Enuma Elish: The Epic Of Creation (Audio Book)
The Enuma Elish is an ancient Mesopotamian epic poem that describes the creation of the universe, the rise of the gods, and the establishment of order in the world. It is considered one of the oldest surviving creation myths and holds great significance in ancient Near Eastern literature.
Transcript
The first tablet,
When in the height heaven was not named,
And the earth beneath did not yet bear a name,
And the primeval Apsu,
Who begat them,
And Kheas,
Kemat,
The mother of them both,
Their waters were mingled together,
And no field was formed,
No marsh was to be seen.
One of the gods none had been called into being,
And none bore a name,
And no destinies were ordained.
Then were created the gods in the midst of heaven.
Lamu and Lahamu were called into being,
Aegis and Christ.
Then Ansar and Kisar were created,
And over them Lamu were the days,
Then there came forth Anu their son,
Ansar and Anu,
And the god Anu,
Nutamud,
Whom his fathers as begetters.
Abounding in all wisdom,
He was exceeding strong,
He had no rival.
Thus were established and were the great gods.
But Tiamat and Apsu were still in confusion,
They were troubled,
And in disorder.
A proof was not diminished in might,
And Tiamat roared,
She smote,
And their deeds.
In Yuma-alish the epoch of creation won,
Their way was evil.
Then Apsu,
The begetter of the great gods,
Cried unto Manu,
His minister,
And said unto him,
O Manu,
Thou minister that rejoicest my spirit,
Come unto Tiamat let us go.
So they went,
And before Tiamat they lay down.
They consulted on a plan with regard to the gods,
Their sons.
Apsu opened his mouth and spake,
And unto Tiamat,
The glistening one,
He addressed the word,
And their way.
By day I cannot rest,
By night I cannot lie down in peace.
But I will destroy their way,
I will.
Let there be lamentation,
And let us lie down again in peace.
When Tiamat heard these words,
She raged and cried aloud,
Saying,
Bravestly,
She uttered a curse,
And unto Apsu she spake,
What then shall we do?
Let their way be made difficult,
And let us lie down again in peace.
Manu answered,
And gave counsel unto Apsu,
And hostile to the gods was the counsel Manu gave.
Come,
Their way is strong,
But thou shalt destroy it.
Then by day shalt thou have rest,
By night shalt thou lie down in peace.
Apsu hearkened unto him,
And his countenance grew bright.
Since he planned evil against the gods,
His sons,
He was afraid.
His knives became weak,
They gave way beneath him.
Because of the evil which their firstborn had planned,
There they altered,
They,
Lamentation they sat in sorrow.
Then he,
Who knoweth all that is,
Went up and he beheld their muttering,
And spake,
Thou he hath conquered,
And he weepeth and sitteth in tribulation.
Of fear we shall not lie down in peace.
Apsu is laid waste,
And Manu,
Who were taken captive in,
Thou didst.
Let us lie down in peace.
They will smite,
Let us lie down in peace.
Thou shalt take vengeance for them.
Unto the tempest shalt thou.
And Tiamat hearkened unto the word of the bright God,
And said,
Shalt thou entrust,
Let us wage war.
And Numa-Alesh,
The epic of creation,
Too,
The gods in the midst of,
For the gods did she create.
They banded themselves together,
And at the sight of Tumet they advanced.
They were furious,
They devised mischief without rest in night and day.
They prepared for battle,
Fuming and raging.
They joined their forces and made war.
Amlu-Huber,
Who formed all things,
Made in addition weapon invincible.
She spawned monster serpents,
Sharp of tooth and merciless of fang.
With poison instead of blood she filled their bodies.
Fierce monster vipers she clothed with terror.
With splendor she decked them,
She made them of lofty stature.
Whoever beheld them,
Terror overcame them.
Their bodies reared up,
And none could withstand their attack.
She set up vipers and dragons,
And the monster Lahamu,
And hurricanes,
And raging hounds,
And scorpion men,
And mighty tempests,
And fishmen,
And rams.
They bore cruel weapons without fear of the fight.
Her commands were mighty,
None could resist them.
After this fashion,
Huge of stature,
She made eleven monsters,
Among the gods who were her sons,
And as much as he had given her support.
She exalted Kingu,
In their midst she raised him to power,
And marched before the forces to lead the host.
To give the battle signal,
To advance to the attack,
To direct the battle,
To control the fight.
