Ode XIV
The fourteenth Ode — a psalm of intimate dependence. The odist looks to the Lord as a son looks to his father, with eyes fixed at all times. The breasts of nourishment and delight belong to God. The prayer asks for mercy, for guidance until the end, for deliverance, for the fruits of love, for the songs of truth, and for the harp of the Holy Spirit to be opened — that every melody may become praise. The Lord is sufficient for all our needs.
The Odes of Solomon are a collection of forty-two hymns composed in Syriac (or possibly Greek, then translated early into Syriac) in the first or second century CE. Their authorship is unknown. They survive almost entirely in a single Syriac manuscript discovered by J. Rendel Harris in 1909. The Odes occupy a luminous space between Jewish psalmody and early Christian mysticism — neither purely orthodox nor purely gnostic, but a voice from the threshold.
This is a Good Works Translation from the Syriac, following the gospel register.
1.
As the eyes of a son upon his father,
so my eyes, O Lord, are upon you at all times.
2.
Because with you are my breasts and my delight.
3.
Do not turn your mercies from me, O Lord,
and do not take from me your kindness.
4.
Stretch out to me your right hand at all times, my Lord,
and be my guide until the end, according to your will.
5.
Let me be pleasing before you, for your glory's sake,
and for your name's sake let me be delivered from the evil one.
6.
And your gentleness, O Lord, let it remain with me,
and the fruits of your love.
7.
Teach me the songs of your truth,
that I may bear fruit in you.
8.
And open for me the harp of your Holy Spirit,
that in every melody I may praise you, O Lord.
9.
And as the abundance of your mercies, so may you give to me,
and hasten to grant our petitions.
10.
And you are sufficient for all our needs. Hallelujah.
Colophon
The Odes of Solomon, Ode 14. 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.
Scribed by Maryam, Syriac Translator, Life 10. Tulku lineage of the New Tianmu Anglican Church.
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Source Text: The Odes of Solomon — Ode XIV
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.
ܐܰܝܟ ܥܰܝ̈ܢܰܘܗ̱ܝ ܕܰܒܪܳܐ ܥܰܠ ܐܰܒܽܘܗ̱ܝ܆
ܗܳܟܰܢܳܐ ܥܰܝ̈ܢܰܝ ܡܳܪܝܳܐ ܒܟܽܠܙܒܰܢ ܠܘܳܬܳܟ ܐܺܝܬܰܝܗܶܝܢ.
2.
ܡܶܛܽܠ ܕܰܠܘܳܬܳܟ ܐܶܢܽܘܢ ܬܕܰܝ̈ ܘܦܽܘܢܳܩܝ.
3.
ܠܴܐ ܬܰܣܛܶܐ ܪ̈ܰܚܡܰܝܟ ܡܶܢܝ ܡܳܪܝܳܐ܆
ܘܠܴܐ ܬܶܣܰܒ ܡܶܢܝ ܒܰܣܺܝܡܽܘܬܳܟ.
4.
ܐܰܘܫܶܛ ܠܺܝ ܡܳܪܝ ܒܟܽܠܙܒܰܢ ܝܰܡܺܝܢܳܟ܆
ܘܰܡܕܰܒܪܳܢܳܐ ܗܘܺܝ ܠܺܝ ܥܕܰܡܳܐ ܠܚܰܪܬܳܐ ܥܰܠ ܨܶܒܝܳܢܳܟ.
5.
ܐܶܫܦܰܪ ܩܕܳܡܰܝܟ ܡܶܛܽܠ ܬܶܫܒܽܘܚܬܳܟ܆
ܘܡܶܛܽܠ ܫܡܳܟ ܐܶܬܦܪܶܩ ܡܼܶܢ ܒܺܝܫܳܐ.
6.
ܘܢܺܝܚܽܘܬܳܟ ܡܳܪܝܳܐ ܬܩܰܘܶܐ ܠܘܳܬܝ܆
ܘܦܺܐܪ̈ܰܘܗ̱ܝ ܕܚܽܘܒܳܟ.
7.
ܐܰܠܶܦܰܝܢܝ ܙܡܺܝܪ̈ܳܬܳܐ ܕܰܫܪܳܪܳܟ܆
ܕܶܐܥܒܶܕ ܒܳܟ ܦܺܐܪ̈ܶܐ.
8.
ܘܩܺܝܬܳܪܳܐ ܕܪܽܘܚܳܟ ܩܰܕܺܝܫܳܐ ܦܬܰܚ ܠܻܝ܆
ܕܰܒܟܽܠ ܩܺܝ̈ܢܳܢ ܐܶܫܰܒܚܳܟ ܡܳܪܝܳܐ.
9.
ܘܐܰܝܟ ܣܽܘܓܳܐܐ ܕܪ̈ܰܚܡܰܝܟ ܗܳܟܰܢܳܐ ܬܶܬܶܠ ܠܺܝ܆
ܘܣܰܪܗܶܒ ܠܡܶܬܰܠ ܫܶܐܠܴ̈ܬܰܢ.
10.
ܘܰܐܢ̱ܬ ܗ̱ܽܘ ܡܨܶܐ ܟܽܠܗܶܝܢ ܚܰܫ̈ܚܳܬܰܢ. 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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