The book of the living
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ⲡⲱϩⲧ̅ ⲉϩⲣⲁⲓ̈ ⲉϫⲱⲟⲩ ⲛ̅ⲧⲉⲕⲟⲣⲅⲏ· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲡϭⲱⲛⲧ̅ ⲛ̅ⲧⲉⲕⲟⲣⲅⲏ ⲙⲁⲣⲉϥⲧⲁϩⲟⲟⲩ· ⲙⲁⲣⲉⲡⲉⲩⲙⲁ ⲛ̅ϣⲱⲡⲉ ⲣ̅ϫⲁⲓ̈ⲉ· ⲛϥ̅ⲧⲙ̅ϣⲱⲡⲉ ⲛ̅ϭⲓⲡⲉⲧⲟⲩⲏϩ ϩⲛ̅ⲛⲉⲩⲙⲁ ⲛ̅ϣⲱⲡⲉ· ϫⲉⲡⲉⲛⲧⲁⲕⲡⲁⲧⲁⲥⲥⲉ ⲙ̅ⲙⲟϥ. ⲁⲩⲇⲓⲱⲕⲉ ⲛ̅ⲥⲱϥ· ⲁⲩⲟⲩⲱϩ ⲉϩⲣⲁⲓ̈ ⲉϫⲙ̅ⲡⲉⲙ̅ⲕⲁϩ ⲙ̅ⲡⲉⲩⲥⲁϣ· ⲁⲩⲟⲩⲉϩ ⲁⲛⲟⲙⲓⲁ· ⲉϫⲛ̅ⲛⲉⲩⲁⲛⲟⲙⲓⲁ· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲙ̅ⲡⲣ̅ⲧⲣⲉⲩ ⲉⲓ̅ ⲉϩⲟⲩⲛ̅ ϩⲛ̅ⲧⲉⲕⲇⲓⲕⲁⲓⲟⲥⲩⲛⲏ ⲙⲁⲣⲟⲩϥⲟⲧⲟⲩ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲙ̅ⲡϫⲱⲱⲙⲉ ⲛ̅ⲛⲉⲧⲟⲛϩ̅· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲙ̅ⲡⲣ̅ⲧⲣⲉⲩⲥϩⲁⲓ̈ⲥⲟⲩ ⲙⲛ̅ⲛ̅ⲇⲓⲕⲁⲓⲟⲥ· ⲁⲛⲅ̅ⲟⲩ ⲏⲕⲉ ⲉϥⲣ̅ⲡ‐ⲕⲉ‐ⲙⲟⲕϩ̅ ⲡⲟⲩϫⲁⲓ̈ ⲙ̅ⲡⲉⲕϩⲟ ⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ⲡⲉ ⲛ̅ⲧⲁϥϣⲟⲡⲧ̅ ⲉⲣⲟϥ· ϯⲛⲁⲥⲙⲟⲩ ⲉⲡⲣⲁⲛ ⲉⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ϩⲛ̅ⲟⲩϩⲱⲇⲏ. ⲁⲩⲱ ϯⲛⲁϫⲓⲥⲉ ⲙ̅ⲙⲟϥ ϩⲛ̅ⲟⲩⲥⲙⲟⲩ· ϥⲛⲁⲣ̅ⲁⲛⲁϥ ⲙ̅ⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ⲉϩⲟⲩⲉ ⲟⲩⲙⲁⲥⲉ ⲛ̅ⲃ̅ⲣⲣⲉ· ⲉϥⲛⲉϫ ⲧⲁⲡ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲓⲓ̈ⲉⲓⲃ· ⲙⲁⲣⲉⲛ̅ϩⲏⲕⲉ ⲛⲁⲩ ⲛ̅ⲥⲉⲉⲩⲫⲣⲁⲛⲉ· ϣⲓⲛⲉ ⲛ̅ⲥⲁⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ⲧⲁⲣⲉⲛⲉⲧⲙ̅ⲯⲩⲭⲟⲟⲩⲉ ⲱⲛϩ̅· ϫⲉⲁⲡϫⲟⲉⲓⲥ ⲥⲱⲧⲙ̅ ⲉⲛϩⲏⲕⲉ· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲙ̅ⲡϥ̅ⲥⲉϣϥ̅ ⲛⲉⲧⲧⲟ ⲙ̅ⲡⲓⲛⲉ ⲛ̅ϩⲟⲙ̅ⲧ̅ ⲙⲁⲣⲉⲙ̅ⲡⲏⲩⲉ ⲙⲛ̅ⲡⲕⲁϩ ⲥⲙⲟⲩ ⲉⲡϫⲟⲓ̈ⲥ ⲑⲁⲗⲁⲥⲥⲁ ⲙⲛ̅ⲡⲉⲧⲛ̅ϩⲏⲧⲥ̅ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ· ϫⲉⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ⲛⲁⲛⲟⲩϩⲙ̅ ϩⲛ̅ⲥⲓⲱⲛ· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲥⲉⲛⲁⲕⲱⲧ ⲛ̅ⲙ̅ⲡⲟⲗⲉⲓⲥ ⲛ̅ϯⲟⲩⲇⲁⲓⲁ ⲛⲥⲉⲟⲩⲱϩ ⲙ̅ⲙⲁⲩ ⲛ̅ⲥⲉⲕⲗⲏⲣⲟⲛⲟⲙⲓ ⲙ̅ⲙⲟⲥ· ⲡⲉⲥⲡⲉⲣⲙⲁ ⲛ̅ⲛⲉϥϩⲙ̅ϩⲁⲗ ⲛⲁⲁⲙⲁϩⲧⲉ ⲙ̅ⲙⲟⲥ· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛⲉⲧⲙⲉ ⲙ̅ⲡⲉϥⲣⲁⲛ ⲛⲁⲟⲩⲱϩ ⲛ̅ϩⲏⲧⲥ̅·
Pour out upon them your anger, and may the wrath of your anger seize them. May their dwelling-place become desolate, and let there be none who dwells in their habitations. For the one whom you smote, they pursued him, and they added to the pain of their wound. They added lawlessness upon their lawlessnesses; let them not come into your righteousness. May they be wiped out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous. I am a poor man, grieved as well; the salvation of your face, O God, has received me. I will bless the name of God in an ode, and exalt him with a blessing; it will please God more than a young calf putting forth horns and hoofs. Let the poor see and rejoice; seek God, that your souls may live. For the Lord has heard the poor, and has not despised those clad in the fetter of bronze. Let the heavens and the earth bless the Lord, the sea and all that is in it. For God will save in Zion, and the cities of Judaea will be built, and they will dwell there and inherit it. The seed of his servants will possess it, and those who love his name will dwell in it.
