From Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating To The Old Testament

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The one purpose of this composition is to establish a quiet and favorable mood in the god Marduk, when he is returned to his temple, after a long ceremony nown as the Aktu, or New Year's Festival. To this end the principal temples where his is worshiped, and all the main gods are invoked, and asked to say to him, "Be appeased." This word is common to three slightly different refrains which run throughout the composition, at the ends of the lines. The most complete copy of the text is from a tablet found at Babylon. Other copies existed at Nineveh, and fragments of two of them are known from the time of Ashurbanipal, 668-633 BC. The Babylonian text is said to have been copied from an older tablet. To judge from the name of the scribe, Bel-ahhim-iribam, this was done in Neo-Babylonian times. The date of the original composition cannot be determined. It appears to have been written in Sumerian. The extant copies are in the Emesal dialect of Sumerian with interlinear translation in Akkadian.

Notes:

• Enbilulu is one of the fifty names of Marduk listed in the seventh tablet of the Babylonian Creation Epic.
  
• Esagila is the name of the chief temple of Marduk, located in Babylon and known from Old Babylonian times until the Hellenistic period.
  
• Although there was a chapel in the temple of Esagila known as Ezida, it is not probable that it is meant here; more likely the reference is to the great temple in Borsippa. It is true that Ezida of Borsippa was a temple of Nabu, but it is not inappropriate to call Marduk, the chief of the gods in Neo-Babylonian times, the "Lord of Ezida", especially since he seems to have been associated with this temple even as early as the time of Hammurabi.
  
• Emachtila is a principal sanctuary in the temple of Ezida at Borsippa.
  
• "How long" is an abbreviated exclamation, meaning "How long will you remain in your present state? Is it not time for a change?"
  
• Ekur is the historic temple of Enlil in the city of Nippur. Since Marduk in Neo-Babylonian theology had been assigned the position that Enlil once held it is quite in order to say that he dwells in Ekur.
  
• The original composition seems to have ended as written here; but the Assyrian copy adds the following prayer: "Make Ashurbanipal, the shepherd, thy sustainer, to live; hear his prayer; lay well the foundation of the seat of his royalty; the control of the people let him hold unto distant days."
  

 O Lord, at thy going into the temple 
   [may thy house say to thee, "Be  appeased."]
 O Prince, Lord Marduk, at thy going into the temple, 
   may thy house [say to thee, "Be appeased."]
 O great hero, Lord Enbilulu at thy going into the temple, 
   may thy house [say to thee, "Be appeased."]
 Be appeased, O Lord; be appeased, O Lord; 
   may thy house [say to thee, "Be1 appeased."]
 Be appeased, O Lord of Babylon; 
   may thy house [say to thee, "Be appeased."]
 Be appeased, O Lord of Esagila; 
   may thy house [say to thee, "Be appeased."]
 Be appeased, O Lord of Ezida; 
   may thy house [say to thee, "Be appeased."]
 Be appeased, O Lord of Emachtila; 
   may thy house [say to thee, "Be appeased."]
 (In) Esagila the house of thy lordship, 
   may thy house [say to thee, "Be appeased."]
 May thy city say to thee, "Be appeased"; 
   may thy house [say to thee, "Be  appeased."]
 May babylon say to thee, "Be appeased";
   may thy house [say to thee, "Be  appeased."]

 May Anu the great, father of the gods, say to thee, 
   "How long", (and) "Be  appeased".
 May the great mountain, father Enlil, (say to thee) 
   "How long", (and) "Be  appeased."
 May the princess of city and house, the great mother, Ninlil, (say to thee)
   "How long", (and) "Be appeased."
 May Ninurta, the chief son of Enlil, the exalted arm of Anu, (say to thee)
   "How long", (and) "Be appeased."
 May Sin, the lamp of heaven and earth, (say to thee) 
   "How long", (and) "Be  appeased."
 May the hero Shamash, the bearded one, son of Ningal (say to thee) 
   "How long",  (and) "Be appeased."
 May Ea, king of the Deep, (say to thee) 
   "How long", (and) "Be appeased."
 May Damkina, queen of the Deep, (say to thee) 
   "How long", (and) "Be appeased."
 May Sarpanitum, daughter-in-law of the Deep, (say to thee) 
   "How long", (and)  "Be appeased."
 May ... Nabu (say to thee) 
   "How long", (and) "Be appeased."
 May ... first born of Urash (say to thee) 
   "How long", (and) "Be appeased."
 May ... Tashmetum say to thee 
   "How long", (and) "Be appeased."
 May the great princess, the lady Nana, (say to thee) 
   "How long", (and) "Be  appeased."
 May the Lord Madana, director of the Anunnaki, (say to thee) 
   "How long", (and)  "Be appeased."
 May Baba, the gracious lady, (say to thee) 
   "How long", (and) "Be appeased."
 May Adad, the son beloved of Anu, (say to thee) 
   "How long", (and) "Be  appeased."
 May Shala, the great wife, (say to thee) 
   "How long", (and) "Be appeased."
   
 O Lord, mighty one who dwells in Ekur 
   let thine own divine spirit bring thee rest.
 O thou who art the hero of the gods - 
   may the gods of heaven and earth cause thine anger to be appeased.
   
 Do not neglect thy city, Nippur; 
   "O Lord, be appeased," may they say to thee.
 Do not neglect thy city, Sippar; 
   "O Lord, be appeased," may they say to thee.
 Do not neglect Babylon, the city of thy rejoicing; 
   "O Lord, be appeased," may  they say to thee.
 Look favorably on thy house; look favorably on thy city; 
   "O Lord, be  appeased," may they say to thee.
 Look favorably on Babylon and Esagila; 
   "O Lord, be appeased," may they say to thee.
 The bolt of Babylon, the lock of Esagila, the bricks of Ezida
   restore thou to their places; 
   "O Lord, be appeased," 
       may the gods of heaven and earth say to  thee.