When Marduk heard the words of the gods,
His heart prompted him to fashion artful works.
Opening his mouth, he addressed Ea
To impart the plan he had conceived in his heart:
“I will take blood and fashion bone.
I will establish a savage, ‘man’ shall be his name.
truly, savage-man I will create.
He shall be charged with the service of the gods
That they might be at ease!
The ways of the gods I will artfully alter. (10)
Though alike revered, into two groups they shall be divided.”
Ea answered him, speaking a word to him,
Giving him another plan for the relief of the gods:
“Let but one of their brothers be handed over;
He alone shall perish that mankind may be fashioned.
Let the great gods be here in Assembly,
Let the guilty be handed over that they may endure.”
Marduk summoned the great gods to Assembly;
Presiding graciously, he issued instructions.
To his utterance the gods pay heed.
The king addressed a word to the Anunnaki: (20)
“If your former statement was true,
Now declare the truth on oath by me!
Who was it that contrived the uprising,
And made Tiamat rebel, and joined battle?
Let him be handed over who contrived the uprising.
His guilt I will make him bear. You shall dwell in peace!”
The Igigi, the great gods, replied to him,
To Lugaldimmerankia, counselor of the gods, their lord:
“It was Kingu who contrived the uprising,
And made Tiamat rebel, and joined battle.” (30)
They bound him, holding him before Ea.
They imposed on him his punishment and severed his blood vessels.
Out of his blood they fashioned mankind.
He imposed on him the service and let free the gods.
After Ea, the wise, had created mankind,
Had imposed upon them the service of the gods–
That work was beyond comprehension;
As artfully planned by Marduk, did Nudimmud create it–
Marduk, the king of the gods divided
All the great gods [Anunnaki] above and below. (40)
He assigned them to Anu to guard his instructions.
Three hundred in the heavens he stationed as a guard.
In like manner the ways of the earth he defined.
In heaven and on earth six hundred thus he settled.
After he had ordered all the instructions,
To the Anunnaki of heaven and earth had allotted their portions,
The Anunnaki opened their mouths
And said to Marduk, their lord:
“Now, O lord, you who have caused our deliverance,
What shall be our homage to you? (50)
Let us build a shrine whose name shall be called
‘Lo, a chamber for our nightly rest’; let us repose in it!
Let us build a throne, a recess for his abode!
On the day that we arrive we shall repose in it.”
When Marduk heard this,
Brightly glowed his features, like the day:
“Construct Babylon, whose building you have requested,
Let its brickwork be fashioned. You shall name it `The Sanctuary.'”
The Anunnaki applied the implement;
For one whole year they molded bricks. (60)
When the second year arrived,
They raised high the head of Esagila equaling Apsu.
Having built a stage-tower as high as Apsu,
They set up in it an abode for Marduk, Enlil, and Ea
In their presence he was seated in grandeur.
To the base of Esharra its horns look down.
After they had achieved the building of Esagila,
All the Anunnaki erected their shrines.
The three hundred Igigi . . . . . . all of them gathered,
The lord being on the lofty dais which they had built as his abode, (70)
The gods, his fathers, at his banquet he seated:
“This is Babylon, the place that is your home!
Make merry in its precincts, occupy its broad places.”
The great gods took their seats,
They set up festive drink, sat down to a banquet.
After they had made merry within it,
In Esagila, the splendid, had performed their rites,
The norms had been fixed and all their portents,
All the gods apportioned the stations of heaven and earth.
The fifty great gods took their seats. (80)
The seven gods of destiny set up the three hundred in heaven.
Enlil raised the bow, his weapon, and laid it before them.
The gods, his fathers, saw the net he had made.
When they beheld the bow, how skillful its shape,
His fathers praised the work he had wrought.
Raising it, Anu spoke up in the Assembly of the gods,
As he kissed the bow: “This is my daughter!”
He named the names of the bow as follows:
“Longwood is the first, the second is Accurate;
Its third name is Bow-Star, in heaven I have made it shine.” (90)
He fixed its position with the gods its brothers.
After Anu had decreed the fate of the bow,
And had placed the lofty royal throne before the gods,
Anu placed it in the Assembly of the gods.
When the great gods had assembled,
They extolled the destiny of Marduk, they bowed down,
They pronounced among themselves a curse,
Swearing by water and oil to place life in jeopardy.
When they had granted him the exercise of kingship of the gods,
When they had given him dominion over the gods of heaven and underworld, (100)
Anshar pronounced supreme his name, Asarluhi, saying:
“Let us do obeisance at the mention of his name,
To his utterance let the gods give heed,
Let his command be supreme above and below!
Most exalted be the Son, our avenger;
Let his sovereignty be surpassing, having no rival.
May he shepherd the black-headed ones, his creatures.
To the end of days, without forgetting, let them acclaim his ways.
May he establish for his fathers the great food-offerings; (110)
Their support they shall furnish, shall tend their sanctuaries.
May he cause incense to be smelled, . . . their spells,
Make a likeness on earth of what he has wrought in heaven.
May he order the black-headed to revere him,
May the subjects ever bear in mind to speak of their god,
And may they at his word pay heed to the goddess.
May food-offerings be borne for their gods and goddesses.
Without fail let them support their gods!
Their lands let them improve, build their shrines,
Let the black-headed wait on their gods. (120)
As for us, by however many names we pronounce, he is our god!
Let us then proclaim his fifty names:
`He whose ways are glorious, whose deeds are likewise,
Marduk, as Anu, his father, called him from his birth;
Who provides grazing and drinking places, enriches their stalls,
Who with the flood-storm, his weapon, vanquished the detractors,
And who the gods, his fathers, rescued from distress.
Truly, the Son of the Sun, most radiant of gods is he.
In his brilliant light may they walk forever!
On the people he brought forth, endowed with life, (130)
The service of the gods he imposed that these may have ease.
Creation, destruction, deliverance, grace–
Shall be by his command. They shall look up to him!
Marukka truly is the god, creator of all,
Who gladdens the heart of the Anunnaki, appeases the Igigi.
Marutukku truly is the refuge of his land, city, and people.
Unto him shall the people give praise forever.
Barashakushu stood up and took hold of its reins;
Wide is his heart, warm his sympathy.
Lugaldimmerankia is his name which we proclaimed in our Assembly. (140)
His commands we have exalted above the gods, his fathers.
Truly, he is lord of all the gods of heaven and underworld,
The king at whose discipline the gods above and below are in mourning.”
Nari-Lugaldimmerankia is the name of him
Whom we have called the monitor of the gods;
Who in heaven and on earth founds for us retreats in trouble,
And who allots stations to the Igigi and Anunnaki.
At his name the gods shall tremble and quake in retreat.
Asaruludu is that name of his
Which Anu, his father, proclaimed for him.
He is truly the light of the gods, the mighty leader,
Who, as the protecting deities of god and land, (150)
In fierce single combat saved our retreats in distress.
Asaruludu, secondly, they have named Namtillaku,
The god who maintains life,
Who restored the lost gods, as though his own creation;
The lord who revives the dead gods by his pure incantation,
Who destroys the wayward foes. Let us praise his prowess!
Asaruludu, whose name was thirdly called Namru,
The shining god who illumines our ways.
Three each of his names have Anshar, Lahmu, and Lahamu proclaimed;
Unto the gods, their sons, they did utter them:
“We have proclaimed three each of his names. (160)
Like us, do you utter his names!”
Joyfully the gods heeded their command,
As in Ubshukinna they exchanged counsels:
“Of the heroic son, our avenger,
Of our supporter we will exalt the name!”
They sat down in their Assembly to fashion destinies,
All of them uttering his names in the sanctuary.