The Admonitions
of Ipuwer
 Ipuwer
apparently lived during the Middle Kingdom or the Second Intermediate Period,
but the catastrophes he bewails took place 400 years earlier during the First
Intermediate Period. Dating the composition of the original document is
impossible. The surviving papyrus (Papyrus Leiden 334) is a copy made during the
New Kingdom.
Some compare the contents of this
papyrus with the second book of the bible, Exodus.
To deduce from these similarities
that the Ipuwer Papyrus describes Egypt at the time of the Exodus requires a
leap of faith not everybody is willing to make.
Lacunae in the papyrus text are
marked by [...].
I
[. .] The door [keepers] say:
"Let us go and plunder."
The confectioners [. . .].
The washerman refuses to carry his load [. . .]
The bird [catchers] have drawn up in line of battle [. . . the inhabitants] of
the Delta carry shields.
The brewers [. . .] sad.
A man regards his son as his enemy. Confusion [. . .] another. Come and conquer;
judge [. . .] what was ordained for you in the time of Horus, in the age [of the
Ennead . . .]. The virtuous man goes in mourning because of what has happened in
the land [. . .] goes [. . .] the tribes of the desert have become Egyptians
everywhere.
Indeed, the face is pale; [. . .] what the ancestors foretold has arrived at
[fruition . . .] the land is full of confederates, and a man goes to plough with
his shield.
Indeed, the meek say: ["He who is . . . of] face is as a well-born
man."
Indeed, [the face] is pale; the bowman is ready, wrongdoing is everywhere, and
there is no man of yesterday.
Indeed, the plunderer [. . .] everywhere, and the servant takes what he finds.
Indeed, the Nile overflows, yet none plough for it. Everyone says: "We do
not know what will happen throughout the land."
Indeed, the women are barren and none conceive. Khnum fashions (men) no more
because of the condition of the land.
II
Indeed, poor men have become
owners of wealth, and he who could not make sandals for himself is now a
possessor of riches.
Indeed, men's slaves, their hearts are sad, and magistrates do not fraternize
with their people when they shout.
Indeed, [hearts] are violent, pestilence is throughout the land, blood is
everywhere, death is not lacking, and the mummy-cloth speaks even before one
comes near it.
Indeed, many dead are buried in the river; the stream is a sepulcher and the
place of embalmment has become a stream.
Indeed, noblemen are in distress, while the poor man is full of joy. Every town
says: "Let us suppress the powerful among us."
Indeed, men are like ibises. Squalor is throughout the land, and there are none
indeed whose clothes are white in these times.
Indeed, the land turns around as does a potter's wheel; the robber is a
possessor of riches and [the rich man is become] a plunderer.
Indeed, trusty servants are [. . .]; the poor man [complains]: "How
terrible! What am I to do?"
Indeed, the river is blood, yet men drink of it. Men shrink from human beings
and thirst after water.
Indeed, gates, columns and walls are burnt up, while the hall of the palace
stands firm and endures.
Indeed, the ship of [the southerners] has broken up; towns are destroyed and
Upper Egypt has become an empty waste.
Indeed, crocodiles [are glutted] with the fish they have taken, for men go to
them of their own accord; it is the destruction of the land. Men say: "Do
not walk here; behold, it is a net." Behold, men tread [the water] like
fishes, and the frightened man cannot distinguish it because of terror.
Indeed, men are few, and he who places his brother in the ground is everywhere.
When the wise man speaks, [he flees without delay].
Indeed, the well-born man [. . .] through lack of recognition, and the child of
his lady has become the son of his maidservant.
III
Indeed, the desert is throughout
the land, the nomes are laid waste, and barbarians from abroad have come to
Egypt.
Indeed, men arrive [. . .] and indeed, there are no Egyptians anywhere.
Indeed, gold and lapis lazuli, silver and turquoise, carnelian and amethyst,
Ibhet-stone and [. . .] are strung on the necks of maidservants. Good things are
throughout the land, (yet) housewives say: "Oh that we had something to
eat!"
