The Shelves · the sacred texts, line by line

וְשָׁ֣ם רָאִ֗ינוּ אֶת־הַנְּפִילִ֛ים בְּנֵ֥י עֲנָ֖ק מִן־הַנְּפִלִ֑ים וַנְּהִ֤י בְעֵינֵ֨ינוּ֙ כַּֽחֲגָבִ֔ים וְכֵ֥ן הָיִ֖ינוּ בְּעֵינֵיהֶֽם׃

We even saw the Nephilim there—the descendants of Anak that come from the Nephilim! We seemed like grasshoppers in our own sight, and we must have seemed the same to them!”

καὶ ἐξήνεγκον ἔκστασιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἢν ντο αὐτὴν πρὸς τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ λέγοντες τὴν γῆν ἢν τὰς ἐπ’ αὐτῆς ἐστίν. πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ὃν ἑωράκαμεν ἐν αὐτῇ ἄνδρες ὑπερμήκεις ἐκεῖ·

We even saw the Nephilim there—the descendants of Anak that come from the Nephilim! We seemed like grasshoppers in our own sight, and we must have seemed the same to them!”

הַנְּפִלִ֞ים הָי֣וּ בָאָרֶץ֮ בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵם֒ וְגַ֣ם אַֽחֲרֵי־כֵ֗ן אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָבֹ֜אוּ בְּנֵ֤י הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ אֶל־בְּנ֣וֹת הָֽאָדָ֔ם וְיָלְד֖וּ לָהֶ֑ם הֵ֧מָּה הַגִּבֹּרִ֛ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר מֵעוֹלָ֖ם אַנְשֵׁ֥י הַשֵּֽׁם׃ פ

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and afterward as well—when the sons of God had relations with the daughters of men. And they bore them children who became the mighty men of old, men of renown.

οἱ δὲ γίγαντες ἦσαν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις, καὶ μετ’ ἐκεῖνο ὡς ἄν εἰσεπορεύοντο οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸς τὰς θυγατέρας τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ἐγεννῶσαν ἑαυτοῖς· ἐκεῖνοι ἦσαν οἱ γίγαντες οἱ ἀπ’ αἰῶνος, οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἱ ὀνομαστοί.

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and afterward as well—when the sons of God had relations with the daughters of men. And they bore them children who became the mighty men of old, men of renown.

tw =y ḥwy ḫyt r.r =k n pꜣ-hrw nphꜥlꜥm bꜥllꜥ bꜥlkhꜥ y-ꜥꜣ-phphe

"Ich schleudere Wirkmächtigkeit gegen dich heute, *Nphalam *Balla *Balkha *Jophphe,"

סוֹמֵ֣ךְ יְ֭הוָה לְכָל־הַנֹּפְלִ֑ים וְ֝זוֹקֵ֗ף לְכָל־הַכְּפוּפִֽים׃

The LORD upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.

וַיְהִי֩ כָל־הַנֹּ֨פְלִ֜ים מִבִּנְיָמִ֗ן עֶשְׂרִים֩ וַחֲמִשָּׁ֨ה אֶ֥לֶף אִ֛ישׁ שֹׁ֥לֵֽף חֶ֖רֶב בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא אֶֽת־כָּל־אֵ֖לֶּה אַנְשֵׁי־חָֽיִל׃

That day 25,000 Benjamite swordsmen fell, all men of valor.

מִקּ֣וֹל נִפְלָ֔ם רָעֲשָׁ֖ה הָאָ֑רֶץ צְעָקָ֕ה בְּיַם־ס֖וּף נִשְׁמַ֥ע קוֹלָֽהּ׃

At the sound of their fall the earth will quake; their cry will resound to the Red Sea.

אֽוֹדְךָ֗ עַ֤ל כִּ֥י נוֹרָא֗וֹת נִ֫פְלֵ֥יתִי נִפְלָאִ֥ים מַעֲשֶׂ֑יךָ וְ֝נַפְשִׁ֗י יֹדַ֥עַת מְאֹֽד׃

I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well.

וַיְהִי֩ כָל־הַנֹּ֨פְלִ֜ים בַּיּ֤וֹם הַהוּא֙ מֵאִ֣ישׁ וְעַד־אִשָּׁ֔ה שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָׂ֖ר אָ֑לֶף כֹּ֖ל אַנְשֵׁ֥י הָעָֽי׃

A total of twelve thousand men and women fell that day—all the people of Ai.

שָׁ֤ם אַשּׁוּר֙ וְכָל־קְהָלָ֔הּ סְבִֽיבוֹתָ֖יו קִבְרֹתָ֑יו כֻּלָּ֣ם חֲלָלִ֔ים הַנֹּפְלִ֖ים בֶּחָֽרֶב׃

Assyria is there with her whole company; her graves are all around her. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword.

