1 From the region of the north, from the regions of the north, forth rushed Satan, the deadly, the chief of the devils. And thus spake the guileful one, he the evil-doer Satan, the deadly: "Fiend, rush down upon him! destroy the holy Zarathustra!" The fiend came rushing along, the demon Buiti, the unseen death, the hell-born.

2 Zarathustra chanted aloud the Ahuna-Vairya: "The will of the Lord is the law of holiness; the riches of the good mind shall be given to him who works in this world for God, and wields according to the will of the Lord the power He gave to him to relieve the poor."

He added: "Offer up prayers to God for the good waters of the good Daitya!

"Profess the law of the worshippers of God!"

The fiend, dismayed, rushed away, the demon Buiti, the unseen death, the hell-born.

3 And the fiend, the guileful one, said unto Satan: "O baneful Satan! I see no way to kill him, so great is the glory of the holy Zarathustra."

Zarathustra saw all this from within his soul: "The evil-doing devils and fiends," thought he, "take counsel together for my death."

4 Up started Zarathustra, forward went Zarathustra, unshaken by the evil spirit, by the hardness of his malignant riddles, swinging stones in his hand, stones as big as a house, which he obtained from the Maker, he the holy Zarathustra.

"At what on this wide, round earth, whose ends lie afar, at what dost thou swing those stones, thou who standest by the river Daitya, upon the mountains, in the mansion of Pourushaspa?"

5 Thus Zarathustra answered Satan: "O evil-doer, Satan! I will smite the works of the devil; I will smite the Nasu, a creature of the devil; I will smite the Pairika Knathaiti, till the fiend-smiter, the Deliverer, come up to life out of the lake Kasava, from the region of the dawn, from the regions of the dawn."

6 Again to him said the guileful one, the contriver of the evil world, Satan: "Do not destroy my followers, O holy Zarathustra! Thou art the son of Pourushaspa, just born of thy mother. Renounce the good law of the worshippers of God, and thou shalt gain such a boon as the murderer gained, the ruler of the nations."

7 Thus in answer to him said Spitama Zarathustra: "No! never will I renounce the good law of the worshippers of God, though my body, my life, my soul should burst!"

8 Again to him said the guileful one, the contriver of the evil world, Satan: "By whose Word wilt thou strike, by whose Word wilt thou repel, by whose weapon will the good creatures strike and repel my works, who am Satan?"

9 Thus in answer to him said Spitama Zarathustra: "The sacred mortar, the sacred cup, the Haoma, the Words taught by God, these are my weapons, my best weapons! By this Word will I strike, by this Word will I repel, by this weapon the good creatures will strike and repel thee, O evil-doer, Satan! To me the Holy Spirit gave it, he gave it to me from of old; to me the holy angels, by the command of the all-ruling, all-beneficent God, gave it."

10 Zarathustra chanted aloud the Ahuna-Vairya. The holy Zarathustra said aloud: "This I ask Thee: teach me the truth, O Lord! . . ."

11 Zarathustra asked God: "O Lord, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! (he was sitting by the Daitya, on the mountain, praying to God for good thought, for the best holiness, for desirable dominion, and for holy devotion;)

12 "How shall I make the world free from that fiend, from the evil-doer Satan? How shall I drive away direct defilement? How indirect defilement? How shall I drive the Nasu from the house of the worshippers of God? How shall I cleanse the faithful man? How shall I cleanse the faithful woman?"

13 God answered: "Hold fast, O Zarathustra, to the good law of God.

"Remember, O Zarathustra, the holy angels who serve over the seven regions of the earth.

"Remember, O Zarathustra, the sovereign heaven, the boundless time, and the wind, whose action is most high.

"Remember, O Zarathustra, the powerful wind, made by God, and holy devotion.

14 "Call upon Me, O Zarathustra, who am God, the greatest, the best, the fairest of all beings, the most intelligent, the highest in holiness, and whose Word is holy!

"Give thanks, O Zarathustra, for this creation of Mine, who am God."

15 Zarathustra took those words from Me, and said: "I call upon God, the Creator of all that is holy.

"I call upon God, the Friend, lord of wide pastures, whose might is the most glorious of all weapons, the most fiend-smiting of all weapons.

"I call upon God, who sends the holy angel Sraosha, with a club in his hand, to bear upon the heads of the fiends.