Indeed, [. . .] noblewomen. Their bodies are in sad plight by reason of their
rags, and their hearts sink when greeting [one another]. Indeed, chests of ebony
are broken up, and precious ssndm-wood is cleft asunder in beds [. . .].
Indeed, the builders [of pyramids have become] cultivators, and those who were
in the sacred bark are now yoked [to it]. None shall indeed sail northward to
Byblos today; what shall we do for cedar trees for our mummies, and with the
produce of which priests are buried and with the oil of which [chiefs] are
embalmed as far as Keftiu? They come no more; gold is lacking [. . .] and
materials for every kind of craft have come to an end. The [. . .] of the palace
is despoiled. How often do people of the oases come with their festival spices,
mats, and skins, with fresh rdmt-plants, grease of birds . . . ?
Indeed, Elephantine and Thinis [...] of Upper Egypt, (but) without paying taxes
owing to civil strife. Lacking are grain, charcoal, irtyw-fruit, m'w-wood,
nwt-wood, and brushwood. The work of craftsmen and [. . .] are the profit of the
palace. To what purpose is a treasury without its revenues? Happy indeed is the
heart of the king when truth comes to him! And every foreign land [comes]! That
is our fate and that is our happiness! What can we do about it? All is ruin!
Indeed, laughter is perished and is [no longer] made; it is groaning that is
throughout the land, mingled with complaints.
IV
Indeed, every dead person is as a
well-born man. Those who were Egyptians [have become] foreigners and are thrust
aside.
Indeed, hair [has fallen out] for everybody, and the man of rank can no longer
be distinguished from him who is nobody.
Indeed, [. . .] because of noise; noise is not [. . .] in years of noise, and
there is no end [of] noise.
Indeed, great and small [say]: "I wish I might die." Little children
say: "He should not have caused [me] to live."
Indeed, the children of princes are dashed against walls, and the children of
the neck are laid out on the high ground.
Indeed, those who were in the place of embalmment are laid out on the high
ground, and the secrets of the embalmers are thrown down because of it.
Indeed, that has perished which yesterday was seen, and the land is left over to
its weakness like the cutting of flax.
Indeed, the Delta in its entirety will not be hidden, and Lower Egypt puts trust
in trodden roads. What can one do? No [. . .] exist anywhere, and men say:
"Perdition to the secret place!" Behold, it is in the hands of those
who do not know it like those who know it. The desert dwellers are skilled in
the crafts of the Delta.
Indeed, citizens are put to the corn-rubbers, and those who used to don fine
linen are beaten with . . . Those who used never to see the day have gone out
unhindered; those who were on their husbands' beds, let them lie on rafts. I
say: "It is too heavy for me," concerning rafts bearing myrrh. Load
them with vessels filled with [. . . Let] them know the palanquin. As for the
butler, he is ruined. There are no remedies for it; noblewomen suffer like
maidservants, minstrels are at the looms within the weaving-rooms, and what they
sing to the Songstress-goddess is mourning. Talkers [. . .] corn-rubbers.
Indeed, all female slaves are free with their tongues, and when their mistress
speaks, it is irksome to the maidservants.
Indeed, trees are felled and branches are stripped off.
V
I have separated him and his
household slaves, and men will say when they hear it: "Cakes are lacking
for most children; there is no food [. . .]. What is the taste of it like
today?"
Indeed, magnates are hungry and perishing, followers are followed [. . .]
because of complaints.
Indeed, the hot-tempered man says: "If I knew where God is, then I would
serve Him."
Indeed, [Right] pervades the land in name, but what men do in trusting to it is
Wrong.
Indeed, runners are fighting over the spoil [of ] the robber, and all his
property is carried off.
Indeed, all animals, their hearts weep; cattle moan because of the state of the
land.
Indeed, the children of princes are dashed against walls, and the children of
the neck are laid out on the high ground. Khnum groans because of his weariness.
