The Chaldean account of Genesis

by George Smith

• 1. Bel .... his yokes and
• 2. (in his) heart he says:
• 3. Dibbara is crouching at his gate, among the corpses of chiefs and slaves;
• 4. Dibbara is crouching at his gate; thou knowest his seat.
• 5. Babylon their foes besieged, and
• 6. their curse art thou.
• 7. To the floor thou didst trample them and thou didst make a passage,
• 8. O warrior Dibbara.
• 9. Thou didst leave the land, thou didst go forth against others;
• 10. the destruction of the nobles wast thou made, and thou didst descend into the palace.
• 11. The people also saw thee; their weapons were shattered.
• 12. The high priest the avenger of Babylon sets his heart,
• 13. when the ranks of the enemies to spoil he urges on his soldiers.
• 14. Before the face of the people they did evil.
• 15. To that city whither I shall send thee, thou a man
• 16. shalt not fear, shalt not respect a man.
• 17. Small and great as one man cast down and
• 18. of that evil race thou shalt not save any one.
• 19. The collection of the goods of Babylon thou spoilest;
• 20. the people of the king (which) is gathered together, and entered into the city,
• 21. shaking the bow, planting the sword (?)
• 22. of the soldiers the help, the transgression (transgressors) against Anu and Dagon,
• 23. their weapons thou plantest,
• 24. their corpses like the pouring down of rain thou dost cast down in the streets of the city,
• 25. and their treasures (?) thou openest, and dost sweep into the river.
• 26. The spell Merodach saw and angrily (?) spoke,
• 27. his heart was taken,
• 28. an unsparing curse in his mouth was formed,
• 29. .... the river he did not ....

Column II.

Many lines lost.

• 1. .... that city which the lord of the earth ...
• 2. a whirlwind he did not (make) ....
• 3. without Samas his tower thou crossest, the land thou givest (?)
• 4. of Erech the seat of Anu and Istar,
• 5. the city of (the handmaids) Samkhati and Kharimati, the choirs of
• 6. Istar. Death they fear (and) they are delivered into thy hands (?).
• 7. The Suti (Arab nomads) with the Suti are placed in ....
• 8. they are slain; the temple of Anu the priests, the festival makers,
• 9. who, to make the people of Istar worship, their manhood devoted,
• 10. carrying swords, carrying razors, dupe, and knives,
• 11. who to rejoice the glory of Istar trusted,
• 12. O fierce high priest, the bowing-down of the face over them thou hast made.
• 13. Their foundations also, their shrines ....
• 14. Istar cried out and was troubled over the city of Erech,
• 15. the enemy she strikes and like corn on the face of the waters she scatters.
• 16. Dwelling in his .... Bit-Parra ....
• 17. ... she rests not from the war.
• 18. The enemy whom thou hast stricken obeys not ....
• 19. The great god answered the speech:
• 20. The city of Duran to streams of blood ....
• 21. the people who dwell in the midst of it like reeds (are trembling);
• 22. .... before the waters their alliance ....
• 23. and ... thou dost not ....
• 24. to the Suti ........
• 25. I in my city Duran judge uprightly
• 26. I do not ........
• 27. evil (?) I do not give and ....
• 28. the upright people I leave ....
• Five other broken lines.

Column III.

Many lines lost.

• 1. .... the house he had built ....
• 2. this he did, and I ....
• 3. the day he brought me my fate I ....
• 4. him, his camp (?) also he caused to destroy ..
• 5. Afterwards may they destroy, and to another
• 6. O warrior Dibbara, the established also in Gutium,
• 7. the unestablished also in Gutium,
• 8. who sin against thee also in Gutium,
• 9. who do not sin against thee also in Gutium,
• 10. .... the destroyer (?) of the clothes of the god of Gutium,
• 11. .... the mover of the head of the king.
• Two other mutilated lines.

Column IV.

• 1. May the planet Mercury cause his splendour to wane;
• 2. to his resolutions (?) is he bound:
• 3. he rejoices not the mouth of his (worshippers)
• 4. who the structure .......
• 5. to the seat of the king of the gods may he urge and ....
• 6. The warrior Dibbara heard it also,
• 7. the word (which) the god Itak spake to him ..
• 8. and thus spake the warrior Dibbara:
• 9. Sea against sea, Subartu (Syria) against Subartu, Assyria against Assyria,
• 10. Elam against Elam,
• 11. Kossæan against Kossæan,
• 12. Sutu against Sutu,
• 13. Gutium against Gutium,
• 14. Lullubu against Lullubu,
• 15. country against country, house against house, man against man,
• 16. brother against brother also, may they destroy each other,
• 17. and afterwards may Accad come and
• 18. the whole of them destroy, and fight against them.
• 19. The warrior Dibbara to Itak who goes before him a word speaks:
• 20. Go also Itak, in the word thou hast spoken do according to all thy heart.
• 21. Itak against the land of Khikhi (Phœnicia) set his face,
• 22. and the seven warrior gods unequalled
• 23. marched after him.
• 24. To the country of Khikhi to the mountains the warrior went,
• 25. his hand he also lifted and destroyed the land,
• 26. the land of Khikhi he counted as his own country.

The next fragments of the story are on a mutilated copy of the last tablet, K. 1282. This tablet, as has been before stated, is only a smaller supplemental one to include the end of the story, which could not be written on the fourth tablet.