1 At the hour of the morning watch the angel who brings the healing gift of God came to Zarathushtra, as he served the sacred fire, the sign of God, and sanctified its flame, while he sang aloud the Gathas.

And Zarathushtra asked him: Who art thou, O man, who art of all the embodied world the most beautiful in thine own body of those whom I have seen, glorious one?

2 Thereupon gave the angel answer, the holy one who drives death afar: I am, O Zarathushtra, the messenger of the holy healing gift of God that drives death afar; pray to God, O Spitama, prepare the gift for the taste. Praise God in thy praises as the other saviours praise.

3 Thereupon spake Zarathushtra: Praise be to God for this gift. What man first prepared it for the corporeal world? What blessedness was offered him? What gain did he acquire?

4 Thereupon did the angel answer me, the holy one, driving death afar: Vivanghvant was the first of men who prepared it for the embodied world. This blessedness was offered him; this gain did he acquire, that to him was born a son who was Yima, called the brilliant, he of the many flocks, the most glorious of those yet born, the sunlike one of men, that he made from his authority both herds and people free from dying before their time, both plants and waters free from drought, and men could eat undiminishing food.

5 In the reign of Yima, swift of motion, there was neither extreme cold nor heat, there was neither wasting age nor untimely death, nor envy made by evil. Like fifteen-year-olds walked the two forth, son and father, in their stature and their form, so long as Yima, son of Vivanghvant, ruled, he of the many herds!

6 Who was the second man, O angel, who prepared it for the corporeal world? What sanctity was offered him? What gain did he acquire?

7 Thereupon gave the angel answer, the holy one, driving death afar: Athwya was the second who prepared it for the corporeal world. This blessedness was given him, this gain did he acquire, that to him a son was born, Thraetaona of the heroic tribe,

8 Who smote the dragon Dahaka, three-jawed and triple-headed, six-eyed, with a thousand powers, and of mighty strength, a lying demon of the evil powers, evil for our settlements, and wicked, whom Satan made as the most mighty deceiver against the corporeal world, and for the murder of our settlements, and to slay the homes of Righteousness!

9 Who was the third man, O angel, who prepared it for the corporeal world? What blessedness was given him? What gain did he acquire?

10 Thereupon gave the angel answer, the holy one, driving death afar: Thrita, the most helpful of the Samas, was the third man who prepared it for the corporeal world. This blessedness was given him, this gain did he acquire, that to him two sons were born, Urvakhshaya and Keresaspa, the one a judge confirming order, the other a youth of great ascendancy, ringlet-headed, bludgeon-bearing.

11 He who smote the horned dragon swallowing men and swallowing horses, poisonous and green of colour, over which, as thick as thumbs are, greenish poison flowed aside, on whose back once Keresaspa cooked his meat in an iron cauldron at the noonday meal; and the deadly beast, scorched, started up and sprang off, and dashed out the water as it boiled. Headlong fled affrighted manly-minded Keresaspa.

12 Who was the fourth man who prepared it, O angel, for the corporeal world? What blessedness was given him? What gain did he acquire?

13 Thereupon gave the angel answer, the holy, driving death afar: Pourushaspa was the fourth man who prepared it for the corporeal world. This blessedness was given him, this gain did he acquire, that thou, O Zarathushtra, wast born to him, the just, in Pourushaspa's house, the foe of the evil powers, the friend of the lore of the Wise Lord, (14) famed in Airyana Vaejah; and thou, O Zarathushtra, didst recite first the Ahuna-vairya prayer, four times intoning it, each time with louder and still louder voice.

15 And thou didst cause, O Zarathushtra, all the false gods to vanish in the ground who aforetime flew about this earth in human shape and power. This hast thou done, thou who hast been the strongest, and the staunchest, the most active, and the swiftest, and in every deed the most victorious in the world of the two spirits.

16 Thereupon spake Zarathushtra: Praise be to God for this gift. Good is the plant, and well-endowed, exact and righteous in its nature, and good inherently, and healing, beautiful of form, and good in deed, and most successful in its working, golden-hued, with bending sprouts. As it is the best for drinking, so through its sacred stimulus is it the most nutritious for the soul.