Indeed, terror kills; the frightened man opposes what is done against your
enemies. Moreover, the few are pleased, while the rest are . . . Is it by
following the crocodile and cleaving it asunder? Is it by slaying the lion
roasted on the fire? [Is it] by sprinkling for Ptah and taking [. . .]? Why do
you give to him? There is no reaching him. It is misery which you give to him.
Indeed, slaves . . . throughout the land, and the strong man sends to everyone;
a man strikes his maternal brother. What is it that has been done? I speak to a
ruined man.
Indeed, the ways are [. . .], the roads are watched; men sit in the bushes until
the benighted traveler comes in order to plunder his burden, and what is upon
him is taken away. He is belabored with blows of a stick and murdered.
Indeed, that has perished which yesterday was seen, and the land is left over to
its weakness like the cutting of flax, commoners coming and going in dissolution
[. . .].
VI
Would that there were an end of
men, without conception, without birth! Then would the land be quiet from noise
and tumult be no more.
Indeed, [men eat] herbage and wash [it] down with water; neither fruit nor
herbage can be found [for] the birds, and [. . .] is taken away from the mouth
of the pig. No face is bright which you have [. . .] for me through hunger.
Indeed, everywhere barley has perished and men are stripped of clothes, spice,
and oil; everyone says: "There is none." The storehouse is empty and
its keeper is stretched on the ground; a happy state of affairs! . . .
Would that I had raised my voice at that moment, that it might have saved me
from the pain in which I am.
Indeed, the private council-chamber, its writings are taken away and the
mysteries which were [in it] are laid bare.
Indeed, magic spells are divulged; smw- and shnw-spells are frustrated
because they are remembered by men.
Indeed, public offices are opened and their inventories are taken away; the serf
has become an owner of serfs.
Indeed, [scribes] are killed and their writings are taken away. Woe is me
because of the misery of this time!
Indeed, the writings of the scribes of the cadaster are destroyed, and the corn
of Egypt is common property.
Indeed, the laws of the council chamber are thrown out; indeed, men walk on them
in public places, and poor men break them up in the streets.
Indeed, the poor man has attained to the state of the Nine Gods, and the
erstwhile procedure of the House of the Thirty is divulged.
Indeed, the great council-chamber is a popular resort, and poor men come and go
to the Great Mansions.
Indeed, the children of magnates are ejected into the streets; the wise man
agrees and the fool says "no," and it is pleasing in the sight of him
who knows nothing about it.
Indeed, those who were in the place of embalmment are laid out on the high
ground, and the secrets of the embalmers are thrown down because of it.
VII
Behold, the fire has gone up on
high, and its burning goes forth against the enemies of the land.
Behold, things have been done which have not happened for a long time past; the
king has been deposed by the rabble.
Behold, he who was buried as a falcon [is devoid] of biers, and what the pyramid
concealed has become empty.
Behold, it has befallen that the land has been deprived of the kingship by a few
lawless men.
Behold, men have fallen into rebellion against the Uraeus, the [. . .] of Re,
even she who makes the Two Lands content.
Behold, the secret of the land whose limits were unknown is divulged, and the
Residence is thrown down in a moment.
Behold, Egypt is fallen to pouring of water, and he who poured water on the
ground has carried off the strong man in misery.
Behold, the Serpent is taken from its hole, and the secrets of the Kings of
Upper and Lower Egypt are divulged.
Behold, the Residence is afraid because of want, and [men go about] unopposed to
stir up strife.
Behold, the land has knotted itself up with confederacies, and the coward takes
the brave man's property.
Behold, the Serpent [. . .] the dead: he who could not make a sarcophagus for
himself is now the possessor of a tomb.
Behold, the possessors of tombs are ejected on to the high ground, while he who
could not make a coffin for himself is now [the possessor] of a treasury.
Behold, this has happened [to] men; he who could not build a room for himself is
now a possessor of walls.
Behold, the magistrates of the land are driven out throughout the land: [. . .]
are driven out from the palaces.