Unto him she entrusted,
In costly raiment she made him sit,
Saying,
I have uttered thy spell,
In the assembly of the gods I have raised thee to power.
The dominion over all the gods have I entrusted unto him.
Be thou exalted,
Thou my chosen spouse.
May they magnify thy name over all of them the Anunnaki.
She gave him the tablet of destiny,
On his breast she laid them,
Saying,
Thy commands shall not be without avail,
And the word of thy mouth shall be established.
Now Kingu,
Thus exalted,
Having received the power of Anu,
Decreed the fate among the gods his sons,
Saying,
Let the opening of your mouth quench the fire god,
Who so is exalted in the battle.
Let him display his might.
The second tablet,
Tamat made weighty her handiwork,
Evil she wrought against the gods her children.
To avenge Apsu,
Tamat planned evil,
But how she had collected her forces,
The god unto he divulged.
He hearkened to this thing,
And he was grievously afflicted,
And he sat in sorrow.
The days went by,
And his anger was appeased,
And to the place of Ansar his father he took his way.
He went in,
Standing before Ansar,
The father who begat him.
In Numa'alish,
The Epic of Creation,
The second tablet three,
All that Tamat had plotted he repeated unto him,
Saying,
Tamat our mother hath conceived a hatred for us.
With all her force she rageth,
Full of wrath.
All the gods have turned to her,
With those whom ye created that go at her side.
They are banded together,
And at the side of Tamat they advance.
They are furious,
They devise mischief without resting night and day.
They prepare for battle,
Fuming and raging.
They have joined their forces,
And are making war.
Amuhubur,
Who formed all things,
Hath made in addition weapons invincible.
She hath spawned monster serpents,
Sharp of tooth and merciless of fang.
With poison instead of blood she hath filled their bodies.
Fierce monster vipers she hath clothed with terror.
With splendor she hath decked them.
She hath made them of lofty stature.
Whoever beholdeth them is overcome by terror.
Their bodies rear up,
And none can withstand their attack.
She hath set up vipers and dragons,
And the monster Lahamu,
And hurricanes and raging hounds,
And scorpion men,
And mighty tempests,
And fishmen and rams.
They bear cruel weapons without fear of the fight.
Her commands are mighty,
None can resist them.
After this fashion,
Huge of stature hath she made eleven monsters,
Among the gods who are her sons,
And as much as he hath given her support.
She hath exalted Kingu,
In their midst she hath raised him to power,
To march before the forces to lead the host,
To give the battle signal,
To advance to the attack,
To direct the battle,
To control the fight.
Unto him hath she entrusted,
In costly raiment she hath made him sit,
Saving.
I have uttered thy spell,
In the assembly of the gods I have raised thee to power.
The dominion over all the gods have I entrusted unto thee.
Be thou exalted,
Thou my chosen spouse.
May they magnify thy name over all of them.
She hath given him the tablet of destiny,
On his breast she laid them,
Saying,
Thy commands shall not be without avail,
And the word of thy mouth shall be established.
Now Kingu,
Thus exalted,
Having received the power of Anu,
Decreed the fate for the gods,
Her sons,
Saying,
Let the opening of your mouth quench the fire-god,
Who so is exalted in the battle.
Let him display his might.
When Ansar heard how Tiamat was mightily in revolt,
He bit his lips,
His mind was not at peace,
And he made a bitter lamentation,
Danu'l,
Thou,
Mamu and Apsu hast smitten.
But Tiamat hath exalted Kingu,
And where is one who can oppose her?
The liberation,
Thou,
Of the gods,
Nudimud,
And Numa'alish,
The epic of creation.
The second tablet,
For,
Ansar unto his son addressed the word,
My mighty hero,
Whose strength is great,
And whose onslaught cannot be withstood,
Go and stand before Tiamat,
That her spirit may be appeased,
That her heart may be merciful,
But if she will not hearken unto thy word,
Our word shalt thou speak unto her,
That she may be pacified.
He heard the word of his father Ansar,
And he directed his path to her,
Toward her he took the way,
And drew nigh.
He beheld the muttering of Tiamat,
But he could not withstand her,
And he turned back.
Ansar,
He spake unto him,
An avenger,
Valiant,
In the place of his decision,
He spake unto him,
Thy father,
Thou art my son,
Who maketh merciful his heart,
To the battle shalt thou draw nigh,
He that shall behold thee shall have peace.
