140 He decreed destiny among the gods his sons,

(saying:)

"The opening of your mouth shall quench the fire god

The strong in combat shall increase his strength."

THE SECOND TABLET

Tiamat made strong her handiwork,

Evil she devised among the gods her children.

[To avenge] Apsu, Tiamat planned evil

As she had collected her [army, against] Ea she marshalled them.

5 Ea [listened] to this word and

He was [sadly] afflicted and sat in sorrow.

The days went by, and his anger was appeased,

And to the place of Anshar, his father, he made his way.

He went before Anshar, the father who begat him, 10 All that Tiamat had planned, he announced to him: Tiamat our mother has conceived a hatred against us, An assembly has she made, she rages in anger.

All the gods have turned to her,

Even those whom ye have created march at her side

140 ina ilâni [ma-r]i-e-šu ši-ma-[ta iš-ti-mu

ip-ša pi-ku-nu (ilu) Gibil1 l[i-ni-ib-ha]

nâ'id ina kit-mu-ru ma-ag-ša-ru liš-[rab-bi-ib]

THE SECOND TABLET

u-kab-bi[t]-ma Ti-a-ma-tum pi-ti-ik-šu
[lim-ni-e-ti ik]-ta-sar a-na ilâni ni-ip-ri-šu

[ana tu-ur gi-mil]-li Apsu u-lam-mi-in Ti-amat

-uļš ki-i iş-mi-da a-na (ilu) E-a ip-ta-šar

5 iš-me-ma] (ilu) E-a a-ma-tum šu-a-tim

[mar-si]-iš uš-ba-ri-ir-ma ša-ku-um-mi-iš uš-bu
[ûmê uj-ri-ku-ma uz-za-šu i-nu-hu

[ur-ha-šu aš-ri]-iš An-šar a-bi-šu šu-u uš-tar-di
[il-lik]-ma mah-ru a-bi a-li-di-šu An-šar

10 [mim-mu]-u Ti-amat ik-pu-du u-ša-an-na-a a-na ša-a-šu
[um-ma Ti]-amat a-lit-ti-a-ni i-zi-ir-ra-an-na-a-ti

[pu]-uh-ru šit-ku-na-at-ma ag-gi-iš la-ab-bat
[is]-bu-ru-šim-ma ilâni gi-mi-ir-šu-un

[a-di] ša at-tu-nu tab-na-a i-da-a-ša al-ka

1 Variants BIL-GI and GIS-BAR.

15 They have banded together, they advance at Tiamat's side;

They are furious, they plan without rest night or day
They prepare for battle, they fume, they rage,
They have joined their forces, they prepare battle.
Ummu-Khubur, who created all things,

20 Hath made in addition invincible weapons, she hath spawned monstrous serpents,

Sharp of tooth, merciless in carnage.

With poison instead of blood she filled their bodies
Terrible dragons she clothed with terror,

With splendor she decked them, she made them of
lofty appearance.

25 Whoever beholds them terror overcomes him,

Their bodies rear up and none can withstand their
attack.

She set up serpents, and dragons, and the monster
Lakhamu,

And hurricanes and furious dogs, and scorpion men
And mighty tempests and fish men and rams;

30 They bear pitiless weapons, without fear of the fight.

Puissant are her orders, none can resist them

In all, eleven monsters of this kind, she created

15 [im]-ma-as-ru-nim-ma i-du-uš Ti-amat te-bu-u-ni
[iz]-zu kap-du la sa-ki-pu mu-ša u im-ma
[na]-šu-u tam-ha-ra na-zar-bu-bu la-ab-bu
unken-na šit-ku-nu-ma i-ban-nu-u şu-la-a-tum
[U]m-ma-Hu-bu-ur pa-ti-ik-ka-at ka-la-mu
20 uš-rad-di kak-ku la mah-ru it-ta-lad ṣir-ma-hu
zak-tu-ma šin-nu la pa-du-u at-ta-'-um

im tu ki-ma da-am zu-mur-šu-nu uš-ma-al-lu
ušumgallê na-ad-ru-ti pu-ul-ha-a-ti u-šal-biš-ma
me-lam-mu uš-daš-ša-a i-li-iš um-taš-ši-il

