Hymn LIII.
1. Come, let us hear how they contend for
victory: the guilty ones who never have conquered, nor will
conquer.—2. Death said unto the Evil One, In the end the victory
is mine: for Death is master of the close, as a
conqueror.—3.
Satan
, This were to be Death indeed, wert
thou able: to bring to death a living man, by means of
lusts.—4.
D
., Lo! I who behold the dead, both good and
bad: the righteous who despise thee, O Evil One, me they despise
not.—5.
S
., This dying of the body, is sleep for a
time: think not, O Death, that thou art Death, who art as a
shadow.—6.
D
., Thee, O Evil One, the just have conquered,
yea will conquer: but these that have conquered thee, lo! I
conquer.—7.
S
., Even this that thou bringest to death the
just, is not of thyself: because of Adam whom I conquered, they
drink this cup.—8.
D
., Lo! Sheol is full of the men of
Sodom, and the Assyrians: and the giants who
were
in the
flood, who is like me?—9.
S
., These, O Death, all of them,
by me were slain: I am he that caused them to sin so that they
perished.—10.
D
., Joseph who conquered thee I conquered, O
Satan: in the chamber he conquered thee but I conquered, and cast
him into the tomb.—11.
S
., Moses who conquered thee, O
Death, by sprinkling of blood: he conquered thee in Egypt, but at
the rock, who conquered him?—12.
D
., Elijah who feared
thee not, O Satan: fled before Jezebel’s face, because he
feared me.—13.
S
., Aaron who withstood thee, O Death, with
smoke of incense: to him I gave earrings of gold: and he
fashioned a calf.—14.
D
., Thou wentest down to contend
with Job, and he conquered thee and came up: but I, after he had
conquered thee, then conquered him.—15.
S
., David who by
his sackcloth stayed that pestilence: him on the house-top I
conquered, who had conquered Goliath.—16.
D
., Jehu who
destroyed the house of Baal, the temple of the Evil One: was
unable to destroy Sheol, the stronghold of my realm.—17.
S
., Solomon who snatched from thy mouth, a child by
his
judgment: him in his old age I made a builder of
idol-altars.—18.
D
., Samuel who in
respect of
gold
scorned thee, O Satan: him I conquered, the conqueror, who
conquered bribes.—19.
S
.,
Samson who in
respect of
the
lion’s whelp, scorned thee, O Death: through Delilah, frail
vessel, I yoked him to the mill.—20.
D
., Josiah from his
childhood despised thee, Evil One: but me not even in his old
age, could he withstand.—21.
S
., Hezekiah withstood thee,
Death, when he overcame the bound
of life
: I misled him
and he neglected the miracle, and showed his treasures.—22.
D
., John who conquered thee, Evil One, and absolved and
baptized: I extinguished that torch, which had disclosed
thee.—23.
S
., Simon overcame thee, when he brought to life
that blessed woman: in a woman he overcame thee and by a woman I
overcame him and made him deny.—24.
S
., Apostles and
prophets with one voice, curse thee, O Death: “Where is the
victory of Death, and the sting of Sheol?”—25. Thy Lord in
Sheol thou hast shut up, O cursed servant: God hates thee and
also man, hold then thy peace.—26.
S
., It was the will of
Him who gives life to all, that shut him in Sheol: it was thou
that called Him to this, when thou madest Adam sin.—27. O comrade
of Nabal who in the wilderness reproached his lord: abhorred be
thy mouth which said to Him, “Fall down and worship
me!”