וַיְהִי֙ מִֽמָּחֳרָ֔ת וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים לְפַשֵּׁ֖ט אֶת־הַֽחֲלָלִ֑ים וַֽיִּמְצְא֤וּ אֶת־שָׁאוּל֙ וְאֶת־בָּנָ֔יו נֹפְלִ֖ים בְּהַ֥ר גִּלְבֹּֽעַ׃

The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

וַֽיְהִי֙ מִֽמָּחֳרָ֔ת וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים לְפַשֵּׁ֖ט אֶת־הַחֲלָלִ֑ים וַֽיִּמְצְא֤וּ אֶת־שָׁאוּל֙ וְאֶת־שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת בָּנָ֔יו נֹפְלִ֖ים בְּהַ֥ר הַגִּלְבֹּֽעַ׃

The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

לֹא־תִרְאֶה֩ אֶת־חֲמ֨וֹר אָחִ֜יךָ א֤וֹ שׁוֹרוֹ֙ נֹפְלִ֣ים בַּדֶּ֔רֶךְ וְהִתְעַלַּמְתָּ֖ מֵהֶ֑ם הָקֵ֥ם תָּקִ֖ים עִמּֽוֹ׃ ס

If you see your brother’s donkey or ox fallen on the road, you must not ignore it; you must help him lift it up.

וִֽיהוּדָ֛ה בָּ֥א עַל־הַמִּצְפֶּ֖ה לַמִּדְבָּ֑ר וַיִּפְנוּ֙ אֶל־הֶ֣הָמ֔וֹן וְהִנָּ֧ם פְּגָרִ֛ים נֹפְלִ֥ים אַ֖רְצָה וְאֵ֥ין פְּלֵיטָֽה׃

When the men of Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked for the vast army, but there were only corpses lying on the ground; no one had escaped.

וְאֵת֩ יֶ֨תֶר הָעָ֜ם הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֣ים בָּעִ֗יר וְאֶת־הַנֹּֽפְלִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נָפְל֣וּ עָלָ֔יו וְאֵ֛ת יֶ֥תֶר הָעָ֖ם הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֑ים הֶגְלָ֛ה נְבֽוּזַר־אֲדָ֥ן רַב־טַבָּחִ֖ים בָּבֶֽל׃

Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried away to Babylon the remnant of the people who had remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to him.

וּמִדְיָ֨ן וַעֲמָלֵ֤ק וְכָל־בְּנֵי־קֶ֨דֶם֙ נֹפְלִ֣ים בָּעֵ֔מֶק כָּאַרְבֶּ֖ה לָרֹ֑ב וְלִגְמַלֵּיהֶם֙ אֵ֣ין מִסְפָּ֔ר כַּח֛וֹל שֶׁעַל־שְׂפַ֥ת הַיָּ֖ם לָרֹֽב׃

Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and all the other people of the east had settled in the valley like a swarm of locusts, and their camels were as countless as the sand on the seashore.

וְאֵת֩ יֶ֨תֶר הָעָ֜ם הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֣ים בָּעִ֗יר וְאֶת־הַנֹּֽפְלִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר נָפְלוּ֙ עַל־הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ בָּבֶ֔ל וְאֵ֖ת יֶ֣תֶר הֶהָמ֑וֹן הֶגְלָ֕ה נְבוּזַרְאֲדָ֖ן רַב־טַבָּחִֽים׃

Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon and the rest of the population.

אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִתְּנ֤וּ קִבְרֹתֶ֨יהָ֙ בְּיַרְכְּתֵי־ב֔וֹר וַיְהִ֣י קְהָלָ֔הּ סְבִיב֖וֹת קְבֻרָתָ֑הּ כֻּלָּ֤ם חֲלָלִים֙ נֹפְלִ֣ים בַּחֶ֔רֶב אֲשֶׁר־נָתְנ֥וּ חִתִּ֖ית בְּאֶ֥רֶץ חַיִּֽים׃

Her graves are set in the depths of the Pit, and her company is all around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword— those who once spread terror in the land of the living.

וְזֶ֨בַח וְצַלְמֻנָּ֜ע בַּקַּרְקֹ֗ר וּמַחֲנֵיהֶ֤ם עִמָּם֙ כַּחֲמֵ֤שֶׁת עָשָׂר֙ אֶ֔לֶף כֹּ֚ל הַנּ֣וֹתָרִ֔ים מִכֹּ֖ל מַחֲנֵ֣ה בְנֵי־קֶ֑דֶם וְהַנֹּ֣פְלִ֔ים מֵאָ֨ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים אֶ֛לֶף אִ֖ישׁ שֹׁ֥לֵֽף חָֽרֶב׃

Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army of about fifteen thousand men—all that were left of the armies of the people of the east. A hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had already fallen.