Mary finishes the psalm. The curses crest — pour out your anger; let their camp be desolate; they persecuted the one YOU smote, and added to the pain of the wound; wipe them from the book of the living — and then the psalm does what Sophia’s hymn did: it turns. I am poor and grieved, and the salvation of your face has received me; I will praise God’s name in an ode, and that will please him more than a young bull with horns and hoofs. The poor see and rejoice; God does not despise his prisoners; heaven, earth and sea are called to bless; and it ends where hers did — Zion saved, the cities built, dwelt in, inherited by the seed of his servants and by those who love his name.
One verse in the curse-section carries the whole theology Mary needs: "For the one whom YOU smote, they pursued him, and added to the pain of their wound." The psalm itself distinguishes the blow God dealt from the surplus the persecutors piled on — and that is exactly the structure Sophia claimed in her own prayer: humbled "according to your decree", then pursued "the more", suffering added past the decree’s measure. The correspondence Mary is building runs deeper than shared imagery of mire and deeps; the psalm and the repentance agree on the fine print of providence — that a divinely appointed humbling does not license the humblers, and that what the judgment will punish is the surplus. Even the psalm’s account-book curse, "wipe them from the book of the living", matches Sophia’s ledger: her enemies struck from the register, "not reckoned into the lot" of the purified.
Then the psalm turns, exactly where her hymn turned, and the endings run parallel to the last line. The poor man sings an ode worth more than a sacrificial bull — her hymn offered "like an excellent mystery". Heaven, earth and sea are called to praise — she summoned "the souls and the matters". God saves Zion and rebuilds the cities to be dwelt in and inherited — she saw "a city prepared in the Light" for the saved to inherit. And "those who love his name shall dwell therein" — hers: "those who have received mysteries in its name will be in it". Mary has now laid the two songs side by side in full, and the fit is the argument. The chapter ends with the exposition made; what the Savior thinks of it — and what Sophia’s next cry from the chaos will be — belongs to the chapters that follow.
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