Matthew came forward and said:
‘1. On thee, O Lord, have I hoped. Let me never be put to shame; save me according to thy righteousness.
“‘2. Incline thine ear unto me, save me quickly. Be thou unto me a protecting God and a house of refuge to save me.
“‘3. For thou art my support and my refuge; for thy name’s sake thou wilt guide me and feed me.
“‘4. And thou wilt draw me out of this snare, which they have laid privily for me; for thou art my protection.
“‘5. Into thy hands I will render my spirit; thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, God of Truth.
“‘6. Thou hast hated them who hold to vain emptiness; but I have trusted.
“‘7. And I shall rejoice because of my Lord and make merry over thy grace. For thou hast looked down upon my humbleness and saved my soul out of my necessities.
“‘8. And thou hast not shut me up in the hands of my foes; thou hast set my feet on a broad space.
“‘9. Be gracious unto me, O Lord, for I am afflicted; my eye is distracted in the wrath and my soul and my body.
“‘10. For my years have wasted away in sadness and my life is wasted in sighing. My power is enfeebled in misery and my bones are distracted.
“‘11. I am become a mockery for all my foes and my neighbours. |88. I am become a fright for my acquaintances, and they who saw me, are fled away from me.
“‘12. I am forgotten in their heart as a corpse, and I have become as a ruined vessel.
“‘13. For I have heard the scorn of many who encompass me round about. Massing themselves together against me, they took counsel to take away my soul from me.
“‘14. But I have trusted in thee, O Lord. I said: Thou art my God.
“‘15. My lots are in thy hands. Save me from the hand of my foes and free me from my persecutors.
“‘16. Reveal thy face over thy slave, and free me according to thy grace, O Lord.
“‘17. Let me not be put to shame, for I have cried unto, thee. Let the impious be put to shame and turn towards hell.
“‘18. Let the crafty lips be struck dumb, which allege iniquity against the righteous in pride and scorn.’”
CHAPTER 50
Jesus commendeth Matthew and promiseth his disciples that they shall sit on thrones with him.
Jesus continued again and said unto his disciples: “It came to pass then thereafter, when the emanations of Self-willed oppressed Pistis Sophia in the chaos, that she uttered the ninth repentance, saying:
The ninth repentance of Sophia."‘1. O Light, smite down them who have taken away my power from me, and take away the power from them who have taken away mine from me.
“‘2. For I am thy power and thy light. |90. Come and save me.
“‘3. Let great darkness cover my oppressors. Say unto my power: I am he who will save thee.
“‘4. Let all those who would take away my light from me utterly, lack their power. Let them face about unto the chaos and become powerless, who would take away my light from me utterly.
“‘5. Let their power be as dust, and let Yew, thy angel, smite them.
“‘6. And if they would go into the height, let darkness seize upon them and let them slip down and turn to the chaos. And let thy angel Yew pursue them and cast them down into the darkness below.
“‘7. For they have set a lion-faced power as a trap for me, although I have done them no ill, from which its light will be taken; and they have oppressed the power in me, which they will not be able to take away.
“‘8. Now, therefore, O Light, take away the purification from the lion-faced power without its knowing it,–the thought which Self-willed hath
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thought, to take away my light; take away his own and let the light be taken away from the lion-faced power, which set the trap for me.
“‘9. But my power will exult in the Light and rejoice that he will save it.
“‘10. And all the portions of my power shall say: There is no saviour but thee. For thou wilt save me out of the hand of the lion-faced power, which hath taken away my power from me, and thou savest me out of the hands of them who have taken away my power and my light from me.
“‘11. For they have risen up against me, lying against me and saying |91. that I know the mystery of the Light which is in the height, [the Light] in which I have had faith. And they have constrained me, [saying:] Tell unto us the mystery of the Light in the height,–that which I know not.
“‘12. And they have requited me with all this ill because I have had faith in the Light of the height; and they have made my power lightless.
“‘13. But when they constrained me, I sat in the darkness, my soul bowed down in mourning.
“‘14. And do thou, O Light–for that reason sing I praise to thee–save me. I know that thou wilt save me because I fulfilled thy will ever since I was in my æon. I fulfilled thy will, as the invisibles who are in my region, and as my pair. And I mourned, looking unceasingly and searching for the Light.
“‘15. Now, therefore, have all the emanations of Self-willed surrounded me and rejoiced over me and sore oppressed me without my knowing
[paragraph continues] [them]. And they have fled away and ceased from me but have had no pity upon me.
“‘16. They have returned again and made trial of me and they have oppressed me in great oppression and ground their teeth against me, desiring to take away my light from me utterly.
“‘17. How long, therefore, O Light, dost thou suffer them, that they oppress me? Save my power from their evil thoughts and save me from the hand of the lion-faced power; for I alone of the invisibles am in this region.
“‘18. I will sing praises unto thee, O Light, |92. in the midst of all who are gathered together against me, and I will cry unto thee in the midst of all who oppress me.
“‘19. Now, therefore, O Light, let not them who hate me and desire to take away my power from me, rejoice over me–who hate me and flash their eyes against me, though I have not done anything unto them.
“‘20. For indeed they have fawned upon me with sweet words, asking me concerning the mysteries of the Light which I know not, and have craftily spoken against me and been enraged against me, because I have had faith in the Light in the height.
“‘21. They have opened their chops against me and said.: Well indeed, we will take from her her light.
“‘22. Now, therefore, O Light, thou hast known their guile; suffer them not and let not thy help be far from me.
“‘23. Quickly, O Light, vindicate and avenge me,
“‘24. And give judgment on me according to thy goodness. Now, therefore, O Light of lights, let them not take away my light from me,
“‘25. And let them not say in their heart: Our power is glutted with her light. And let them not say: We have consumed her power.
“‘26. But rather let darkness come upon them, and let those who long to take away my light from me, become powerless, and let them be clothed with chaos and darkness, who say there: We will take away her light and her power.
“‘27. Now, therefore, save me that I may rejoice, for I long for the thirteenth æon, the region of Righteousness, and |93. I shall say ever-more: May the light of thy angel Yew shine more and more.
“‘28. And my tongue will sing praises to thee in thy gnosis my whole time in the thirteenth æon.’
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