101. "Stand there [with joy], when he looketh upon thee he will be at rest."30
113. The Lord [Marduk] rejoiced at the word of his father,
114. He approached and took up his place before Anshar.
115. Anshar looked upon him and his heart was filled with gladness.
116. He (i.e., Anshar) kissed his (Marduk's) lips, and his (Anshar's) fear was removed. [Then Marduk said]
117. "My father, let not the opening of thy mouth be closed,31
118. "I will go, I will make to take place all that is in thy heart.
119. "Anshar, let not the opening of thy mouth be closed,
120. "I will go, I will make to take place all that is in thy heart." [Anshar says to Marduk]
121. "What man is the cause of the battle which made thee go forth
122. "... Tiâmat, who is a woman, pursueth thee with weapons.
123. "Rejoice our [hearts] and make us glad.
124. "Thou thyself shalt soon trample upon the neck of Tiâmat,
125. "Rejoice our [hearts] and make us glad.
126. "Thou thyself shalt soon trample upon the neck of Tiâmat.
127. "My son, who dost comprehend everything,
128. "Cast deep sleep upon Tiâmat with thy holy spell.
129. "Betake thyself to thy march with all speed.
130. "..."
131. The Lord [Marduk] rejoiced at the word of his father,
132. His heart leaped with joy, to his father he spake, [saying],
133. "O Lord of the gods, Overlord of the Great Gods,
134. "Should I as your avenger
135. "Slay Tiâmat and bestow life upon you,
136. "Summon a meeting, proclaim and magnify my position,
137. "Sit ye down together in friendly fashion in Upshukkinaku.
138. "Let me issue decrees by the opening of my mouth even as ye do.
139. "Whatsoever I bring to pass let it remain unaltered,
140. "That which my mouth uttereth shall never fail or be brought to nought."
1. Anshar opened his mouth, and
2. Unto the god Gaga ([Cuneiform]), his envoy, spake a word [saying],
3. "O Gaga, my envoy, who makest glad my liver.
4. "I will despatch thee unto the gods Lakhmu and Lakhamu.
Portion of a tablet inscribed in Assyrian with a text of the Third Tablet of the Creation Series. [No. 93,017.]
5. "Thou must know and understand the [intention of my heart]
6. "... are brought before thee
7. "... all the gods.
8. "Let them make a council, let them sit down to a feast
9. "Let them eat bread, let them heat sesame wine.
10. "Let them issue decrees to Marduk as their avenger.
11. "Get thee gone, Gaga, take up thy stand before them.
12. "All that I am now going to tell thee do thou repeat to them [saying],
13. "'[O ye gods], Anshar your son hath charged me,
14. "'The intention of his heart he hath made me to know in this wise:--
15. "'Mother Tiâmat who gave us birth hath sown these things,
16. "'She hath set in order her assembly, she rageth furiously,
17. "'All the gods have joined themselves to her.
18. "'They march by her side together with those whom ye have created.
19. "'They formed a band and went forth to battle to help Tiâmat.
20. "'They were exceedingly wroth, they made plots by day and by night without ceasing.
21. "'They offered battle, foaming and raging.
22. "'They set the battle in array, they uttered cries of defiance.
23. "'Ummu-Khubur, who formed all things,
24. "'Set up the unrivalled weapon, she spawned huge serpents,
25. "'Sharp of tooth, pitiless in attack (?)
26. "'She filled their bodies with venom instead of blood.
27. "'Grim, monstrous serpents arrayed in terror.
28. "'She decked them with brightness, she fashioned them in exalted forms,
29. "'So that fright and horror might overcome him that looked upon them,
30. "'So that their bodies might rear up, and no man resist their attack.
31. "'She set up the Viper, and the Snake, and the god Lakhamu,
32. "'The Whirlwind, the Ravening Dog, the Scorpion-man,
33. "'The Storm-wind, the Fish-man, the Horned Beast.
34. "'They carried the Weapon which spared not, nor flinched from the battle,
35. "'Most mighty were Tiâmat's allies, they could not be resisted.
36. "'Thus she caused Eleven [monsters] of this kind to come into being.
37. "'Among the gods, her first-born son who had collected her company,
38. "'That is to say, Kingu, she set on high, she made him the great one among them,
39. "'Leader of the hosts in the battle, disposer of the troops,
40. "'Bearer of the firmly-grasped weapon, attacker in the fight.