17 I make my petition to Thee, O God, for inspiration. I make my petition to Thee for strength; I make my petition to Thee for victory; I make my petition to Thee for health and healing when healing is my need; I make my petition to Thee for progress and increased prosperity, and vigour of the entire frame, and for understanding of each adorning kind, and for this, that I may have free course among our settlements, having power where I will, overwhelming angry malice, and a conqueror of lies.

18 Yea, I make my petition to Thee that I may overwhelm the angry hate of haters, of the evil powers and of mortals, of the sorcerers and sirens, of the tyrants and the oppressors, of the corrupt priests, murderous two-footed beings, of the sanctity-destroyers, the profane apostate beings, of the wolves, four-footed monsters, of the invading host, wide-fronted, which with stratagems advances.

19 This first blessing I beseech of Thee, O God, who drivest death afar: I beseech of Thee for heaven, the best life of the righteous, the radiant, all-glorious.

This second blessing I beseech of Thee, O God, who drivest death afar: this body's health, before that blessed life is attained.

This third blessing I beseech of Thee, O God, who drivest death afar: the long vitality of life.

20 This fourth blessing I beseech of Thee, O God, who drivest death afar: that I may stand forth on this earth with desires gained, and powerful, receiving satisfaction, overwhelming the assaults of hate, and conquering the lie.

This fifth blessing, O God, I beseech of Thee, who drivest death afar: that I may stand victorious on earth, conquering in battles, overwhelming the assaults of hate, and conquering the lie.

21 This sixth blessing I ask of Thee, O God, who drivest death afar: that we may get good warning of the thief, good warning of the murderer, see first the bludgeon-bearer, get first sight of the wolf. May no one whichsoever get first the sight of us. In the strife with each may we be they who get the first alarm!

22 God grants to racers who would run a course with span both speed and stamina in their horses. God grants to women come to bed with child a brilliant offspring and a righteous line.

God grants to those, how many, who have long sat searching books, more knowledge and more wisdom.

23 God grants to those long maidens, who sit at home unwed, good husbands, and that as soon as asked, He, the well-minded.

24 God lowered Keresani, dethroned him from his throne, for he grew so fond of power that he treacherously said: No priest behind and watching shall walk the lands for me as a counsellor to prosper them; he would rob everything of progress, he would crush the growth of all!

25 Praise to Thee, O God, who hast power as Thou wilt, and by Thine inborn strength! Praise to Thee, Thou art well-versed in many sayings, and true and holy words. Praise to Thee, for Thou dost ask no wily questions, but questionest direct.

26 Forth hath the Wise Lord borne to thee the star-bespangled girdle, the spirit-made, the ancient one, the faith of the worshippers of the Wise Lord. So with this thou art begirt on the summits of the mountains, for the spreading of the precepts, and the headings of the sacred word, and to help the teacher of the word,

27 O Lord, thou house-lord, and thou clan-lord, thou tribe-lord, and chieftain of the land, and thou successful learned teacher, for aggressive strength I speak to Thee, for that which smites with victory, and for my body's saving, and for manifold delight!

28 Bear off from us the torment and the malice of the hateful. Divert the angry foe's intent!

What man soever in this house is violent and wicked, what man soever in this village, or this tribe, or province, seize Thou away the fleetness from his feet; throw Thou a veil of darkness over his mind; make Thou his intellect at once a wreck!

29 Let not the man who harms us, mind or body, have power to go forth on both his legs, or hold with both his hands, or see with both his eyes, not the land beneath his feet, or the herd before his face.

30 At the aroused and fearful dragon, green, and belching forth his poison, for the righteous saint that perishes, O Mighty One, hurl Thy mace!

At the murderous bludgeon-bearer, committing deeds unheard of, blood-thirsty, drunk with fury, O Mighty One, hurl Thy mace!

31 Against the wicked human tyrant, hurling weapons at the head, for the righteous saint that perishes, O Mighty One, hurl Thy mace!

Against the righteousness-disturber, the unholy life-destroyer, who delivers the thoughts and words of our religion well, yet in actions never reaches them, for the righteous saint that perishes, O Mighty One, hurl Thy mace!

32 Against the body of the harlot, with her magic overthrowing minds with intoxicating pleasures, offering her person to the lusts, whose mind as vapour wavers as it flies before the wind, for the righteous saint that perishes, O Mighty One, hurl Thy mace!