16 "I hold fast to the most glorious holy Word.

"I remember the sovereign heaven, the boundless time, and the wind, whose action is most high, as His signs.

"I remember the mighty wind, made by God, and holy devotion.

"I hold fast to the good law of God, the fiend-destroying law that He gave through Zarathustra."

17 Zarathustra asked God: "O Maker of the good world, O Lord! With what manner of sacrifice shall I worship, with what manner of sacrifice shall I worship and forward this creation of God?"

18 God answered: "Go, O Spitama Zarathustra, towards that tree that is beautiful, high-growing, and mighty amongst the high-growing trees, and say thou these words: 'Praise be to God who made thee, O good, holy tree! Ashem vohu!'

19 "Let the faithful man cut off a twig of baresma, long as a ploughshare, thick as a barley-corn. The faithful one, holding it in his left hand, shall not leave off keeping his eyes upon it, whilst he is offering up the sacrifice to God alone, giving thanks for His holy angels, for the high and beautiful golden Haomas, for the good mind, and for the good order made by God, holy and excellent."

20 Zarathustra asked God: "O thou all-knowing Lord, Thou art never asleep, never intoxicated! The clothes of the faithful get directly defiled: the clothes get indirectly defiled; the devils defile them from the bodies smitten by the devils: let the clothes be made clean."

21 God answered: "Thou shalt take some gomez from a bull ungelded and such as the law requires it; thou shalt take the man who is to be cleansed to the field made by God, and the man that is to cleanse him shall draw the furrows.

22 "He shall recite a hundred Ashem vohu: 'Holiness is the best of all good. Happy, happy the man who is holy with perfect holiness!'

"He shall chant two hundred Ahuna-Vairya: 'The will of the Lord is the law of holiness; the riches of the good mind shall be given to him who works in this world for God, and wields according to the will of the Lord the power He gave to him to relieve the poor.'

"He shall wash the clothes four times with the gomez from the ox, and twice with the water made by God.

23 "Thus the clothes shall be made clean, and clean shall be the man. Then he shall take up the clothes with his left arm and his right, with his right arm and his left: and thou shalt lay down the clothes under the mighty structure of the bright heavens, by the light of the stars made by God, until nine nights have passed away.

24 "When nine nights have passed away, thou shalt bring libations, in God's name, at the fire, thou shalt bring hard wood unto the fire, thou shalt bring incense of Vohu-gaona unto the fire, and thou shalt perfume the clothes therewith.

25 "Thus shall the clothes become clean, thus shall the man be clean: he shall take up the clothes with the right arm and the left, with the left arm and the right, and the faithful one shall say aloud: 'Glory be to God, Lord of the holy angels and of all the other holy beings!'"

26 Zarathustra asked God: "O thou all-knowing Lord: Should I urge upon the godly man, should I urge upon the godly woman, should I urge upon the wicked devil-worshipper who lives in sin, that they have once to leave behind them the earth made by God, that they have to leave the water that runs, the corn that grows, and all the rest of their wealth?"

God answered: "Thou shouldst, O holy Zarathustra."

27 O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Where are the rewards given? Where does the rewarding take place? Where is the rewarding fulfilled? Whereto do men come to take the reward that, in their life in the material world, they have won for their souls?

28 God answered: "When the man is dead, when his time is over, then the hellish, evil-doing devils assail him; and when the third night is gone, when the dawn appears and brightens up, and makes the light, God's sign, reach the all-happy mountains, and the sun is rising:

29 "Then the fiend named Vizaresha carries off in bonds the souls of the wicked devil-worshippers who live in sin. The soul enters the way decreed by God, open both to the wicked and to the righteous. At the head of the Chinvat bridge, the holy bridge made by God, they ask for their spirits and souls the reward for the worldly goods which they gave away here below.

30 "Then comes the well-shapen, strong maid, with the dogs at her sides, one who can distinguish, who is graceful, who does what she wants, and is of high understanding.

"She makes the soul of the righteous one go up above the Hara-berezaiti; above the Chinvat bridge she places it in the presence of the heavenly angels themselves.

31 "Up rises the angel of good thought from his golden seat; he exclaims: 'How hast thou come to us, thou holy one, from that decaying world into this undecaying one?'

