Amulet to Restore the Love of Sitt al-Furs

[In the name] of God, we will act and succeed; for Your salvation I wait, O Lord (Genesis 49:18); I wait for Your salvation; I wait for Your salvation, O Lord. May it be Your will, O Lord my God, that you nullify from Sitt al-Furs bat ‘Azīza the designs of all people who stand against her for evil, and all evil counsels counseled by her enemies, those who hate her, and her antagonists.

May all their evil thoughts be negated—and all [their] counsels and all the plots of their hearts. May their hearts be silenced, their mouths become dumb, and let their evil be destroyed and their faces abashed. And if they see her, may they be filled with love for her, and may their hearts be transformed into love and all their hatred forgotten, not to be remembered. May she find grace, favor, and mercy in their eyes, in the name of Yeḥazel, Melakha, Re‘huel, Vasbazbadiel, ‘Alatasfam, Panomoriel—even Bakhliel, Samushael, Va’ohahiel Va‘ananiel, Rafafiel, Paspo XXXXXXXX Amen, Amen, Selah; arise for our help and redeem us for the sake of Your [mercy] (Psalms 44:27).

In Your name, O Merciful One, may it be Your [will, the King,] King of Kings, the Holy One . . . in the three [hundred and] ninety firmaments . . . angels [appointed] over each and every firmament, in the name of the four living creature angels [see, e.g., Ezekiel 1:5] that bear the high and raised throne [see Isaiah 6:1], I adjure you with the great oath by which Joseph adjured Gabriel, who then taught him the seventy languages, and Gabriel handed over to him this name, YAH, which is one of the seventy names of the Holy One, and he found favor and mercy in the eyes of all who saw him [see Genesis 39:4, 21].

So, may there be favor and mercy and respect and greatness and honor to Netanel, who is known as Ḥibat Allāh ibn Durra, in the eyes of Sitt al-Furs bat ‘Azīza. May she run after him and not delay by even an hour. And any hatred she harbors in her heart should be nullified, and let there be love, in the name of HHA HHA HHA AHH AHH AHH YHYHYH, I am that I am [ehyeh asher ehyeh] (Exodus 3:14); I am [ehyeh] has sent me to you (Exodus 3:14), from this day until forever, Amen, Amen, Selah, Hallelujah; AHVYHVḤḤ, Amen, Amen, Selah, Hallelujah; BBUMAV, Amen, Amen, Selah.

I adjure you, [Metatron,] the most beloved and cherished of all celestial beings, [faithful servant] of the God of Israel, High Priest, head of [the priests], you of [seventy] names, and whose name [is like your Master’s name] [see b. Sanhedrin 38b] LEVIKARTA. AGA MIN ḤETS SHET. Great minister, appointed over all the great ministers, and who is the head of all the camps, I adjure you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, God of Israel, who sits upon the cherubim (1 Samuel 4:4), that you illuminate the countenance of Netanel, known as Ḥibat Allāh ibn Durra, before Sitt al-Furs bat ‘Azīza, and before all [the children of Adam] and Eve, like a lamp that is kindled in a home, and like a river [flowing] all day and night, so her heart and feet should run after Netanel, known as Ḥibat Allāh ibn Durra, Amen, Amen, Selah. In the name of Ehyeh, in the name of the Lord, God of Israel, El Shaddai, in the name of Ḥasdiel, Habiel, Gavtiel the angel, and in the name of TG‘ATS TA‘TSASH, by Yah, God, the Lord of Israel, in the name of Tsuriel, in the name of Akatriel, in the name of [X]‌ XXXXXXXXXXX . . . XXXX YAH XXX . . . XX you holy names, [and] praiseworthy knots, grant favor and grace to Netanel, known as Ḥibat Allāh ibn Durra, in the eyes of Sitt al-Furs bat ‘Azīza, Amen, Amen, Selah.

