This hymn, written by Daniel ben Yehuda, who was a Dayan in Rome about 1300, is based on Maimonides' 13 principles of Judaism. According to Maimonides, failure to believe in a single one of these principles places one outside the pale of Judaism.
1) the existence of God
יִגְדַּל אֱלֹהִים חַי וְיִשְׁתַּבַּח, Exalted is the living God, and praised
נִמְצָא וְאֵין עֵת אֶל מְצִיאוּתוֹ: He exists, and His existence transcends time.
2) God is One
אֶחָד וְאֵין יָחִיד כְּיִחוּדוֹ, He is One, and there is no unity like His,
נֶעְלָם וְגַם אֵין סוֹף לְאַחְדּוּתוֹ: He is invisible, His unity is infinitive.
3) God is uncorporeal
אֵין לוֹ דְמוּת הַגּוּף He is unlike the corporeal
וְאֵינוֹ גוּף, or even the non-corporeal,1God can also not be compared to the angels.
לֹא נַעֲרֹךְ אֵלָיו קְדֻשָּׁתוֹ: His holiness is beyond comparison.
4) God is Eternal
קַדְמוֹן לְכָל דָּבָר אֲשֶׁר נִבְרָא, He preceded every being that was created,
רִאשׁוֹן He was First,
וְאֵין רֵאשִׁית לְרֵאשִׁיתוֹ: and there was no genesis to His beginning.
5) God alone must be worshipped
הִנּוֹ אֲדוֹן עוֹלָם לְכָל נוֹצָר, He is Master of the Universe to every creature,
יוֹרֶה גְדֻלָּתוֹ וּמַלְכוּתוֹ: (all) proclaim His greatness and His majesty.
6) Truth of Divine Prophecy
שֶֽׁפַע נְבוּאָתוֹ נְתָנוֹ, The fullness of His prophecy, He bestowed
אֶל אַנְשֵׁי סְגֻלָּתוֹ on those He treasured,
וְתִפְאַרְתּוֹ: and in whom He gloried.
7) Moses was the greatest of all prophets
לֹא קָם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל There never arose in Israel
כְּמשֶׁה עוֹד, another like Moses,
נָבִיא וּמַבִּיט אֶת תְּמוּנָתוֹ: a prophet who beheld God's image.
8) Divine revelation of the Torah
תּוֹרַת אֱמֶת The Torah of truth
נָתַן לְעַמּוֹ אֵל, the Almighty gave to His people
עַל יַד נְבִיאוֹ through His prophet,
נֶאֱמַן בֵּיתוֹ: the trusted one of His house.
9) The Torah is immutable
לֹא יַחֲלִיף הָאֵל The Almighty will not exchange
וְלֹא יָמִיר דָּתוֹ, nor alter His Law.
לְעוֹלָמִים לְזוּלָתוֹ: Never will He offer any alternative.
10) God knows the acts and thoughts of man
צוֹפֶה וְיוֹדֵֽעַ סְתָרֵֽינוּ, He scrutinizes and knows our secrets.
מַבִּיט לְסוֹף דָּבָר בְּקַדְמָתוֹ: He beholds the end of a thing at its beginning.
11) Divine reward and punishment
גּוֹמֵל לְאִישׁ חֶֽסֶד He rewards man with kindness
כְּמִפְעָלוֹ, according to his deeds.
נוֹתֵן לְרָשָׁע רָע He sends evil to the wicked
כְּרִשְׁעָתוֹ: according to his wickedness.2The word “deed” is not applied to the wicked man. Since Divine reward and punishment are distributed with kindness, reward is granted to man not only for his deed, which may itself be insignificant, but also for the long range effect of that deed. He is punished, however, only for his act of wickedness, not for the consequences of his deed.—Etz Yosef
12) Belief in the coming of the Messiah
יִשְׁלַח לְקֵץ הַיָּמִין מְשִׁיחֵֽנוּ, He will send our Messiah at the end of days,
לִפְדּוֹת מְחַכֵּי קֵץ יְשׁוּעָתוֹ: to redeem all who await His final deliverance.
13) Divine resurrection of the dead
מֵתִים יְחַיֶּה אֵל The Almighty will revive the dead
בְּרֹב חַסְדּוֹ, because of His abundant kindness:
בָּרוּךְ עֲדֵי עַד שֵׁם תְּהִלָּתוֹ: Blessed forever is His praised Name.