And the Lord rejoiced at the word of his father,
And he drew nigh,
And stood before Ansar.
Ansar beheld him,
And his heart was filled with joy,
He kissed him on the lips,
And his fear departed from him.
O my father,
Let not the word of thy lips be overcome,
Let me go,
That I may accomplish all that is in thy heart.
O Ansar,
Let not the word of thy lips be overcome,
Let me go,
That I may accomplish all that is in thy heart.
What man is it,
Who hath brought thee forth to battle?
Tiamat,
Who is a woman,
Is armed,
And attacketh thee.
Rejoice,
And be glad,
In neck of Tiamat shalt thou swiftly trample underfoot.
Rejoice,
And be glad,
In neck of Tiamat shalt thou swiftly trample underfoot.
Zero my son,
Who knoweth all wisdom,
Pacify Tiamat with thy pure incantation,
Speedily set out upon thy way,
For thy blood shall not be poured out,
Thou shalt return again.
The Lord rejoiced at the word of his father,
His heart exalted,
And unto his father he spake,
O Lord of the gods,
Destiny of the great gods,
If I,
Your avenger,
Conquer Tiamat,
And give you life,
Appoint an assembly,
Make my fate preeminent,
And proclaim it.
In Upsikannaku seat yourself joyfully together,
With my word in place of you will I decree fate,
May whatsoever I do remain unaltered.
Enuma Elish,
The Epic of Creation.
The second tablet,
Five.
May the word of my lips never be chanced,
Nor made of no avail.
The third tablet,
Ansar opened his mouth,
And,
Unto Gaga,
His minister,
Spake the word,
O Gaga,
Thou minister that rejoicest my spirit,
Unto Lamu and Lahamu will I send thee,
Thou canst attain,
Thou shalt cause to be brought before thee.
Let the gods,
All of them,
Make ready for a feast,
And a banquet let them sit,
Let them eat bread,
Let them mix wine,
That for Marduk,
Their avenger they may decree the fate.
O Gaga,
Stand before them,
And all that I tell thee,
Repeat unto them,
And say,
Ansar,
Thy son,
Hath sent me,
The purpose of his heart he hath made known unto me,
The purpose of his heart he hath made known unto me.
He sayeth that Tiamat,
Our mother,
Hath conceived a hatred for us,
With all her force she rageth,
Full of wrath.
All the gods have turned to her,
With those whom ye created,
They go at her side,
They are banded together,
And at the side of Tiamat they advance.
They are furious,
They devise mischief without resting night and day,
They prepare for battle,
Fuming and raging,
They have joined their forces,
And are making war.
Amu-Huber,
Who formed all things,
Hath made an addition weapon invincible,
She hath spawned monster serpents,
Sharp of tooth and merciless of fang.
With poison,
And stent of blood,
She hath filled their bodies,
Fierce monster vipers she hath clothed with terror,
With splendor she hath decked them,
She hath made them of lofty stature,
Whoever beboldeth them,
Terror overcometh him,
Their bodies rear up,
And none can withstand their attack.
She hath set up vipers and dragons,
And the monster Lahamu,
And hurricanes,
And raging bounts,
And scorpion men,
And mighty tempests,
And fishmen,
And rams,
They bear merciless weapons without fear of the fight,
Her commands are miety,
None can resist them.