AḤSYH YḤUSH ZA’IPF

AḤSYH YḤUSH KKGZ XXXX

AḤSYH YḤUSH XXXXX

AḤSYH YḤUSH XXX

GUMNI GUMNUNI I am that I am,

YITRO YITRA I am that I am,

KISO KISAH I am that I am,

YETER ‘OLAM1 I am that I am.

You holy letters, release Netanel, [known] as Ḥibat Allāh ibn Durra, and his wife, [Sitt al-]Furs bat ‘Azīza, from all witchcraft [and spells] and defilements that might be cast by wizards and witches, and that will be in the future cast upon Netanel, known as Ḥibat Allāh ibn Durra, and upon his wife.

May they be nullified, uprooted, and displaced from the 248 limbs of Netanel, known as Ḥibat Allāh ibn Durra, and of his wife, Sitt al-Furs bat ‘Azīza, from this hour until forever, Amen, Amen, Amen, Selah. TAFIEL PE’ER APARISHTA

SHANTIEL SHANTIEL of hosts, Amen, Amen, Amen, Selah.

In the name of V’C’K’T’P’V’P’TH’Ḥ’P’R’A’—you four keys that remain in the hands of [the Holy One,] blessed be He: the key of livelihood, the key of [birth], the key of rain, the key of graves. In the name of Michael, Gabriel, Haniel, Rafael, Tsuriel, Tsadkiel, Tsaḥtsaḥiel—you four keys that remain before the Holy One, blessed be He, and the angels who are holy, fit, designated, dignified, who stand before the Holy One, blessed be He, who carry out missions in awe, and run for their missions, and perform the will of their Maker, with praise, glorification, and acclaim; I adjure you—in the name of YHYHYHYHYHYHYH, [in] the name of Akatriel, in the name of the Lord, who is YHVH, the great, mighty, and fearsome God (Deuteronomy 10:17), the powerful—that you nullify from Netanel, known as Ḥibat Allāh ibn Durra, and from his wife, Sitt al-Furs bat ‘Azīza, all forms of witchcraft and all forms of sorcery, and all harmful inscriptions and all evil knots that have been made against Netanel, known as Ḥibat Allāh ibn Durra, and against his wife, Sitt al-Furs bat ‘Azīza. Whether they were prepared in the day or at night, in the grave or under a tree, in food or in drink, at home or on the road, under the sun or the stars—let them be nullified and released; four angels will nullify, and four angels will release. So may they be released: all forms of sorcery and all forms of witchcraft, and all harmful inscriptions and all evil spells and every [evil] eye, [the evil] from the sinews, and from the bones, and from the head, and from the belly, [and from the] . . . and from the frame, and from the legs, and from the hands, of Netanel, [known as Ḥibat] Allāh ibn Durra, and of his wife, Sitt al-Furs bat ‘Azīza, from this [day] until forever, Amen YH, Amen YH, [Amen] YH, Selah, Hallelujah.

I swear and adjure you, by this great, holy, fearsome, awesome, mighty name, regarding every evil person; cast the rebuke and suspicions back into their faces, so that they will no longer utter anything evil. Amen, Amen, Selah, Selah, Selah, Hallelujah.

Source: CUL T-S K1.168.

Translated by Avi Steinhart.

Notes

[These two words can mean “the rest of the world.” —Trans.]

Credits

CUL T-S K1.168. Reproduced by kind permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 3: Encountering Christianity and Islam.

Engage with this Source

This lengthy amulet, one of the longest in the Cairo Geniza, seeks to protect Sitt al-Furs bat ‘Azīza from witchcraft and to restore her love for her husband, Netanel (Ḥibat Allāh; “gift of God”) ibn Durra, who commissioned the amulet. The text is addressed directly to God but also adjures several angels, including the archangel Metatron. The formulations in this amulet are found in other magical texts, indicating a shared textual tradition. Ellipses indicate lacunae in the manuscript. The Xs indicate magical lettering.

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