The list of questions reminds us of the negative confession of the Osirian creed, but the end and purpose of it is different. They are the questions put to the penitent in order that the priest may discover why the wrath of the gods has fallen upon him. They relate to this life only, not to the next; conformity to the moral code they imply brings with it no assurance of eternal happiness, it is a guarantee only against suffering and misfortune in the present world. The point of view of the Babylonian was that of the friends of Job.
Morality, in fact, was left in large measure to the legislator. An old code, which seems to have been ascribed to the god Ea, asserts explicitly the responsibility of the ruler, and his amenability to divine punishment for unrighteous dealing.
“If the king does not give heed to justice,” it begins, “his people will perish and his land be enfeebled.[397]
“If he gives no heed to the law of the land, Ea, the king of destinies, will change his destiny, and visit him with misfortune.
“If he gives no heed to his nobles, his days shall [not] be long.
“If he gives no heed to the wise, his land will revolt against him.
“If he gives heed to the (law-)book, the king will behold the strengthening of his land.
“If he gives heed to the writing (sipir) of Ea, the great gods will establish him in counsel and knowledge of justice.
“If he smites a man of Sippara and gives a wrong decision, the sun-god, who judges heaven and earth, will appoint another judge in his land, and a just prince and a just judge instead of unjust ones.
“If the sons of Nippur come to him for judgment, and he accepts bribes and treats them harshly, Bel, the lord of the world, will bring a foreign enemy against him and destroy his army; the prince and his general will be hunted like outcasts through the streets.