Sacred Texts Ancient Near East Index Previous
Buy this Book on Kindle
The Seven Tablets of Creation, by Leonard William King, [1902], at sacred-texts.com
OBV.
1. The holy house, the house of the gods, in the holy place had not yet been made;
2 . No reed had sprung up, no tree had been created.
3. No brick had been laid, no building had been set up;
4. No house had been erected, no city had been built;
5. No city had been made, .no creature had been created.
6. Nippur had not been made, E-kur had not been built;
7. Erech had not been created, E-ana had not been built;
8. The Deep had not been created, Eridu had not been built;
9. Of the holy house, the house of the gods, the habitation had not been made.
10. All lands were sea.
11. At that time there was a movement in the sea;
12 . Then was Eridu made, and E-sagil was built,
13. E-sagil, where in the midst of the Deep the god Lugal-dul-azaga 1 dwelleth;
14. The city of Babylon was built, and E-sagil was finished.
15. The gods, the Anunnaki, he 2 created at one time;
16. The holy city, the dwelling, of their hearts' desire, they proclaimed supreme.
17. Marduk laid a reed upon the face of the waters,
18. He formed dust and poured it out beside the reed.
19. That he might cause the gods to dwell in the habitation of their hearts' desire,
20. He formed mankind.
21. The goddess Aruru together with him 1 created the seed of mankind.
22. The beasts of the field and living creatures in the field he formed.
23. H e created the Tigris and the Euphrates, and he set them in their place;
24. Their names he declared in goodly fashion.
25. The grass, the rush of the marsh, the reed, and the forest he created,
26. The green herb of the field he created,
27. The lands, the marshes, and the swamps;
28. The wild cow and her young, the wild calf; the ewe and her young, the lamb of the fold;
29. Plantations and forests;
30. The he-goat and the mountain-goat ... him.
31. The Lord Marduk laid in a dam by the side of the sea,
32. [He ...] a swamp, he made a marsh,
33. [...] he brought into existence.
34. [Reeds he form]ed, trees he created;
35. [...] he made in their place.
36. [Bricks he laid], buildings he set up;
37. [Houses he made], cities he built;
38. [Cities he made], creatures he created.
39. [Nippur he made], E-kur he built;
40. [Erech he made, E-an]a he built.
[The rest of the Obverse and the beginning of the Reverse of the tablet are wanting.]
REV.
1. [...] the decree [...]
2. [...] ... [...]
3f. Thy exalted minister is Papsukal, the wise counsellor of the gods.
5. May Nin-aha-kudû, the daughter of Ea,
6. Purify thee with the pure censer,
7. And may she cleanse thee with cleansing fire!
8f. With a cup of pure water from the Deep shalt thou purify thy way!
10. By the incantation of Marduk, the king of the hosts of heaven and earth,
11. May the abundance of the land enter into thee,
12. And may thy decree be accomplished for ever!
13f. O E-zida, thou glorious dwelling, thou art dear unto the hearts of Anu and Ishtar!
15. May (Ezida) shine like the heavens, may it be bright like the earth, may it [be glorious] like the heart of heaven,
16. [And may ...] be firmly established!
131:1 ...[This] is merely an elaborate introduction to an incantation which was intended to be recited in honour of E-zida, the great temple of Nabû at Borsippa. The reverse of the tablet contains the concluding lines of the incantation. For a further discussion of the legend on the obverse, see the Introduction.
133:1 Or, Lugal-du-azaga,
133:2 I.e., Marduk.
135:1 The Sumerian version reads "together with the god."