Behold, noble ladies are now on rafts, and magnates are in the labor
establishment, while he who could not sleep even on walls is now the possessor
of a bed.
Behold, the possessor of wealth now spends the night thirsty, while he who once
begged his dregs for himself is now the possessor of overflowing bowls.
Behold, the possessors of robes are now in rags, while he who could not weave
for himself is now a possessor of fine linen.
Behold, he who could not build a boat for himself is now the possessor of a
fleet; their erstwhile owner looks at them, but they are not his.
Behold, he who had no shade is now the possessor of shade, while the erstwhile
possessors of shade are now in the full blast of the storm.
Behold, he who was ignorant of the lyre is now the possessor of a harp, while he
who never sang for himself now vaunts the Songstress-goddess.
Behold, those who possessed vessel-stands of copper [. . .] not one of the jars
thereof has been adorned.
VIII
Behold, he who slept wifeless
through want [finds] riches, while he whom he never saw stands making dole.
Behold, he who had no property is now a possessor of wealth, and the magnate
praises him.
Behold, the poor of the land have become rich, and the [erstwhile owner] of
property is one who has nothing.
Behold, serving-men have become masters of butlers, and he who was once a
messenger now sends someone else.
Behold, he who had no loaf is now the owner of a barn, and his storehouse is
provided with the goods of another.
Behold, he whose hair is fallen out and who had no oil has now become the
possessors of jars of sweet myrrh.
Behold, she who had no box is now the owner of a coffer, and she who had to look
at her face in the water is now the owner of a mirror.
Behold, [. . .].
Behold, a man is happy eating his food. Consume your goods in gladness and
unhindered, for it is good for a man to eat his food; God commands it for him
whom He has favored [. . .].
[Behold, he who did not know] his god now offers to him with incense of another
[who is] not known [to him].
[Behold,] great ladies, once possessors of riches, now give their children for
beds.
Behold, a man [to whom is given] a noble lady as wife, her father protects him,
and he who has not [. . .] killing him.
Behold, the children of magistrates are [ . . . the calves] / of cattle [are
given over] to the plunderers.
Behold, priests transgress with the cattle of the poor [. . .].
Behold, he who could not slaughter for himself now slaughters bulls, and he who
did not know how to carve now sees [. . .].
Behold, priests transgress with geese, which are given [to] the gods instead of
oxen.
Behold, maidservants [. . .] offer ducks; noblewomen [. . .].
Behold, noblewomen flee; the overseers of [. . .] and their [children] are cast
down through fear of death.
[Behold,] the chiefs of the land flee; there is no purpose for them because of
want. The lord of [. . .].
IX
[Behold,] those who once owned
beds are now on the ground, while he who once slept in squalor now lays out a
skin-mat for himself.
Behold, noblewomen go hungry, while the priests are sated with what has
been prepared for them.
Behold, no offices are in their right place, like a herd running at random
without a herdsman.
Behold, cattle stray and there is none to collect them, but everyone fetches for
himself those that are branded with his name.
Behold, a man is slain beside his brother, who runs away and abandons him to
save his own skin.
Behold, he who had no yoke of oxen is now the owner of a herd, and he who could
find for himself no ploughman is now the owner of cattle.
Behold, he who had no grain is now the owner of granaries, and he who had to
fetch loan-corn for himself is now one who issues it.
Behold, he who had no dependents is now an owner of serfs, and he who was [a
magnate] now performs his own errands.
Behold, the strong men of the land, the condition of the people is not reported
[to them]. All is ruin!
Behold, no craftsmen work, for the enemies of the land have impoverished its
craftsmen.
[Behold, he who once recorded] the harvest now knows nothing about it, while he
who never ploughed [for himself is now the owner of corn; the reaping] takes
place but is not reported. The scribe [sits in his office], but his hands [are
idle] in it.
Destroyed is [. . .] in that time, and a man looks [on his friend as] an
adversary. The infirm man brings coolness [to what is hot . . .] fear [. . . / .