After this fashion,
Huge of stature hath she made eleven monsters,
Among the gods who are her sons,
And as much as he hath given her support,
She hath exalted Kingmu,
In their midst she hath raised him to power,
To march before the forces,
To lead the host,
To give the battle signal,
To advance to the attack,
To direct the battle,
To control the fight,
Unto him hath she entrusted,
In costly raiment she hath made him sit,
Saying,
Enuma Elish,
The Epic of Creation,
The third tablet six,
I have uttered thy spell,
In the assembly of the gods,
I have raised thee to power,
The dominion over all the gods have I entrusted unto thee,
Be thou exalted,
Thou my chosen spouse,
May they magnify thy name over all of them,
The Anunnaki,
She hath given him the tablets of destiny,
On his breast she laid them,
Saying,
Thy command shall not be without avail,
And the word of thy mouth shall be established,
Now Kingmu,
Thus exalted,
Having received the power of Anu,
Decreed the fate for the gods,
Her sons,
Saving,
Let the opening of your mouth quench the fire god,
Who so is exalted in the battle,
Let him display his mike,
Thy sent Anu,
But he could not withstand her,
Nutemud was afraid,
And turned back,
But Marduk hath sent out,
The director of the gods,
Your son,
To set out against Tiamat,
His heart hath prompted him,
He opened his mouth,
And spake unto me,
Saying,
If I,
Your avenger,
Conquer Tiamat,
And give you life,
Appoint in assembly,
Make my fate preeminent,
And proclaim it,
And Upsikannaku,
Seat yourself joyfully together,
With my word in place of you,
Will I decree fate,
May whatsoever I do remain unaltered,
May the word of my lips never be changed,
Nor made of no avail,
Hasten,
Therefore,
And swiftly decree for him the fate,
Which you bestow,
That he may go,
And fight your strong enemy,
Thagawent,
He took his way,
And,
Humbly before Lanu,
And Lahamu,
The gods,
His fathers,
He made obeisance,
And he kissed the ground at their feet,
He humbled himself,
Then he stood up,
And spake unto them,
Saying,
Ansar,
Your son,
Hath sent me,
The purpose of his heart he hath made known unto me,
He sayeth that Tiamat,
Our mother,
Hath conceived a hatred for us,
With all her force she rageth,
Full of wrath,
All the gods have turned to her,
With those whom ye created,
They go at her side,
They are banded together,
And at the side of Tiamat they advance,
They are furious,
They devise mischief without resting night and day,
They prepare for battle,
Fuming and raging,
They have joined their forces,
And are making war,
Amuhuber,
Who formed all things,
Hath made in addition weapons invincible,
She hath spawned monster serpents,
Sharp of tooth,
And merciless of fang,
With poison,
Instead of blood,
She hath filled their bodies,
Fierce monster vipers she hath clothed with terror,
With splendor she hath decked them,
She hath made them of lofty stature,
Whoever beboldeth them,
Terror overcometh him,
Their bodies rear up,
And none can withstand their attack,
She hath set up vipers,
And dragons,
And the monster Lahamu,
And hurricanes,
And raging hounds,
And scorpion men,
And mighty tempests,
And fishmen,
And rams,
They bear merciless weapons,
Without fear of the fight,
Her commands are mighty,
None can resist them,
Enuma Elish,
The epic of creation,
The third tablet seven,
After this fashion,
Huge of stature hath she made eleven monsters,
Among the gods who are her sons,
And as much as he hath given her support,
She hath exalted Kingu,
In their midst she hath raised him to power,
To march before the forces,
To lead the hosts,
To give the battle signal,
To advance to the attack,
To direct the battle,
To control the fight,
Unto him hath she entrusted,
In causal raiment she hath made him sit,
Saving,
I have uttered thy spell,
In the assembly of the gods I have raised thee to power,
The dominion over all the gods have I entrusted unto thee,
Be thou exalted,
Thou my chosen spouse,
May they magnify thy name over all of them,
Dot,
Dot,
Dot,
The Ennaki,
She hath given him the tablets of destiny,
On his breast she laid them,
Saving,
Thy command shall not be without avail,
And the word of thy mouth shall be established,
Now Kingu,
Thus exalted,
Having received the power of Anu,
Decreed the fate for the gods,
Her sons,
Saying,
Let the opening of your mouth quench the fire god,
Uso is exalted in the battle,
Let him display his might,
I sent Anu,
But he could not withstand her,
Ludumud was afraid,
And turned back,
But Marduk hath set out,
The director of the gods,
Your son,
To set out against Tiamat,
His heart hath prompted him,
He opened his mouth,
And spake unto me,
Saying,
If I,
Your avenger,