32 "Gladly pass the souls of the righteous to the Garden, the House of Songs, the abode of nearness to God, the abode of the holy angels, the abode of all the other holy beings.

33 "As to the godly man that has been cleansed, the wicked evil-doing devils tremble at the perfume of his soul after death, as a sheep does on which a wolf is falling.

34 "The souls of the righteous are gathered together there: the angel Nairyosangha, the messenger of God, is with them.

"Do thou thyself remember, O Zarathustra, this world of God."

35 Zarathustra took those words from God: "I praise God for the holy world, made by God.

"I give thanks to God for the earth, for the water, for the holy trees.

"I praise God for the sea Vouru-kasha.

"I praise God for the shining sky.

"I praise God for the eternal and sovereign luminous space.

36 "I praise God for the bright, all glorious, blissful abode of the holy ones.

"I praise God for the House of Songs, the abode of nearness to Him, the abode of the holy angels, the abode of all the other holy beings.

"I praise God for the sovereign place of eternal weal, and for the Chinvat bridge made by Him.

37 "I give thanks to God for the good blessing, whose looks go far and wide.

"I give thanks to God for the mighty guardian spirits of the righteous.

"I give thanks to God for the whole creation of weal.

"I give thanks to God for the angel of victory, made by Him, who wears the glory made by God.

"I give thanks to God for Tistrya, the bright and glorious star.

38 "I honour the holy, beneficent Gathas:

"I honour the Ahunavaiti Gatha;

"I honour the Ushtavaiti Gatha;

"I honour the Spenta-mainyu Gatha;

"I honour the Vohu-khshathra Gatha;

"I honour the Vahishtoishti Gatha.

39 "I give thanks to God for the regions of Arzahe and Savahe;

"I give thanks to God for the regions of Fradadhafshu and Vidadhafshu;

"I give thanks to God for the regions of Vourubaresti and Vouruzaresti;

"I give thanks to God for the bright Hvaniratha;

"I give thanks to God for the bright, glorious Haetumant;

"I give thanks to God for the good reward;

"I give thanks to God for the good knowledge;

"I give thanks to God for the most right knowledge;

"I give thanks to God for the glory of the Aryan regions;

"I remember the glory of the bright Yima, the great shepherd.

40 "Let God be worshipped with sacrifice, let Him be praised and thanked, who sent the holy, fiend-smiting angel Sraosha.

"Bring libations, in God's name, at the fire, bring hard wood unto the fire, bring incense of Vohu-gaona unto the fire.

"Offer up the sacrifice to God, at the Vazishta fire, a sign of God, which smites the fiend Spenjaghra: bring unto it the cooked meat and the offerings of boiling milk.

41 "Offer up the sacrifice to God, that the holy angel Sraosha may smite down the fiend Kunda, who is drunken without drinking. He will fall upon the men of the fiend, the slothful ones, the wicked devil-worshippers, who live in sin.

42 "I give thanks to God for the Kara fish, who lives beneath waters in the bottom of the deep lakes.

"I remember the ancient and sovereign Merezu, the greatest seat of battle between good and evil.

43 "They run about to and fro, their minds waver to and fro, Satan the deadly, the chief of the devils; the devils Sauru, Naunghaithya, Taurvi and Zairi, Aeshma of the wounding spear, the devil Akatasha, Zaurva, baneful to the fathers, the devil Buiti, the devil Driwi, the devil Daiwi, the devil Kasvi, Paitisha the most devil-like amongst the devils.

44 "And he said, the guileful, the evil-doing devil, Satan the deadly: 'What! let the wicked, evil-doing devils gather together at the head of Arezura.'

45 "They rush, they run away, the wicked, evil-doing devils; they run away with shouts, the wicked, evil-doing devils; they run away casting the evil eye, the wicked, evil-doing devils: 'Let us gather together at the head of Arezura!

46 "'For he is just born the holy Zarathustra, in the house of Pourushaspa. How can we procure his death? He is the stroke that fells the fiends: he is a counter-fiend to the fiends; he is an enemy to the fiend. Down are the devil-worshippers, the Nasu sent by the devils, the false-speaking Lie!'

47 "They run away, they rush away, the wicked, evil-doing devils, into the depths of the dark, horrid world of hell."

"Ashem vohu: Holiness is the best of all good."