41. "'He who in the battle is the master of the weapon,
42. "'She appointed, she made him to sit down in [goodly apparel]
43. "'[Saying]: I have recited the incantation for thee, I have magnified thee in the assembly of the gods.
44. "''I have filled his (i.e., thy) hand with the sovereignty of the whole company of the gods.
45. "''Mayest thou be magnified, thou who art my only spouse,
46. "''May the Anunnaki make great thy renown over all of them."'
47. "She gave him the TABLET OF DESTINIES, she fastened it on his head [saying]:
48. "'As for thee, thy command shall not fall empty, what goeth forth from thy mouth shall be established.'
49. "When Kingu was raised on high and had taken the heavens (literally, the god Anutum),
50. "He fixed the destinies for the gods, his sons, [saying]:
51. "'Open your mouths, let the Fire-god be quenched.
52. "'He who is glorious in battle and is most mighty shall do great deeds.'
53. "'I sent the god Anu, but he could not prevail against her.
54. "'Nudimmud (i.e., Ea) was afraid and turned back,
55. "'Marduk, your son, the envoy of the gods, hath set out.
56. "'His heart is stirred up to oppose Tiâmat.
57. "'He opened his mouth, he spoke unto me [saying]:
58. "'Should I as your avenger
59. "'Slay Tiâmat, and bestow life upon you,
60. "'Summon a meeting, proclaim and magnify my position,
61. "'Sit ye down together in friendly fashion in Up-shukkinaku.
62. "'Let me issue decrees by the opening of my mouth even as ye do,
63. "'Whatsoever I bring to pass let it remain unaltered.
64. "'That which my mouth uttereth shall neither fail nor be brought to nought.'
65. "Hasten ye therefore, issue your decrees speedily
66. "That he may go to meet your mighty enemy."
67. Gaga departed and hastened upon his way
68. To the god Lakhmu and the goddess Lakhamu, the gods his fathers, reverently
69. He did homage, and he kissed the ground at their feet.
70. He bowed down, stood up, and spake unto them [saying]:
71. "[O ye gods], Anshar your son hath charged me,
72. "The intention of his heart he hath made me to know in this wise:--
73. "Mother Tiâmat who gave us birth hath sown these things,
74. "She hath set in order her assembly, she rageth furiously.
75. "All the gods have joined themselves to her.
76. "They march by her side together with those whom ye have created,
77. "They formed a band and went forth to battle to help Tiâmat.
78. "They were exceedingly wroth, they made plans by day and by night without ceasing.
79. "They offered battle, foaming and raging.
80. "They set the battle in array, they uttered cries of defiance.
81. "Ummu-Khubur, who formed all things,
82. "Set up the unrivalled weapon, she spawned huge serpents,
83. "Sharp of tooth, pitiless in attack (?)
84. "She filled their bodies with venom instead of blood,
85. "Grim, monstrous serpents, arrayed in terror,
86. "She decked them with brightness, she fashioned them in exalted forms,
87. "So that fright and horror might overcome him that looked upon them,
88. "So that their bodies might rear up, and no man resist their attack.
89. "She set up the Viper, and the Snake, and the god Lakhamu,
90. "The Whirlwind, the Ravening Dog, the Scorpion-man,
91. "The Storm-wind, the Fish-man, the Horned Beast,
92. "They carried the Weapon which spared not, nor flinched from the battle.
93. "Most mighty were Tiâmat's allies, they could not be resisted.
94. "Thus she caused Eleven [monsters] of this kind to come into being.
95. "Amongst the gods, her first-born son who had collected her company,
96. "That is to say, Kingu, she set on high, she made him the great one among them.
97. "Leader of the hosts in the battle, disposer of the troops,
98. "Bearer of the firmly-grasped weapon, attacker in the fight,
99. "He who in the battle is the master of the weapon
100. "She appointed, she made him to sit down in [goodly apparel],
101. "[Saying]: 'I have recited the incantation for thee, I have magnified thee in the assembly of the gods.
102. "'I have filled his (i.e., thy) hand with the sovereignty of the whole company of the gods.
103. "'Mayest thou be magnified, thou who art my only spouse.
104. "'May the Anunnaki make great thy renown over all of them.'
105. "She gave him the TABLET OF DESTINIES, she fastened it on his head [saying]:
106. "'As for thee, thy command shall not fall empty, what goeth forth from thy mouth shall be established.'
