From my mother's womb
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ⲁⲓ̈ⲧⲁϫⲣⲟⲓ̈ ⲉϫⲱⲕ ϫⲓⲛⲛ̅ⲑⲏ ⲛ̅ⲧⲟⲕ ⲁⲕⲛ̅ⲧ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲛ̅ϩⲏⲧⲥ̅ ⲛ̅ⲧⲁⲙⲁⲁⲩ· ⲉⲣⲉⲡⲁⲣ̅‐ⲡⲙⲉⲉⲩⲉ ⲛ̅ϩⲏⲧⲕ̅ ⲛ̅ⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓϣ ⲛⲓⲙ· ⲁⲓ̈ϣⲱⲡⲉ ⲛ̅ⲑⲉ ⲛ̅ⲛⲓⲥⲟϭ ⲛ̅ⲟⲩⲙⲏⲏϣⲉ· ⲛ̅ⲧⲕ̅ⲡⲁⲃⲟⲏⲑⲟⲥ. ⲁⲩⲱ ⲡⲁⲧⲁϫⲣⲟ· ⲛ̅ⲧⲕ̅ⲡⲁⲥⲱⲧⲏⲣ ⲡϫⲟⲉⲓⲥ· ⲁⲧⲁⲧⲁⲡⲣⲟ ⲙⲟⲩϩ ⲛ̅ⲥⲙⲟⲩ ϫⲉⲕⲁⲥ ⲉⲓ̈ⲉⲥⲙⲟⲩ ⲉⲡⲉⲟⲟⲩ ⲛ̅ⲧⲉⲕⲙ̅ⲛ̅ⲧ̅ⲛⲟϭ ⲙ̅ⲡⲉϩⲟⲟⲩ ⲧⲏⲣϥ̅· ⲙ̅ⲡⲣ̅ⲛⲟϫⲧ̅ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲉⲩⲟⲩⲟⲓ̈ϣ ⲙ̅ⲙ̅ⲛ̅ⲧ̅ϩⲗ̅ⲗⲟ· ϩⲙ̅ⲡⲧⲣⲉ ⲧⲁⲯⲩⲭⲏ ⲱϫⲛ̅ ⲙ̅ⲡⲣ̅ⲕⲁⲁⲧ ⲛ̅ⲥⲱⲕ· ϫⲉⲁⲛⲁϫⲓϫⲉⲉⲩ ϫⲉⲡⲉⲑⲟⲟⲩ ⲉⲣⲟⲓ̈· ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛⲉⲧϩⲁⲣⲉϩ ⲉⲧⲁⲯⲩⲭⲏ· ⲁⲩϫⲓϣⲟϫⲛⲉ ⲉⲧⲁⲯⲩⲭⲏ· ⲉⲩϫⲱ ⲙ̅ⲙⲟⲥ ϩⲓⲟⲩⲥⲟⲡ· ϫⲉⲁⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ⲕⲁⲁϥ ⲛ̅ⲥⲱϥ· ⲡⲱⲧⲛ̅ⲧⲉⲧⲛ̅ⲧⲁϩⲟϥ ϫⲉⲙⲛ̅ⲡⲉⲧⲛⲁⲛⲁϩⲙⲉϥ· ⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ϯϩⲧⲏⲕ ⲉⲧⲁⲃⲟⲏⲑⲓⲁ· ⲙⲁⲣⲟⲩϫⲓϣⲓⲡⲉ ⲛ̅ⲥⲉⲱϫⲛ̅ ⲛ̅ϭⲓⲛⲉⲧⲇⲓⲁⲃⲁⲗⲗⲉ ⲛ̅ⲧⲁⲯⲩⲭⲏ·
I leaned on you from the womb; you brought me out of my mother's womb. My remembrance is in you always. I have become like the fools to the crowd; you are my helper and my strength; you are my savior, O Lord. My mouth was filled with praise, that I may bless the glory of your greatness the whole day. Do not cast me away in the time of old age; when my soul fails, do not forsake me. For my enemies spoke evil against me, and those who watch my soul took counsel together, saying: God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for none will save him. O God, give heed to my help. Let them be shamed and perish who slander my soul.
The psalm deepens: trust from the womb, mockery from the crowd, enemies whispering that God has abandoned his own.
The psalm’s middle is a biography of trust: leaned on you from the womb, mocked as a fool by the crowd, praising all day, terrified of being dropped in old age. Read as Sophia’s script, every image maps: she too was born out of the world above, became a laughingstock to the powers below, and fears being left in the dark region when her strength fails. The enemies’ whisper is the psalm’s cruelest line and the book’s deepest fear — God has forsaken him; seize him, none will save him. It is the sentence the archons say over Sophia, and the sentence despair says over anyone.
The closing curse lands on a word this book has personal business with: those who diaballe my soul — Greek diaballō, to slander, to throw accusations across — the verb whose agent-noun is diabolos, the devil, the accuser by profession. Peter, minutes after accusing a woman of talking too much, ends his own recital praying that the accusers of the soul be shamed. Whether he hears the echo, the text does not say; it rarely needs to.
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