Conquer Tiamat,
And give you life,
Appoint an assembly,
Make my fate preeminent,
And proclaim it,
And Upsikunaku seat yourselves joyfully together,
With my word in place of you will I decree fate,
May whatsoever I do remain unaltered,
May the word of my lips never be changed,
Nor made of no avail,
Hasten therefore,
And swiftly decree for him the fate which you bestow,
That he may go,
And fight your strong enemy,
Lamu and Lahamu heard,
And cried aloud,
All of the Ejigu wailed bitterly,
Saying,
What has been altered,
So that they should,
We do not understand the deed of Tome,
Then did they collect,
And go,
The great gods,
All of them,
Who decree fate,
They entered in before Ansar,
They filled,
They kissed one another in the assembly,
They made ready for the feast,
At the banquet they sat,
They ate bread,
They mixed sesame wine,
The sweet drink,
The maid,
Confused there,
They were drunk with drinking,
Their bodies were filled,
They were holy at ease,
Their spirit was exalted,
Then for Marnuk,
Their avenger,
Did they decree the fate,
The fourth tablet,
They prepared for him a lordly chamber,
Enuma'alish,
The epic of creation,
The fourth tablet ate,
Before his father,
As prince he took his place,
Thou art chiefest among the great gods,
Thy fate is unequaled,
Thy word is Anu,
Jiro Marduk,
Thou art chiefest among the great gods,
Thy fate is unequaled,
Thy word is Anu,
Henceforth not without avail shall be thy command,
In thy power shall it be to exalt,
And to abase,
Established shall be the word of thy mouth,
Irresistible shall be thy command,
None among the gods shall transgress thy boundary,
Abundance,
The desire of the shrines of the gods,
Shall be established in thy sanctuary,
Even though they lack offerings,
O Marduk,
Thou art our avenger,
We give thee sovereignty over the whole world,
Sit thou down in might,
Be exalted in thy command,
Thy weapon shall never lose its power,
It shall crush thy foe,
O Lord,
Spare the life of him that putteth his trust in me,
But as for the god who began the rebellion,
Pour out his life,
Then set they in their midst a garment,
And unto Marduk,
Their firstborn,
They spake,
May thy fate,
O Lord,
Be supreme among the gods,
To destroy and to create,
Speak thou the word,
And thy command shall be fulfilled,
Command now,
And let the garment vanish,
And speak the word again,
And let the garment reappear,
Then he spake with his mouth,
And the garment vanished,
Again he commanded it,
The garment reappeared,
When the gods,
His fathers,
Beheld the fulfillment of his word,
They rejoiced,
And they did homage unto him,
Saying,
Marduk is king,
They bestowed upon him the scepter,
And the throne,
And the ring,
They give him an invincible weapony,
Which overwhelmeth the foe,
Go and cut off the life of Timae,
And let the wind carry her blood into secret places,
After the gods,
His fathers,
Had decreed for the Lord his fate,
They caused him to set out on a path of prosperity and success,
He made ready the bow,
He chose his weapon,
He slung a spear upon him,
And fastened it,
He raised the club,
In his right hand he grasped it,
The bow and the quiver he hung at his side,
He set the lightning in front of him,
With burning flame he filled his body,
He made a net to enclose the inward parts of Timae,
The four winds he stationed,
So that nothing of her might escape,
The south wind,
And the north wind,
And the east wind,
And the west wind,
He brought near to the net,
The gift of his father Anu,
He created the evil wind,
And the tempest,
And the hurricane,
And the fourfold wind,
And the sevenfold wind,
And the whirlwind,
And the wind which had no equal,
He sent forth the winds,
Which he bad created,
The seven of them,
To disturb the inward parts of Timae,
They followed after him,
Then the Lord raised the thunderbolt,
His mighty weapon,
He mounted the chariot,
The storm unequaled for terror,
He harnessed,
And yoked onto it four horses,
Destructive,
Ferocious,
Overwhelming,
And swift of pace,
Enuma Elish,
The epic of creation,
The fourth tablet nine,
Were their teeth,
They were flecked with foam,
They were skilled in,
They had been trained to trample underfoot,
Mighty in battle,
Left and right,
His garment was,
He was clothed with terror,
With overpowering brightness his head was crowned,
Then he set out,
He took his way,
And toward the raging Tamae he set his face,
On his lips he held,
He grasped in his hand,
Then they beheld him,
The gods beheld him,
The gods his fathers beheld him,
The gods beheld him,
And the Lord drew nigh,
He gazed upon the inward parts of Timae,
He perceived the muttering of Kingu,
Her spouse,
As Marduk gazed,
Kingu was troubled in his gait,
