The Enuma-Elish

The Sumerian Book of Creation

Any lost or damaged parts of the tablets are shown with brackets
Tablet 6
When Marduk heard the speech of the gods,
e made up his mind to perform miracles!
e spoke his utterance to "a,
And communicated to him the plan that he was considering!
#$et me put blood together, and make bones too!
$et me set up prime%al man& Man shall be his name!
$et me create a prime%al man!
The work of the gods shall be imposed 'on him(, and so they shall be at leisure!
$et me change the ways of the gods miraculously,
So they are gathered as one yet di%ided in two!)
"a answered him and spoke a word to him,
Told him his plan for the leisure of the gods!
#$et one who is hostile to them be surrendered 'up(,
$et him be destroyed, and let people be created 'from him(!
$et the great gods assemble,
$et the culprit be gi%en up, and let them con%ict him!)
Marduk assembled the great gods,
*a%e 'them( instructions pleasantly, ga%e orders!
The gods paid attention to what he said!
The king addressed his words to the Anunnaki,
#+our election of me shall be firm and foremost!
, shall declare the laws, the edicts within my power!
Whosoe%er started the war,
And incited Tiamat, and gathered an army,
$et the one who started the war be gi%en up to me,
And he shall bear the penalty for his crime, that you may dwell in peace!)
The ,gigi, the great gods, answered him,
Their lord $ugal-dimmer-ankia, counselor of the gods,
#,t was .ingu who started the war,
e who incited Tiamat and gathered an army/)
They bound him and held him in front of "a,
,mposed the penalty on him and cut off his blood!
e created mankind from his blood,
,mposed the toil of the gods 'on man( and released the gods from it!
When "a the wise had created mankind,
ad imposed the toil of the gods on them -
That deed is impossible to describe,
0or 1udimmud performed it with the miracles of Marduk -
Then Marduk the king di%ided the gods,
The Anunnaki, all of them, abo%e and below!
e assigned his decrees to Anu to guard,
"stablished three hundred as a guard in the sky2
3id the same again when he designed the con%entions of earth,
And made the si4 hundred dwell in both hea%en and earth!
When he had directed all the decrees,
ad di%ided lots for the Anunnaki, of hea%en and of earth,
The Anunnaki made their %oices heard
And addressed Marduk their lord,
#1ow, 5 $ord, that you ha%e set us free,
What are our fa%ours from you6
We would like to make a shrine with its own name!
We would like our night)s resting place to be in your pri%ate 7uarters, and to rest there!
$et us found a shrine, a sanctuary there!
Whene%er we arri%e, let us rest within it!)
When Marduk heard this,
is face lit up greatly, like daylight!
#Create Babylon, whose construction you re7uested/
$et its mud bricks be moulded, and build high the shrine/)
The Anunnaki began sho%eling!
0or a whole year they made bricks for it!
When the second year arri%ed,
They had raised the top of "sagila in front of '6( the Apsu2
They had built a high 8iggurat for the Apsu!
They founded a dwelling for Anu, "llil, and "a likewise!
,n ascendancy he settled himself in front of them,
And his #horns) look down at the base of "sharra!
When they had done the work on "sagila,
'And( the Anunnaki, all of them, had fashioned their indi%idual shrines,
The three hundred ,gigi of hea%en and the Anunnaki of the Apsu assembled!
The $ord in%ited the gods his fathers to attend a ban7uet
,n the great sanctuary which he and created as his dwelling!
#,ndeed, Bab-ili 'is( your home too/
Sing for 9oy there, dwell in happiness/)
The great gods sat down there,
And set out the beer mugs2 they attended the ban7uet!
When they had made merry within,
They themsel%es made a ta7ribtu-offering in splendid "sagila!
All the decrees 'and( designs were fi4ed!
All the gods di%ided the stations of hea%en and earth!
The fifty great gods were present, and
The gods fi4ed the se%en destinies for the cult!
The $ord recei%ed the bow, and set his weapon down in front of them!
The gods his fathers looked at the net which he had made,
$ooked at the bow, how miraculous her construction,
And his fathers praised the deeds that he had done!