25 a-mi-ir-šu-nu šar-ba-bi-iš li-ih-har-mi-im

zu-mur-šu-nu liš-tab-hi-da-am-ma la i-ni-'-e i-rat-su-un
uš-zi-iz-ma ba-aš-mu (ilu) șiruššu u (ilu) La-ha-mu
u-gal-la UR-BE u akrab-amêlu

u-me da-ab-ru-ti nûn-amêlu u ku-sa-rik-ku

30 na-ši kak-ku la pa-du-u la a-di-ru ta-ha-zi gab-ša te-ri-tu-ša la ma-har-ra ši-na-ma

ap-pu-na-ma iš-ten eš-rit ki-ma šu-a-ti uš-tab-ši

Among the gods who were her first born, who formed her troop

She exalted Kingu; among them she made him great.

35 To march before the troops, to lead the throng

To seize the weapons, to advance, to begin the attack,

The primacy in the combat, the control of the fight She entrusted to him, in costly raiment she made him sit, saying,

'I have uttered the spell, in the assembly of the gods I have made thee Lord,

40 The lordship over all the gods, I have entrusted to thee.

Be thou exalted, thou mine only spouse,

May the Anunaki exalt thy name over all'

She gave him the tablets of destiny, on his breast she placed them.

"Thy command shall not fail, the word of thy mouth shall be established.'

45 When Kingu was exalted, and had received the power of Anu,

He decreed destiny among the gods his sons, saying
"The opening of your mouth shall quench the fire god

i-na ilâni bu-uk-ri-ša šu-ut iš-ku-nu-ši pu-uh-ru

u-ša-aš-ķa (ilu) Kin-gu ina bi-ir-ri-šu-nu ša-a-šu uš-rab-bi-iš 35 a-li-ku-ut mah-ru pa-ni um-ma-nu mu-ir-ru-tum pu-uḥ-ru na-še-e kak-ku ti-is-bu-tum te-bu-u a-na-an-tum [šu-u]d ta-am-ha-ra ra-ab šik-kat-u-tum

[ip-kid-m]a ka-tu-uš-šu u-še-ši-ba-aš-ši i-na kar-ri
[ad-di ta-a]-ka i-na pu-hur ilâni u-šar-bi-ka

40 [ma-li-kut] ilâni [gim-rat-su-nu ka-tuk-ka] uš-mal-li
[lu-u šur-ba-ta-ma ha-i-ri e-du-u a]t-ta

li-ir-tab-bu-u zik-ru-ka eli kalî-šu-nu E-nu]-uk-ki1
[id-din-šum-ma dupšîmâti i-ra-tu-uš] u-[šat-m]e-ih
[ka-ta kibit-ka la in-nin-na-a] li-kun ş[i-1]t pi i-ka

45 [in-na-nu (ilu) Kin-gu šu-uš-ku]-u li-ķu-u (ilu) A-nu-ti
[an ilâni mârê-ša] ši-ma-ta iš-ti-mu

[ip-šu pi-ku-nu] (ilu) Gibil li-ni-ih-ba

1 E-nu-uk-ki for Anunnaki. Bezold, Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archæology, xi, March, 1889.

The strong in combat shall increase his strength'

When Anshar heard that Tiamat was mightily in revolt

50 he smote his loins, he bit his lips

55 Mummu and Apsu thou hast cast down But Tiamat has exalted Kingu, where is her rival?

reflection

the gods, Nudimmud

[Lines 59-71 are wanting]

Anshar unto his son addressed the word

my mighty warrior

Whose power is great, whose onslaught resistless

75 Go and stand before Tiamat

50

That her spirit may be appeased, her heart calmed.
But if she hearken not to thy word,

Then shalt thou speak our message, that she may be
pacified."