107. "When Kingu was raised on high, and had taken the heavens (Anutum)
108. "He fixed the destinies for the gods, his sons, [saying]:
109. "'Open your mouths, let the Fire-god be quenched,
110. "'He who is glorious in battle and is most mighty shall do great deeds.
111. "'I sent the god Anu, but he could not prevail against her.
112. "'Nudimmud (i.e., Ea) was afraid and turned back.
113. "'Marduk, your son, the envoy of the gods, hath set out.
114. "'His heart is stirred up to oppose Tiâmat.
115. "'He opened his mouth, he spoke unto me, [saying]:
116. "'Should I as your avenger
117. "'Slay Tiâmat, and bestow life upon you,
118. "'Summon a meeting (i.e., council), proclaim and magnify my position,
119. "'Sit down together in friendly fashion in Upshukkinaku,
120. "'Let me issue decrees by the opening of my mouth, even as ye do,
121. "'Whatsoever I bring to pass let it remain unaltered.
122. "'That which my mouth uttereth shall neither fail nor be brought to nought."'
123. "Hasten ye therefore, issue your decrees speedily
124. "That he may go to meet your mighty enemy."
125. The gods Lakhmu and Lakhamu heard, they wailed loudly,
126. All the Igigi gods wept bitterly [saying]:
127. "Who were [our] enemies until [the gods] were posted [in heaven]?
128. "We cannot comprehend the work of Tiâmat."
129. They gathered themselves together, they went,
130. All the great gods, who issue decrees.
131. They entered in, they filled [the court] before Anshar.
132. Brother [god] kissed brother [god] in the [divine] assembly,
133. They held a meeting, they sat down to a feast,
134. They ate bread, they heated the [sesame wine],
135. The taste of the sweet drink confused their ...
136. They drank themselves drunk, their bodies were filled to overflowing,
137. They were overcome by heaviness [of drink], their livers (i.e., spirits) were exalted,
138. They issued the decree for Marduk as their avenger.
1. They founded for him a majestic canopy,
2. He (i.e., Marduk) seated himself in the seat of kingship in the presence of his fathers [who said unto him]:
3. "Thou art honourable by reason of thy greatness among the gods.
4. "Thy position is unrivalled, the words thou utterest become Anum (i.e., as fixed as the sky).
5. "Thou art honourable by reason of thy greatness among the gods.
6. "Thy position is unrivalled, the words thou utterest become Anum (i.e., as fixed as the sky).
7. "From this day onward thy command shall not be abrogated.
8. "The power to exalt to heaven and to cast down to the earth both shall be in thy hand,
9. "That which goeth forth from thy mouth shall be established, against thy utterance shall be no appeal.
10. "No one among the gods shall overstep thy boundary,
11. "Worship, which is the object of the sanctuary of the gods,
12. "Whensoever they lack [it] shall be forthcoming in thy sanctuary,
13. "O god Marduk, thou art our avenger.
14. "We have given unto thee sovereignty over the whole creation,
15. "Thou shalt sit down, in the council thy word shall be exalted,
16. "Thy weapon shall never fall [from thy hands], it shall break the head of thy foe.
17. "Lord, whosoever putteth his trust in thee, spare thou his life,
18. "And the god who deviseth evil, pour thou out his soul."
19. Then a cloak (literally, one cloak) was set in their midst,
20. They addressed the god Marduk their first-born [saying]:
21. "Thou, Lord, shalt hold the foremost position among the gods.
22. "Decree thou the throwing down32and the building up,33and it shall come to pass.
23. "Speak but the word, and the cloak shall disappear,
24. "Speak a second time and the cloak shall return uninjured."
25. Marduk spoke the word, the cloak disappeared,
26. He spoke a second time, the cloak reappeared.
27. When the gods his fathers saw the issue of the utterance of his mouth
28. They rejoiced and adored [him, saying], "Marduk is King."
29. They conferred upon him the sceptre, the throne, and the symbol of royalty (?)34
30. They gave him the unrivalled weapon, the destroyer of the enemy [saying]:
31. "Go, cut off the life of Tiâmat.
32. "Let the wind carry her blood into the depth [under the earth]."
33. The gods, his fathers, issued the decree for the god Bel.
34. They set him on the road which leadeth to peace and adoration.
35. He strung [his] bow, he set ready his weapon [in the stand],
36. He slung his spear, he attached it to [his belly],
37. He raised the club, he grasped it in his right hand.
38. The bow and the quiver he hung at his side.35
39. He set the lightning in front of him.
40. His body was filled with a glancing flame of fire.
41. He made a net wherewith to enclose Tiâmat.
42. He made the four winds to take up their position so that no part of her might escape,
Portion of a tablet inscribed in Babylonian with a text of the Fourth Tablet of the Creation Series. [No. 93,016.]