His will was destroyed,
And his motions ceased,
And the gods,
His helpers,
Who marched by his side,
Beheld their leaders,
And their sight was troubled,
But Tiaman,
She turned not her neck,
With lit that failed not she uttered rebellious words,
Thy coming is Lord of the gods,
From their places have they gathered,
In thy place are they,
Then the Lord raised the thunderbolt,
His mighty weapon,
And against Timae,
Who was raging,
Thus he sent the word,
Thou art become great,
Thou hast exalted thyself on high,
And thy heart has prompted thee to call to battle,
Their fathers,
There thou hatest,
Thou hast exalted Kingu to be thy spouse,
Thou hast,
Him that,
Even as Anu,
He should issue duries,
Thou hast followed after evil,
And against the gods,
My fathers,
Thou hast contrive thy wicked plan,
Let then thy host be equipped,
Let thy weapons be girded on,
Stand,
Thy and thou,
Let us join battle,
When Tiamat heard these words,
She was like one possessed,
She lost her reason,
Tiamat uttered wild,
Piercing cries,
She trembled,
And shook to her very foundations,
She resided in incantation,
She pronounced her spell,
And the gods of the battle cried out for their weapons,
Then advanced Tiamat,
And Marduk,
The counselor of the gods,
To the fight they came on,
To the battle they drew nigh,
The Lord spread out his net,
And caught her,
And the evil wind that was behind him,
He let loose in her face,
As Tiamat opened her mouth to its full extent,
He drove in the evil wind,
While as yet she had not shut her lips,
The terrible winds filled her belly,
And her courage was taken from her,
And her mouth she opened wide,
He seized the spear,
And burst her belly,
He severed her inward parts,
He pierced her heart,
He overcame her,
And cut off her life,
Enuma Elish,
The epic of creation,
The fourth tablet ten,
He cast down her body,
And stood upon it,
When we had slain Tiamat,
The leader,
Her might was broken,
Her host was scattered,
And the gods her helpers,
Who marched by her side,
Trembled,
And were afraid,
And turned back,
They took to flight to save their lives,
But they were surrounded,
So that they could not escape,
He took them captive,
He broke their weapons,
In the net they were caught,
And in the snare they sat down,
Though of the world they filled with cries of grief,
They received punishment from him,
They were held in bondage,
And on the eleven creatures,
Which she had filled with the power of striking terror,
Upon the troop of devils,
Who marched at her,
He brought affliction,
Their strength he,
Them and their opposition he trampled under his feet,
Moreover Kingu,
Who had been exalted over them,
He conquered,
And with the god Doga he counted him,
He took from him the tablets of destiny,
That were not rightly his,
He sealed them with a seal,
And in his own breast he laid them,
Now after the hero Marduk had conquered,
And cast down his enemies,
And had made the arrogant foe even light,
And had full of established Ansar's triumph,
Over the enemy,
And had attained the purpose of Nutumud,
Over the captive gods he strengthened his endurance,
And unto Tiamat,
Whom he bad conquered,
Be returned,
And the lord stood upon Tiamat's hinder parts,
And with his merciless club he smashed her skull,
He cut through the channels of her blood,
And he made the north wind bear it away into secret places,
His fathers beheld,
And they rejoiced,
And were glad,
Presents and gifts they brought unto him,
Then the lord rested,
Gazing upon her dead body,
While he divided the flesh of the,
And devised a cunning plan,
He split her up like a flat fish into two halves,
One half of her established,
As a covering for heaven,
He fixed a bolt,
He stationed a watchman,
And bade them not to let her wires come forth,
He passed through the heavens,
He surveyed the regions thereof,
And over against the deep he set the dwelling of Nutumud,
And the lord measured the structure of the deep,
And he founded Isera,
A mansion like unto it,
The mansion of Sera which he created,
As heaven,
He caused Anu,
Bel,
And he and their districts to inhabit,
The fifth tablet,
He made the stations for the great gods,
The stars,
Their images,
As the stars of the zodiac,
He fixed,
Enuma Elish,
The epic of creation,
The fifth tablet,
Eleven,
He ordained the year,
And into sections he divided it,
For the twelve months he fixed three stars,
After he had,
The days of the year,
Images,
He founded the station of Nivir,
To determine their bounds,
That none might err,
Or go astray,
He set the station of Bel,
And he along with him,
He opened great gates on both sides,
He made strong the bolt on the left,
And on the right,