He heard the word of his father Anshar,

[nâ'id ina kit-mu-ri] ma-ag-ša-ra liš-rab-bi-ib

iš-me-ma (ilu) Anšar ša Ti-a-ma]-tu rabiš dal-hat

šal-pat-su it-taš-ka

J la na-hat ka-ras-su

.]-šu ša-gi-ma-šu uš-tah-ha-ah
J-u tu-ku-un-tu

1-pu-šu i-taš-ši at-ta

55 [(ilu) Mu-um-mu u] Apsû ta-na-ra

[Ti-amat u-ša-aš-ki (ilu) Kin]-gu a-li ma-har-ša

J-e ta-šim-ti

.] il [âni (ilu) N[u]-di[m-mud]

[Lines 59-71 are wanting]

[(ilu) An-šar ana] ma-ri-šu [a-ma-tu i]-zak-kar a]n-nu-u ka-šu-[šu] kar-ra-di

[ša ša-ka-a e-mu]-ka-a-šu la ma-har te-bu-šu 75 [al-kam]-ma mut-tiš Ti-amat i-ziz-za at-ta .] kab-ta-taš lib-bu-uš lip-pu-uš [šum-ma-ma] la še-ma-ta a-mat-ka [a-ma-t]u-ni at-me-šim-ma ši-i lip-pa-aš-ha [iš-me-e]-ma zik-ri abi-šu An-šar

80 And turned his path to her, toward her he made his

way,

Anu drew nigh, he looked into the opened jaws of
Tiamat

But he could not endure her presence, he turned back
Anshar
he spoke to him,

85 She drew nigh (?) her

hand toward me1

Anshar was silent in sorrow, he looked at the ground,
And moaned. Unto Ea he lifted up his head

The leader; (?) the chief of them all has put Anu to
flight (?)

Their might (?) has been made surpassingly great. . . 90 A god nowhere leads against thee

Before Tiamat he went not up

Anshar, father of the gods, greatly

[Lines 93-109 are wanting or are too broken to yield sense]

110 Thou art my son, who opens wide his heart,

to the battle shalt thou approach,

he shall see thee in peace."

1 Lines 85-92 are supplied from a fragmentary duplicate preserved in the Royal Scottish Library, Edinburgh. It was first published by Sayce, Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archaeology, January, 1911, p. 6. It is discussed by Langdon, Expository Times, March, 1911, who has kindly supplied these lines to me after a fresh collation of the original.

80 [uš-te-šir har]-ra-an-ša-ma u-ru-uḥ-ša uš-tar-di
[it-hi-ma] (ilu) A-num me-ku-uš Ti-a-ma-ti i-še-'-am-ma
[ul i-li-'-a ma-har-ša] i-tu-ra ar-kiš

J-šu An-šar
i]-zak-kar-šu

85 [tuštab]-hi ka-ti-ša ka-mi-di ina muhhi-ia
uš-ha-ri-ir-ma An-šar kak-ka-ri i-na at-ta-[al]
i-kam-ma-am a-na (ilu) E-a u-na-ši kakkad-su
pa-ah-ir (?) ma-an-za-za ka-li-šu-nu (ilu) A-nu [.
sam (?)-me-šu-nu šu-ut-tu-kat-ma ka-li (?) [. . .]
90 ilu ai-ka-ma ul ia-ar-ki [. . .]

ma-ba-ri-iš Ti-amat ul us-si-i [.

ງ

[. . . ] An-šar a-bi ilânì ra-bi-iš (?) [.
[Lines 93-109 broken or wanting]

110 at-ta-ma ma-ri mu-nap-pi-šu lib-bi-šu

klit-ru-bi-iš ti-hi-e-ma
e-ma-ru-uk-ka ni-i-bu