43. The South wind, the North wind, the East wind, the West wind.
44. He held the net close to his side, the gift of his father Anu,
45. He created the "foul" wind, the storm, the parching blast,
46. The wind of "four," the wind of "seven," the typhoon, the wind incomparable
Portion of a tablet inscribed in Assyrian with a text of the Fourth Tablet of the Creation Series. [K. 3437.]
47. He despatched the seven winds which he had made,
48. To make turbid the inward parts of Tiâmat; they followed in his train.
49. The Lord raised up the wind storm, his mighty weapon.
50. He went up into his chariot, the unequalled and terrible tempest.36
51. He equipped it, he yoked thereto a team of four horses,
52. Pawing the ground, champing, foaming [eager to] fly,
53. ... [the odour] of their teeth bore foetidness,
54. They were skilled [in biting], they were trained to trample under foot.
[Lines 55-57 too fragmentary to translate; they continue the description of Marduk's equipment.]
58. His brightness streamed forth, his head was crowned [thereby].
59. He took a direct path, he hastened on his journey.
60. He set his face towards the place of Tiâmat, who was ...
61. On his lips ... he restrained
62. ... his hand grasped.
63. At that moment the gods were gazing upon him with fixed intensity,
64. The gods, his fathers, gazed upon him, they gazed upon him.
65. The Lord approached, he looked upon the middle of Tiâmat,
66. He searched out the plan of Kingu, her husband.
67. Marduk looked, Kingu staggered in his gait,
68. His will was destroyed, his motion was paralysed.
69. And the gods his helpers who were marching by his side
70. Saw the [collapse of] their chief and their sight was troubled.
71. Tiâmat [shrieked but] did not turn her head.
72. With lips full of [rebellious words] she maintained her stubbornness
73. [Saying], "... that thou hast come as the Lord of the gods, [forsooth],
74. "They have appointed thee in the place which should be theirs."
75. The Lord raised up the wind-storm, his mighty weapon,
76. [Against] Tiâmat, who was furious (?), he sent it, [saying]:
77. "[Thou hast made thyself] mighty, thou art puffed upon high,
78. "Thy heart [hath stirred thee up] to invoke battle
79. "... their fathers ...
80. "...
81. "[Thou hast exalted Kingu to be [thy] husband,
82. "[Thou hast made him to usurp] the attributes of Anu
83. "... thou hast planned evil.
84. "[Against] the gods, my fathers, thou hast wrought evil.
85. "Let now thy troops gird themselves up, let them bind on their weapons.
86. "Stand up! Thou and I, let us to the fight!"
