Gʷǝlt by Bǝlen Sābā

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God. In the year of mercy, I, Bǝlen Sābā, the wife of the lord of the house, the wife of ʿAmda Ṣǝyon the king, for the love of him, for Maṭāʿ, that he may intercede for me in the kingdom of heaven when I stand, my supplication before the heavenly king, Galabā and Ṣǝnqarʿo, and I have given this gʷǝlt to the blessed Maṭāʿ, my beloved, which is not to be sold for a horse, nor for a lion, nor for the appointment of the mountain of Maʿǝṣ, nor for the...

... who has no heir, and who has not been appointed, and who has not been crowned, and who has not been made king, who does not enter the word of the king, and who does not approach the court. And if anyone transgresses or violates this gʷǝlt which I have given to Abba Maṭāʿ, while I, King ʿAmda Ṣǝyon, and while I, Bǝlen Sābā, the wife of the lord of the house, and while Gʷǝkǝle Baḥr Sāmay, and while the appointed one of Dabra Maʿǝo, the lord Maṭāri, and while the appointed one of Zariḍā, the seed of Dāwit, and while the keeper of the hour of Maṭāʿ, Gabra Krǝstos, and this which I have given, I have confirmed that it shall pass through all the world. And I have heard what is said: the word of the assembly, "Vanity, all is vanity," except that which one has done before with his life. And I also have given to Maṭāʿ and to the saints, to the clergy and to the vestments, to the sindon and to the vessels, to the altar of my throne which I have brought down from my Amḥara. And if anyone violates this gʷǝlt which I have given, I, for the angels and for the commemoration of my beloved Maṭāʿ, let him be accursed by the mouth of the 10 prophets and by the mouth of the 12 apostles, by the mouth of the 318 orthodox fathers, and by the mouth of Peter, the head of the bishops, and by the prayer of the venerable Maṭāʿ, and by the mouth of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Let him be accursed in this world and in the world to come, which shall not be loosed by fasting or by my prayer, by alms or by prostration, forever and ever. Amen.

... and I have brought this gʷǝlt and all that I have done, which my lord King ʿAmda Ṣǝyon commanded me, and he said to me: “Go, arrive at the place of Māṭaʿ in the land and the work of his will, for the blessed Māṭaʿ, my beloved.” And he said to me: “Take up the Lord in the time of the inheritance of my lord ʿAmda Ṣǝyon.” And I rejoiced and I wept, and I mourned and I rolled about at the tomb of Māṭaʿ, as my lord ʿAmda Ṣǝyon commanded me, doing for him the will of the Lord according to the desire of his heart. And he said to me: “I will call out and reveal, as the Lord gives me in the kingdom of heaven, for the span of my life, many. Amen. May the Lord give this one small great thing. Amen. May the Lord give this one on earth, this one in our heavens. Amen. This one that eats and that does not eat. Amen. And this one that is measured and that is not measured. Amen. And may his times be prolonged on the face of the earth. Amen. And may the door and his enemies be closed. Amen. And may his sins be erased and the book of his hand be destroyed. Amen. May the Lord give wisdom as to Solomon. Amen. May the Lord give grace as to David. Amen. May the Lord give patience as to Job. Amen. May the Lord give strength as to Joshua. Amen. And for this Bǝlen Sābā, the lady of the house, may the Lord give love with the death of ʿAmda Ṣǝyon, who did his will through her message, as the servant of the blessed elder who pleases his lord through his message, like her good deed through her message. May the Lord give a sign. Amen.

of the Lord God, a feast of many in joy without sorrow, with Māṭaʿ in the land of Ṣǝyon. Amen. And when the day of their journey makes them hear, the Lord God, a word of joy which says: “Come to me, O blessed ones, to my father, inherit the kingdom which he prepared for you from the beginning of the world.” Amen. And may he bless their children. Amen. And may he multiply their number like the stars of the sky and like the sand of the sea. Amen. And amen. And may all the people say: “Amen and amen.” And all of you who have read, pray for King ʿAmda Ṣǝyon and for Queen Bǝlen Sābā, that the Lord God may have mercy on them in heaven and on earth forever and ever. Amen and amen.