1 Zarathustra asked God: "O Lord, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! He who smites one of those water dogs that are born one from a thousand dogs and a thousand she-dogs, so that he gives up the ghost and the soul parts from the body, what is the penalty that he shall pay?"

2 God answered: "He shall pay ten thousand stripes with the horse-goad, ten thousand stripes with the scourge.

"He shall godly and piously bring unto the fire kindled in God's name ten thousand loads of hard, well dried, well examined wood, as an atonement unto the soul of the water dog.

3 "He shall godly and piously bring unto the fire kindled in God's name ten thousand loads of soft wood, of Urvasna, Vohu-gaona, Vohu-kereti, Hadhanaepata, or any sweet-scented plant, as an atonement unto the soul of the water dog.

4 "He shall godly and piously tie and consecrate ten thousand bundles of baresma; he shall offer up for God's sake, with the good waters, ten thousand Zaothra libations with the Haoma and the sacred meat, cleanly prepared and well strained, cleanly prepared and well strained by a pious man, as an atonement unto the soul of the water dog.

5 "He shall kill ten thousand snakes of those that go upon the belly; he shall kill ten thousand snakes of those that have the shape of a dog; he shall kill ten thousand tortoises; he shall kill ten thousand land frogs; he shall kill ten thousand water frogs; he shall kill ten thousand corn-carrying ants; he shall kill ten thousand ants of those that bite and dig holes and work mischief.

6 "He shall kill ten thousand earth worms; he shall kill ten thousand horrid flies.

"He shall fill up ten thousand holes for the unclean.

"He shall godly and piously give to godly men twice seven sets of implements for the fire, as an atonement unto the soul of the water dog, namely:

7 "Two loads of the proper materials for fire; a broom; a pair of tongs; a pair of round bellows extended at the bottom, contracted at the top; an adze with a sharp edge and a sharp-pointed handle, a saw with sharp teeth and a sharp-pointed handle, by means of which the worshippers of God procure wood for the fire.

8 "He shall godly and piously give to godly men a set of the priestly instruments of which the priests make use, as an atonement unto the soul of the water dog, namely: the horse-goad, the meat-vessel, the mouth-veil, the Khrafstra-killer, the scourge, the cup for the Myazda, the cups for the juice, the mortar made according to the rules, the Haoma cups, and the baresma.

9 "He shall godly and piously give to godly men a set of all the war implements of which the warriors make use, as an atonement unto the soul of the water dog; the first being a javelin, the second a knife, the third a club, the fourth a bow, the fifth a quiver with shoulder-belt and thirty brass-headed arrows, the sixth a sling with arm-string and with thirty sling stones, the seventh a cuirass, the eighth a hauberk, the ninth a tunic, the tenth a helmet, the eleventh a girdle, the twelfth a pair of greaves.

10 "He shall godly and piously give to godly men a set of all the implements of which the husbandmen make use, as an atonement unto the soul of the water dog, namely: a plough with share and yoke, an ox whip, a mortar of stone, a hand-mill for grinding corn,

11 "A spade for digging and tilling; one measure of silver and one measure of gold."

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How much silver?

God answered: "The price of a stallion."

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How much gold?

God answered: "The price of a camel.

12 "He shall godly and piously procure a rill of running water for godly husbandmen, as an atonement unto the soul of the water dog."

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How large is the rill?

God answered: "The depth of a dog, and the breadth of a dog.

13 "He shall godly and piously give a piece of arable land to godly men, as an atonement unto the soul of the water dog."

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How large is the piece of land?

God answered: "As much as can be watered with such a rill on both sides.

14 "He shall godly and piously procure for godly men a house with ox-stalls, with nine hathras and nine nematas, as an atonement unto the soul of the water dog."

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How large is the house?

God answered: "Twelve Vitaras in the largest part of the house, nine Vitaras in the middle part, six Vitaras in the smallest part.

"He shall godly and piously give to godly men goodly beds with cushions, as an atonement unto the soul of the water dog.

15 "He shall godly and piously provide for a godly man the marriage portion of a virgin maid, whom no man has known, to be given to him in marriage with her consent, as an atonement unto the soul of the water dog."

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! What maid?

God answered: "A sister or a daughter of his, at the age of puberty, with ear-rings in her ears, and past her fifteenth year.

16 "He shall godly and piously give to holy men twice seven head of small cattle, as an atonement unto the soul of the water dog.

"He shall bring up twice seven whelps.

"He shall throw twice seven bridges over canals.

17 "He shall put into repair twice nine stables that are out of repair.

"He shall cleanse twice nine dogs from skin humours, hair wax, vermin, and all the diseases that are produced on the body of a dog.

"He shall treat twice nine godly men to their fill of meat, bread, and wholesome drink.

18 "This is the atonement, this is the penalty that he shall undergo to atone for the deed that he has done.

"If he shall undergo it, he shall enter the Garden of the righteous; if he shall not undergo it, he shall fall down into the world of the wicked, into that dark world, made of darkness, the offspring of darkness."