87. On hearing these words Tiâmat
88. Became like a mad thing, her senses became distraught,
89. Tiâmat uttered shrill cries again and again.
90. That on which she stood split in twain at the words,
91. She recited an incantation, she pronounced her spell.
92. The gods of battle demanded their weapons.37
93. Tiâmat and Marduk, the envoy of the gods, roused themselves,
94. They advanced to fight each other, they drew nigh in battle.
95. The Lord cast his net and made it to enclose her,
96. The evil wind that had its place behind him he let out in her face.
97. Tiâmat opened her mouth to its greatest extent,
98. Marduk made the evil wind to enter [it] whilst her lips were unclosed.
99. The raging winds filled out her belly,
100. Her heart was gripped, she opened wide her mouth [panting].
101. Marduk grasped the spear, he split up her belly,
102. He clave open her bowels, he pierced [her] heart,
103. He brought her to nought, he destroyed her life.
104. He cast down her carcase, he took up his stand upon it,
105. After Marduk had slain Tiâmat the chief,
106. Her host was scattered, her levies became fugitive,
107. And the gods, her allies, who had marched at her side,
108. Quaked with terror, and broke and ran
109. And betook themselves to flight to save their lives.
110. But they found themselves hemmed in, they could not escape,
111. Marduk tied them up, he smashed their weapons.
112. They were cast into the net, and they were caught in the snare,
113. The ... of the world they filled with [their] cries of grief.
114. They received [Marduk's] chastisement, they were confined in restraint,
115. And [on] the Eleven Creatures which Tiâmat had filled with awfulness,
116. The company of the devils that marched at her ...
117. He threw fetters, he ... their sides.
118. They and their resistance he trod under his feet.
119. The god Kingu who had been magnified over them
120. He crushed, he esteemed him [as little worth] as the god Dugga, (as a dead god?).
121. Marduk took from him the TABLET OF DESTINIES, which should never have been his,
122. He sealed it with a seal38and fastened it on his breast
123. After he had crushed and overthrown his enemies,
124. He made the haughty enemy to be like the dust underfoot.
125. He established completely Anshar's victory over the enemy,
126. The valiant Marduk achieved the object of Nudimmud (Ea),39
127. He imposed strict restraint on the gods whom he had made captive.
128. He turned back to Tiâmat whom he had defeated,
129. The Lord [Marduk] trampled on the rump of Tiâmat,
130. With his unsparing club he clave her skull.
131. He slit open the channels (i.e., arteries) of her blood.
132. He caused the North Wind to carry it away to a place underground.
133. His fathers (i.e., the gods) looked on, they rejoiced, they were glad.
134. They brought unto him offerings of triumph and peace,
135. The Lord [Marduk] paused, he examined Tiâmat's carcase.
136. He separated flesh [from] hair,40he worked cunningly.
137. He slit Tiâmat open like a flat (?) fish [cut into] two pieces,
138. The one half he raised up and shaded the heavens therewith,
139. He pulled the bolt, he posted a guard,
140. He ordered them not to let her water escape.
141. He crossed heaven, he contemplated the regions thereof.
142. He betook himself to the abode of Nudimmud (Ea) that is opposite to the Deep (Apsu),
143. The Lord Marduk measured the dimensions of the Deep,
144. He founded E-Sharra, a place like unto it,
145. The abode E-Sharra, which he made to be heaven.
146. He made the-gods Anu, Bel and Ea to inhabit their [own] cities.
1. He appointed the Stations for the great gods,
2. He set in heaven the Stars of the Zodiac which are their likenesses.
3. He fixed the year, he appointed the limits thereof.
4. He set up for the twelve months three stars apiece.
5. According to the day of the year he ... figures.
6. He founded the Station of Nibir (Jupiter) to settle their boundaries,
7. That none might exceed or fall short.
8. He set the Station of Bel and Ea thereby.
9. He opened great gates under shelter on both sides.
10. He made a strong corridor on the left and on the right.
11. He fixed the zenith in the heavenly vault (?)
12. He gave the god Nannar (i.e., the Moon-god) his brightness and committed the night to his care.
Portion of a tablet inscribed in Assyrian with a text of the Fifth Tablet of the Creation Series. [K. 3567.]
13. He set him for the government of the night, to determine the day
14. Monthly, without fail, he set him in a crown (i.e., disk) [saying]:
15. "At the beginning of the month when thou risest over the land,
16. "Make [thy] horns to project to limit six days [of the month]
17. "On the seventh day make thyself like a crown.
18. "On the fourteenth day ...
[Lines 19-26 dealt further with Marduk's instructions to the Moon-god, but are too fragmentary to translate. After line 26 comes a break in the text of 40 lines; lines 66-74 are too fragmentary to translate, but they seem to have described further acts of Creation.]
75. The gods, his (Marduk's) fathers, looked on the net which he had made,
76. They observed how craftily the bow had been constructed,
77. They extolled the work which he had done.
78. [Then] the god Anu lifted up [the bow] in the company of the gods, 79. He kissed the bow [saying]: "That ..."
80. He proclaimed [the names] of the bow to be as follows:--
81. "Verily, the first is 'Long Wood,' the second is ...
82. "Its third name is 'Bow Star in heaven' ..."
83. He fixed a station for it ...
[Of the remaining 57 lines of this tablet only fragments of 17 lines are preserved, and these yield no connected sense.]
1. On hearing the words of the gods, the heart of Marduk moved him to carry out the works of a craftsman.
2. He opened his mouth, he spake to Ea that which he had planned in his heart, he gave counsel [saying]:
3. "I will solidify blood, I will form bone.
4. "I will set up man, 'Man' [shall be] his name.
5. "I will create the man 'Man.'
6. "The service of the gods shall be established, and I will set them (i.e., the gods) free.
7. "I will make twofold the ways of the gods, and I will beautify [them].
8. "They are [now] grouped together in one place, but they shall be partitioned in two."41
9. Ea answered and spake a word unto him
10. For the consolation of the gods42he repeated unto him a word of counsel [saying]:
11. "Let one brother [god of their number] be given, let him suffer destruction that men may be fashioned.