In the midst thereof he fixed the Zunnet,
The moon god he caused to shine forth,
The night he entrusted to him,
He appointed him,
A being of the night,
To determine the days,
Every month without ceasing with the crown he covered him,
Saying,
At the beginning of the month,
When thou shinest upon the land,
Thou commandest the horns to determine six days,
And on the seventh day to divide the crown,
On the fourteenth day thou shalt stand opposite,
The half,
When the Zungod on the foundation of heaven dot dot dot thee,
Thou shalt cause to,
And thou shalt make his,
Unto the path of the Zungod shalt thou cause to draw nigh,
And on the day thou shalt stand opposite,
And the Zungod shall,
To traverse her way,
Thou shalt cause to draw nigh,
And thou shalt judge the right,
To destroy,
The gods,
His fathers,
Beheld the net which he had made,
They beheld the bow,
And how its work was accomplished,
They praised the work which he had done,
Then Anu raised it,
In the assembly of the gods,
He kissed the bow,
Saving it is,
And thus he named the names of the bow,
Saving,
Longwood shall be one name,
And the second name shall be,
And its third name shall be the bow star,
And heaven shall it,
Then he fixed a station for it,
Now after the fate of,
He set a throne,
Dot dot dot I in heaven,
The remainder of this tablet is missing,
The sixth tablet,
When Marduk beared the word of the gods,
His heart prompted him,
And he devised a cunning plan,
He opened his mouth,
And unto thee he spake,
That which he had conceived in his heart he imparted unto him,
My blood will I take,
And bone will I fashion,
I will make man,
That man may,
I will create man,
Who shall inhabit the earth,
Enuma Elish,
The epic of creation,
The sixth tablet twelve,
That the service of the gods may be established,
And that their shrines may be built,
But I will alter the ways of the gods,
And I will change their paths,
Together shall they be oppressed,
And unto evil shall they,
And he answered him,
And spake the word,
The of the gods I have changed,
And one shall be destroyed,
And men will I,
And the gods,
And they,
The rest of the text is wanting with the exception of,
The last few lines of the tablet,
Which read as follows,
They rejoiced,
In Upsikonakru they set their dwelling,
Of the heroic son,
Their avenger they cried,
We whom he succored,
They seated themselves,
And in the assembly they named him,
They all cried aloud,
They exalted him,
The seventh tablet,
Oassari,
The stower of planting,
Founder of sowing,
Creator of grain,
And plants,
Who caused the green herb to spring up,
Oassar-ralen,
Who is revered in the house of council,
Who aboundeth in council,
The gods paid homage,
Fear took hold upon them,
Oassar-ralen-nuna,
The mighty one,
The light of the father,
Who beget him,
Who directeth the decrees of Anubel,
And he,
He was their patron,
Be ordained there,
He whose provision is abundance,
Goeth forth,
Kudu is he who created the Manu,
Should their wants be pure,
Then are they satisfied,
Should he make an incantation,
Then are the gods appeased,
Should they attack him in anger,
He withstandeth their onslaught,
Let him therefore be exalted,
And in the assembly of the gods let him,
None among the gods can rival him,
Fifteen Tudu,
Is Ziochina,
The life of the host of the gods,
Who established for the gods the bright heavens,
He set them on their way,
And ordained their path,
Never shall his deeds be forgotten among men,
Tudu as Ziozad,
Thirdly they named,
The bringer of purification,
The god of the favoring breeze,
The lord of hearing and mercy,
The creator of fullness and abundance,
The founder of plenteousness,
Who increases all that is small,
In sore distress we felt as favoring breeze,
Let them say,
Let them pay reverence,
Let them bow in humility before him,
Enuma-lesh,
The epic of creation,
The seventh tablet,
Thirteen,
Tudu as Aghazet,
May mankind forthly magnify,
The lord of the pure incantation,
The quickener of the dead,
Who had mercy upon the captive gods,
Who removed the yoke from upon the gods his enemies,
For their forgiveness did he create,
Mankind,
The merciful one,
With whom it is to bestow life,
May his deeds endure,
May they never be forgotten,
In the mouth of mankind,
Whom his hands have made,
Tudu as Muazek,
Fifthly his pure incantation,
May their mouth proclaim,
Who through his pure incantation,
Hath destroyed all the evil ones,
Sagzu,
Who knoweth the heart of the gods,
Who seeth through the innermost part,
The evildoer he hath not caused to go forth with him,
Founder of the assembly of the gods,
Who,
Their heart,
Subduer of the disobedient,
Director of righteousness,
Who rebellion end,
