܱܿܝܠܶܬ ܘܐܷܬܥܰܫܢܶܬ ܘܰܫܒܺܝܬ ܠܥܳܠܡܳܐ܆
ܘܰܗܼܘܳܬ ܠܝܻ ܠܬܶܫܒܽܘܚܬܶܗ ܕܰܡܪܰܝܡܳܐ ܘܕܰܐܠܳܗܳܐ ܐܳܒܝ.
5.
ܘܐܷܬܟܰܢܰܫܘ ܐܰܟܚܰܕ ܥܰܡ̈ܡܶܐ ܕܰܡܒܕܪܺܝܢ ܗ̱ܘܰܘ܆ ܘܐܷܢܐ ܠܴܐ ܐܶܬܛܰܡܿܐܷܬ ܒܚܰܘ̈ܒܰܝ܆
ܡܶܛܽܠ ܕܰܐܘܕܺܝܘ ܠܻܝ ܒܰܡܪ̈ܰܘܡܶܐ.
6.
ܘܐܷܬܬܣܺܝ̈ܡܝ ܥܶܩ̈ܒܳܬܳܐ ܕܢܽܘܗܪܳܐ ܥܰܠ ܠܶܒܗܽܘܢ܆
ܘܗܰܠܶܟܘ ܒܚ̈ܰܝܰܝ ܘܐܷܬܦܪܶܩܘ܆
ܘܰܗܘܰܘ ܥܰܡܝ ܠܥܳܠܰܡܥܳܠܡܺܝܢ. ܗܰܠܶܠܘܽܝܰܐ.
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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