12. "Let the great gods be assembled, let this [chosen] one be given in order that they (i.e., the other gods) may be established."
13. Marduk assembled the great gods, [he came near] graciously, he issued a decree,
14. He opened his mouth, he addressed the gods; the King spake a word unto the Anunnaki [saying]:
15. "Verily, that which I spake unto you aforetime was true.
16. "[This time also] I speak truth. [Some there were who] opposed me.43
17. "Who was it that created the strife,
18. "Who caused Tiâmat to revolt, to join battle with me?
19. "Let him who created the strife be given [as sacrifice],
20. "I will cause the axe in the act of sinking to do away his sin."
21. The great gods, the Igigi, answered him,
22. Unto the King of the gods of heaven and of earth, the Prince of the gods, their lord [they said]:
23. "[It was] Kingu who created the strife,
24. "Who made Tiâmat to revolt, to join battle [with thee]."
25. They bound him in fetters [they brought] him before Ea, they inflicted punishment on him, they let his blood,
26. From his blood he (i.e., Ea) fashioned mankind for the service of the gods, and he set the gods free.
27. After Ea had fashioned man he ... laid service upon him.
28. [For] that work, which pleased him not, man was chosen: Marduk ...
29. Marduk, the King of the gods, divided ... he set the Anunnaki up on high.
30. He laid down for Anu a decree that protected [his] heart ... as a guard.
31. He made twofold the ways on the earth [and in the heavens?] 32. By decrees ...
33. The Anunnaki who ...
34. The Anunnaki ...
35. They spake unto Marduk, their lord, [saying]:
36. "O thou Moon-god44(Nannaru), who hast established our splendour,
37. "What benefit have we conferred upon thee?
38. "Come, let us make a shrine, whose name shall be renowned;
39. "Come [at] night, our time of festival, let us take our ease therein,
40. "Come, the staff shall rule ...
41. "On the day that we reach [thereto] we will take our ease therein."
42. On hearing this Marduk ...
43. The features of his face [shone like] the day exceedingly.
44. [He said),45"Like unto ... Babylon, the construction whereof ye desire
45. "I will make ... a city, I will fashion a splendid shrine."
46. The Anunnaki worked the mould [for making bricks], their bricks were ...
47. In the second year [the shrine was as high as] a hill, and the summit of E-Sagila reached the [celestial] Ocean.
48. They made the ziggurat46[to reach] the celestial Ocean; unto Marduk, Enlil, Ea [shrines] they appointed,
49. It (i.e., the ziggurat) stood before them majestically: at the bottom and [at the top] they observed its two horns.47
50. After the Anunnaki had finished the construction of E-Sagila, and had completed the making of their shrines,
51. They gathered together from the ... of the Ocean (Apsu). In BAR-MAH, the abode which they had made,
52. He (i.e., Marduk) made the gods his fathers to take their seats ... [saying]: "This Babylon shall be your abode.
53. "No mighty one [shall destroy] his house, the great gods shall dwell therein.
[After line 53 the middle portions of several lines of text are obliterated, but from what remains of it it is clear that the gods partook of a meal of consecration of the shrine of E-Sagila, and then proceeded to issue decrees. Next Marduk assigns seats to the Seven Gods of Fate and to Enlil and Anu, and then he lays up in E-Sagila the famous bow which he bore during his fight against Tiâmat. When the text again becomes connected we find the gods singing a hymn of praise to Marduk.]
94. "Whatever is ... those gods and goddesses shall bear(?)
95. "They shall never forget, they shall cleave to the god (?)
96. "... they shall make bright, they shall make shrines.
97. "Verily, the decision (concerning) the Black-headed [belongeth to] the gods
98. "... all our names have they called, he (Marduk) is most holy (elli)
99. "... they proclaimed and venerated (?) his names.
100. "His ... is exceedingly bright, his work is ...
101. "Marduk, whose father Anu proclaimed [his name] from his birth,
102. "Who hath set the day at his door ... his going,
103. "By whose help the storm wind was bound ...
104. "Delivered the gods his fathers in the time of trouble.
105. "Verily, the gods have proclaimed his sonship.
106. "In his bright light let them walk for ever.
107. "[On] men whom he hath formed, the created things fashioned by his fingers
108. "He hath imposed the service of the gods, and them he hath set free
109. "...
