O Shamash! The support of Anu and Bel art thou;
O Shamash! Supreme judge of heaven and earth art thou.
After a break in the tablet, the hymn continues:
O Shamash! Supreme judge, great lord of all the world art thou;
Lord of creation, merciful one of the world art thou.
The following lines now reveal the purpose of the hymn. It is a prayer for the life of the king:
O Shamash! on this day purify and cleanse the king, the son of his god.
Whatever is evil within him, let it be taken out.
The next few lines are a distinct echo of the incantation formulas, and show how readily prayer passes from a higher to a lower stage of thought:
Cleanse him like a vessel ——[426]