Anu raised 'the bow( and spoke in the assembly of gods,
e kissed the bow! #May she go far/)
e ga%e to the bow her names, saying,
#May $ong and 0ar be the first, and :ictorious the second2
er third name shall be Bowstar, for she shall shine in the sky!)
e fi4ed her position among the gods her companions!
When Anu had decreed the destiny of the bow,
e set down her royal throne! #+ou are highest of the gods/)
And Anu made her sit in the assembly of gods!
The great gods assembled
And made Marduk)s destiny highest2 they themsel%es did obeisance!
They swore an oath for themsel%es,
And swore on water and oil, touched their throats!
Thus they granted that he should e4ercise the kingship of the gods
And confirmed for him mastery of the gods of hea%en and earth!
Anshar ga%e him another name& ASA;$<,!
#At the mention of his name we shall bow down/
The gods are to pay heed to what he says&
is command is to ha%e priority abo%e and below!
The son who a%enged us shall be the highest/
is rule shall ha%e priority2 let him ha%e no ri%al/
$et him act as shepherd o%er the black-headed people, his creation!
$et his way be proclaimed in future days, ne%er forgotten!
e shall establish great nindabu-offerings for his fathers!
e shall take care of them, he shall look after their shrines!
e shall let them smell the 7utrinnu-offering, and make their chant 9oyful!
$et him breathe on earth as freely as he always does in hea%en!
$et him designate the black-headed people to re%ere him,
That mankind may be mindful of him, and name him as their god!
$et their 'interceding( goddess pay attention when he opens his mouth!
$et nindabu-offerings be brought =to> their god 'and( their goddess!
$et them ne%er be forgotten/ $et them clea%e to their god!
$et them keep their country preeminent, and always build shrines!
Though the black-headed people share out the gods,
As for us, no matter by which name we call him, he shall be our god!
Come, let us call him by his fifty names/
is ways shall be proclaimed, and his deeds likewise/
MA;3<?
Whose father Anu designated him at the moment of his birth, To be in charge of
pasturage and watering places, to enrich their stalls,
Who o%erwhelmed the riotous ones with his flood-weapon6
And sa%ed the gods his fathers from hardship!
$et T" S51, MA@"ST+ 50 T" *53S be his name/
,n his bright light may they walk fore%er more&
The people whom he created, the form of life that breathes!
e imposed the work of the gods 'on them( so that they might rest!
Creation and abolition, forgi%eness and punishment -
Such are at his disposal, so let them look to him!
MA;<??A---he is the god who created them!
e pleases the Anunnaki and gi%es rest to the ,gigi
MA;<T<??<---he is the help of country, city, and his people!
im shall the people re%ere fore%er!
M";SA?<S<---fierce yet considerate, furious yet merciful!
*enerous is his heart, controlled are his emotions!
$<*A$-3,MM";-A1?,A---his name which we ga%e him in our assembly!
We made his command higher than the gods his fathers)!
e is indeed B"$ of the gods of hea%en and earth, all of them,
The king at whose instruction the gods are awed abo%e and below!
1A;,-$<*A$-3,MM";-A1?,A is a name that we ha%e gi%en him as director of the
gods,
Who founded our dwellings in hea%en and earth out of difficulties,
And who shared out the stations for the ,gigi and Anunnaki!
At his names may the gods tremble and 7uake in 'their( dwellings!
ASA;$<, 'first( is his name which his father Anu ga%e him,
e shall be the light of the gods, strong leader,
Who like his name is the protecting spirit of god and country!
e spared our dwellings in the great battle despite difficulties!
Second, they called him Asarluhi as 1AMT,$A, the god who gi%es life,
Who restored all the damaged gods as if they were his own creation!
Bel, who re%i%es dead gods with his pure incantation,
Who destroys those who oppose him but ! ! ! s the enemy!
Asarluhi third as 1AM;<, whose name was gi%en 'thus(,
The pure god who purifies our path!)
Anshar, $ahmu, and $ahamu called his three names2
They pronounced them to the gods their sons,
)We ha%e gi%en him each of these three names!
1ow you, pronounce his names as we did/)
The gods re9oiced, and obeyed their command!
,n <bshu-ukkinakku they deliberated their counsel!
#$et us ele%ate the name of the son, the warrior,
5ur champion who looks after us/)
They sat in their assembly and began to call out the destinies,
Aronounced his name in all their rites!