110. "... they looked at him,
111. "[He is] the far-seeing(maruḳu)god, verily ...
112. "Who hath made glad the hearts of the Anunnaki, who hath made them to ...
113. "The god Marudukku ([Cuneiform])-- verily, he is the object of trust of his country ...
114. "Let men praise him ...
115. "The 'King of the Protecting Heart,' (?)[Cuneiform], hath arisen and hath [bound] the Serpent ...
116. "Broad is his heart, mighty [his] belly.
117. "King of the gods of heaven and of earth, whose name our company hath proclaimed,
118. "We will fulfil (?) the utterance of his mouth. Over his fathers the gods,
119. "Yea, [over] the gods of heaven and earth, all of them,
120. "His kingship [we will exalt].
121. "[We] will look unto the King of all the heaven and the earth at night when the place of all the gods is darkness (literally sadness).
122. "He hath assigned our dwelling in heaven and in earth in the time of trouble,
123. "He hath allotted stations to the Igigi and the Anunnaki.
124. "The gods themselves are magnified by his name; may he direct their sanctuaries.
125. "ASAR-LU-DUG,[Cuneiform], is his name by which his father Anu hath named him.
126. "Verily, he is the light of the gods, the mighty ...
127. "Who ... all the parts of heaven and of the land
128. "By a mighty combat he saved our dwelling in the time of trouble.
129. "ASAR-LU-DUG, the god who made him (i.e.man) to live, did the god ... call him in the second place
130. "[And] the gods who had been formed, whom he fashioned as though [they were] his offspring.
131. "He is the Lord who hath made all the gods to live by his holy mouth."
[Lines 132-139 are too fragmentary to translate, but it is clear from the text that remains that Lakhmu, and Lakhamu, and Anshar all proclaimed the names of Marduk. When the text again becomes connected Marduk has just been addressing the gods.]
140. In Up-shukkinaku48he appointed their council for them.
141. [They said]:--"Of [our] son, the Hero, our Avenger,
142. "We will exalt the name by our speech."
143. They sat down and in their assembly they proclaimed his rank.
144. Every one of them pronounced his name in the sanctuary.
1. O ASARI,--giver of plantations, appointer of sowing time,
2. Who dost make grain and fibrous plants, who makest garden herbs to spring up.
3. O ASARU-ALIM--who art weighty in the council-chamber, who art fertile in counsel,
4. To whom the gods pay worship (?) reverent ...
5. O ASARU-ALIM-NUNA--the adored light of the Father who begat him,
6. Who makest straight the direction of Anu, Bel, [and Ea].49
7. He is their patron who fixed [their] ...
8. Whose drink is abundance, who goeth forth ...
9. O TUTU--creator of their new life,
10. Supplier of their wants, that they may be satisfied [or, glad],
11. Let but [Tutu] recite an incantation, the gods shall be at rest;
12. Let but [the gods] attack him (i.e., Tutu) in wrath, he shall resist them successfully;
13. Let him be raised up on a high throne in the assembly of the gods....
14. None among the gods is like unto him.
15. O god TUTU, who art the god ZI-UKKINA, life of the host of the gods,
16. Who stablished the shining heavens for the gods,
17. He founded their paths, he fixed [their courses].
18. Never shall his deeds be forgotten among men.
19. O god TUTU, who art ZI-AZAG, was the third name they gave him--holder (i.e., possessor) of holiness,
20. God of the favourable wind, lord of adoration and grace,
21. Creator of fulness and abundance, stablisher of plenty,
22. Who turneth that which is little into that which is much.
23. In sore straits we have felt his favouring breeze.
24. Let them (the gods) declare, let them magnify, let them sing his praises.
25. O TUTU, who art the god AGA-AZAG in the fourth place--let men exult.
26. Lord of the holy incantation, who maketh the dead to live,
27. He felt compassion for the gods who were in captivity.
28. He riveted on the gods his enemies the yoke which had been resting on them.
29. In mercy towards them he created mankind,
30. The Merciful One in whose power it is to give life.
31. His words shall endure for ever, they shall never be forgotten,
32. In the mouth of the Black-headed50whom his hands have made.
33. O God TUTU, who art the god MU-AZAG in the fifth place--let their mouth recite a holy incantation [to him],
34. Who by his own holy incantation hath destroyed all the evil ones.
Portion of a tablet inscribed in Assyrian with a text of the Seventh Tablet of the Creation Series. [K. 8522.]