Tudu as Zayse,
The,
Who put an end to anger,
Who,
Tudu as Sucker,
Thirdly,
The destroyer of the foe,
Who put their plans to confusion,
Who destroyed all the wicked,
Let them,
There is a gap here of sixty lines,
But somewhere among the lost lines,
Belong the following fragments,
Who,
He named the four quarters of the world,
Mankind hath created,
And upon him understanding,
The mighty one,
Adjo,
The creator of the earth,
Shelomu,
The giver of counsel,
And of whatsoever,
Mamu,
The creator of,
Nuel,
The heavens,
Nufor,
Gizgal-let,
Who brought the gods to naught,
The chief of all lords,
Supreme is his might,
Lugaldurma,
The king of the band of the gods,
The lord of rulers,
Who is exalted in a royal habitation,
Who among the gods is gloriously supreme,
Adununa,
The counselor of he,
Who created the gods his fathers,
Unto the path of whose majesty,
No god can ever attain,
And Dalazet be made it known,
Pure is his dwelling,
Nuh,
Of those without understanding,
Is Lugaldalazet,
Supreme is his might,
Enumalish,
The epic of creation,
The seventh tablet,
Fourteen,
There,
In the midst of Tiamat,
Of the battle,
The star,
Which shineth in the heavens,
May he hold the beginning,
And the future,
May they pay homage unto him,
Saying,
He who forced his way through the midst of Tiamat without resting,
Let his name be Nibiru,
The Caesar of the midst,
For the stars of heaven he upheld the path,
He shepherded all the gods like sheep,
He conquered Tiamat,
He troubled and ended her life,
In the future of mankind,
When the days grow old,
May this be heard without ceasing,
May it hold sway forever,
Since he created the realm of heaven,
And fashioned the firm earth,
The lord of the world,
The father Belhath called his name,
This title,
Which all the spirits of heaven proclaim,
Did he hear,
And his spirit was rejoiced,
And he said,
He whose name his fathers have made glorious,
Shall be even as I,
His name shall be,
The binding of all my decrees shall he control,
All my commands shall he make known,
By the name of fifty did the great gods,
Proclaim his fifty names,
They made his path preeminent,
Epilogue,
Let them be held in remembrances,
And let the first man proclaim them,
Let the wise,
In the understanding,
Consider them together,
Let the father repeat them,
And teach them to his son,
Let them be in the ears of the pastor,
And the shepherd,
Let a man rejoice in Marnuk,
The lord of the gods,
That he may cause his land to be fruitful,
And that he himself may have prosperity,
His word standeth fast,
His command is unaltered,
The utterance of his mouth hath no god ever annulled,
He gazed in his anger,
Who turned not his neck,
When he is wroth,
No god can withstand his indignation,
Wide is his heart,
Broad is his compassion,
The sinner and evildoer in his presence,
They receive instruction,
They spake before him,
Unto,
Of Marduk may the gods,
May they,
His name,
They took in,
End of the Creation Epic,
The Fight with Tiamat,
Note,
Strictly speaking,
The text is not a creation legend,
Though it gives the variant form of the principal incident,
Enuma Elish,
The Epic of Creation,
The Seventh Tablet,
15,
In the history of the creation according to the Enuma Elish,
Here the fight with the dragon did not precede the creation of the world,
But took place after men had been created,
And cities had been built,
The cities sighed,
Men,
Men uttered lamentation,
They,
For their lamentation there was none to help,
For their grief there was none to take them by the hand,
Of who was the dragon,
Tiamat was the dragon,
Thou in heaven hath formed,
Fifty Kasbu in his length,
One Kasbu in his height,
Six cubits is his mouth,
Twelve cubits his,
Twelve cubits is the circuit of his ears,
For the space of sixty cubits he,
A bird,
In water nine cubits deep he draggeth,
He raiseth his tail on high,
All the gods of heaven,
In heaven the gods bowed themselves down before the moon god,
The border of the moon gods robed,
They hastily grasped,
Who will go and slay the dragon,
And deliver the broad land from,
And become king over,
Go,
Tishu,
Slay the dragon,
And deliver the broad land from,
And become king over,
Thou hast sent me,
O lord,
To,
The raging creatures of the river,
But I know not thee,
Of the dragon,
Reverse,
And open his mouth,
And speak unto the god,
Stir up cloud,
And storm in tempest,
The seal of thy life shalt thou set before thy face,
Thou shalt grasp it,
And thou shalt slay the dragon,
He stirred up cloud,
And storm in tempest,
He set the seal of his life before his face,
He grasped it,
And he slew the dragon,
For three years and three months,
One day and one night,
The blood of the dragon flowed,