. .]. Poor men [. . . the land] is not bright because of it.
X
Destroyed is [. . .] their food
is taken from them [. . . through] fear of his terror. The commoner begs [. . .]
messenger, but not [. . .] time. He is captured laden with goods and [all his
property] is taken away. [. . .] men pass by his door [. . .] the outside of the
wall, a shed, and rooms containing falcons. It is the common man who will be
vigilant, the day having dawned on him without his dreading it. Men run because
of [. . . for] the temple of the head, strained through a woven cloth within the
house. What they make are tents, just like the desert folk.
Destroyed is the doing of that for which men are sent by retainers in the
service of their masters; they have no readiness.
Behold, they are five men, and they say: "Go on the road you know, for we
have arrived."
Lower Egypt weeps; the king's storehouse is the common property of everyone, and
the entire palace is without its revenues. To it belong emmer and barley, fowl
and fish; to it belong white cloth and fine linen, copper and oil; to it belong
carpet and mat, [. . .] flowers and wheat-sheaf and all good revenues . . . If
the . . . it in the palace were delayed, men would be devoid [of . . .].
Destroy the enemies of the august Residence, splendid of magistrates [. . .] in
it like [. . .]; indeed, the Governor of the City goes unescorted.
Destroy [the enemies of the august Residence,] splendid [. . .]. [Destroy the
enemies of] that erstwhile august Residence, manifold of laws [. . .]. [Destroy
the enemies of] that erstwhile august [Residence . . .].
Destroy the enemies of that erstwhile august Residence [. . .] none can stand [.
. .].
Destroy the enemies of that erstwhile august Residence, manifold of offices;
indeed [. . .].
Remember to immerse [. . .] him who is in pain when he is sick in his body; show
respect [. . .] because of his god that he may guard the utterance [. . .] his
children who are witnesses of the surging of the flood.
XI
Remember to [. . . . . .]. . .
shrine, to fumigate with incense and to offer water in a jar in the early
morning.
Remember [to bring] fat r-geese, trp-geese, and ducks and to offer god's
offerings to the gods.
Remember to chew natron and to prepare white bread; a man [should do it] on the
day of wetting the head.
Remember to erect flagstaffs and to carve offering stones, the priest cleansing
the chapels and the temple being plastered (white) like milk; to make pleasant
the odor of the horizon and to provide bread-offerings.
Remember to observe regulations, to fix dates correctly, and to remove him who
enters on the priestly office in impurity of body, for that is doing it
wrongfully, it is destruction of the heart [. . .] the day which precedes
eternity, the months [. . .] years are known.
Remember to slaughter oxen [. . .].
Remember to go forth purged [. . .] who calls to you; to put r-geese on the fire
[. . .] to open the jar [. . .] the shore of the waters [. . .] of women [. . .]
clothing [. . . / . . .] to give praise . . . in order to appease you.
[. . .] lack of people; come [. . .] Re who commands [. . .] worshipping him [.
. .] West until [. . .] are diminished [. . .].
Behold, why does he seek to fashion [men . . .]? The frightened man is not
distinguished from the violent one.
XII
He brings coolness upon heat; men
say: "He is the herdsman of mankind, and there is no evil in his
heart." Though his herds are few, yet he spends a day to collect them,
their hearts being on fire.
Would that he had perceived their nature in the first generation; then he would
have imposed obstacles, he would have stretched out his arm against them, he
would have destroyed their herds and their heritage. Men desire the giving
of birth, but sadness supervenes, with needy people on all sides. So it is, and
it will not pass away while the gods who are in the midst of it exist. Seed goes
forth into mortal women, but none are found on the road.
Combat has gone forth, and he who should be a redresser of evils is one who
commits them; neither do men act as pilot in their hour of duty. Where is he
today? Is he asleep? Behold, his power is not seen.