35. O god SHAZU, the wise heart of the gods, who searchest the inward parts of the belly,
36. Who dost not permit the worker of evil to go forth by his side,
37. Establisher of the company of the gods ... their hearts.
38. Reducer of the disobedient ...
[Lines 39-106 are wanting. The positions of the fragmentary lines supplied by duplicate fragments are uncertain; in any case they give no connected sense.]
107. Verily, he holdeth the beginning and the end of them,51verily ...
108. Saying, "He who entered into the middle of Tiâmat resteth not;
109. "His name shall be 'Nibiru' the seizer of the middle.
110. "He shall set the courses of the stars of the heavens,
111. "He shall herd together the whole company of the gods like sheep.
112. "He shall [ever] take Tiâmat captive, he shall slit up her treasure (variant, life), he shall disembowel her."52
113. Among the men who are to come after a lapse of time,
114. Let [these words] be heard without ceasing, may they reign to all eternity,
115. Because he made the [heavenly] places and moulded the stable [earth].
116. Father Bel proclaimed his name, "Lord of the Lands."
117. All the Igigi repeated the title.
118. Ea heard and his liver rejoiced,
119. Saying, "He whose title hath rejoiced his fathers
120. "Shall be even as I am; his name shall be Ea.
121. "He shall dispose of all the magical benefits of my rites,
122. "He shall make to have effect my instructions."
123. By the title of "Fifty times" the great gods
124. Proclaimed his names fifty times, they magnified his going.
125. Let the first comer take them and repeat them;
126. Let the wise man and the learned man meditate upon all of them;
127. The father shall repeat them to his son that he may lay hold upon them.
128. Let them (i.e., the names) open the ears of the shepherd and the herdsman.53
129. Let [man] rejoice in Marduk, the Lord of the Gods,
130. That his land may be fertile and he himself abide in security.
131. His word is true, his command altereth not.
132. No god hath ever brought to the ground that which issueth from his mouth.
133. They (i.e., the gods) treated him with contempt, he turned not his back [in flight],
134. No god could resist his wrath at its height.
135. His heart is large, his bowels of mercy are great.
136. Of sin and wickedness before him ...
137. The first comer utters his complaint of humiliation before him.
[Lines 138-142 are too fragmentary to translate.]
1. There are in the British Museum several fragments of Neo-Babylonian copies of the Seven Tablets of Creation, the exact position of which is at present uncertain. One of these (S. 2013) is of some importance because it speaks of one object which was in the "upper Tiâmat"[Cuneiform], and of another which was in the "lower Tiâmat"[Cuneiform]. This shows that the Babylonians thought that one half of the body of Tiâmat, which was split up by Marduk, was made into the celestial ocean, and the other half into the terrestrial ocean, in other words, into "the waters that were above" and "the waters that were beneath" the firmament respectively.
2. When George Smith published hisChaldean Account of Genesisin 1876, he was of opinion that the Creation Tablets in the British Museum contained descriptions of the Temptation of Eve by the serpent and of the building and overthrow of the Tower of Babel. The description of Paradise in Genesis ii seems to show traces of Babylonian influence, and the cylinder seal, Brit. Mus. No. 89,326, was thought to be proof that a Babylonian legend of the Temptation existed. In fact, George Smith printed a copy of the seal in his book (p. 91). But it is now known that the tablet which was believed to refer to man's eating of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge (K. 3, 473 + 79-7-8, 296 + R. 615) describes the banquet of the gods to which they invited Marduk. In like manner the text on K. 3657, which Smith thought referred to the Tower of Babel, is now known to contain no mention of a tower or building of any sort. It was also thought by him that K. 3364 contained a set of instructions which God gave to Adam and Eve after their creation, but it is now known and admitted by all Assyriologists that the text on this tablet contains moral precepts and has nothing to do with the Creation Series. Enquiries are from time to time made at the Museum for tablets which deal with the Temptation of Eve, and the destruction of the Tower of Babel, and the Divine commands to Adam and Eve; it is perhaps not superfluous to say that nothing of the kind exists.
BY SIDNEY SMITH, M.A., and C.J. GADD, M.A., Assistants in the Department.
No. 77,821 (85-4-30, 15).
I have been assisted in the preparation of this monograph by Mr. Sidney Smith, M.A., Assistant in the Department.
E.A. WALLIS BUDGE.
DEPARTMENT OF EGYPTIAN AND ASSYRIAN ANTIQUITIES, BRITISH MUSEUM.June1, 1921.