If we had been fed, I would not have found you, I would not have been summoned
in vain; "Aggression against it means pain of heart" is a saying on
the lips of everyone. Today he who is afraid . . . a myriad of people; [. . .]
did not see [. . .] against the enemies of [. . .] at his outer chamber; who
enter the temple [. . .] weeping for him [. . .] that one who confounds what he
has said . . . The land has not fallen [. . .] the statues are burned and their
tombs destroyed [. . .] he sees the day of [. . .]. He who could not make for
himself [. . .] between sky and ground is afraid of everybody.
. . . if he does it . . . what you dislike taking.
Authority, knowledge, and truth are with you, yet confusion is what you set
throughout the land, also the noise of tumult. Behold, one deals harm to
another, for men conform to what you have commanded. If three men travel on the
road, they are found to be only two, for the many kill the few.
XIII
Does a herdsman desire death?
Then may you command reply to be made, because it means that one loves, another
detests; it means that their existences are few everywhere; it means that you
have acted so as to bring those things to pass. You have told lies, and the land
is a weed which destroys men, and none can count on life. All these years are
strife, and a man is murdered on his housetop even though he was vigilant in his
gate lodge. Is he brave and saves himself? It means he will live.
When men send a servant for humble folk, he goes on the road until he sees the
flood; the road is washed out and he stands worried. What is on him is taken
away, he is belabored with blows of a stick and wrongfully slain. Oh that you
could taste a little of the misery of it! Then you would say [. . .] from
someone else as a wall, over and above [. . .] hot . . . years . . . [. . .].
[It is indeed good] when ships fare upstream [. . . . . .] robbing them.
It is indeed good [. . .]. [It is indeed] good when the net is drawn in and
birds are tied up [. . .].
It is [indeed] good [. . .] dignities for them, and the roads are passable.
It is indeed good when the hands of men build pyramids, when ponds are dug and
plantations of the trees of the gods are made.
It is indeed good when men are drunk; they drink myt and their hearts are happy.
XIV
It is indeed good when shouting
is in men's mouths, when the magnates of districts stand looking on at the
shouting in their houses, clad in a cloak, cleansed in front and well-provided
within.
It is indeed good when beds are prepared and the headrests of magistrates are
safely secured. Every man's need is satisfied with a couch in the shade, and a
door is now shut on him who once slept in the bushes.
It is indeed good when fine linen is spread out on New Year's Day [. . .] on the
bank; when fine linen is spread out and cloaks are on the ground. The overseer
of [. . .] the trees, the poor [. . . / . . .] in their midst like Asiatics [. .
.]. Men [. . .] the state thereof; they have come to an end of themselves; none
can be found to stand up and protect themselves [. . .].
Everyone fights for his sister and saves his own skin. Is it Nubians? Then will
we guard ourselves; warriors are made many in order to ward off foreigners. Is
it Libyans? Then we will turn away. The Medjay are pleased with Egypt.
XV
How comes it that every man kills
his brother? The troops whom we marshaled for ourselves have turned into
foreigners and have taken to ravaging. What has come to pass through it is
informing the Asiatics of the state of the land; all the desert folk are
possessed with the fear of it. What the plebs have tasted [. . .] without giving
Egypt over [to] the sand. It is strong [. . .] speak about you after years [. .
.] devastate itself, it is the threshing floor which nourishes their houses [. .
.] to nourish his children [. . .] said by the troops [. . . . . .] fish [. . .]
gum, lotus leaves [. . .] excess of food.
XVI
What Ipuwer said when he
addressed the Majesty of the Lord of All: [. . .] all herds. It means that
ignorance of it is what is pleasing to the heart. You have done what was good in
their hearts and you have nourished the people with it. They cover their faces
through fear of the morrow.
That is how a man grows old before he dies, while his son is a lad of
understanding; he does not open [his] mouth to speak to you, but you seize him
in the doom of death [. . .] weep [. . .] go [. . .] after you, that the land
may be [. . .] on every side.
XVII
If men call to [. . .] weep [. .
.] them, who break into the tombs and burn the statues [. . .] the corpses of
the nobles [. . . / . . .] of directing work.
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