A Vigslist translation.
Four Prayers on One Tablet — the šuila collection. Šuila prayers to Ea, Damkina, Ninurta, and Gula on one collection tablet.
Part of this text has been in English since 1914. The Damkina prayer (lines 8′–16′) was printed in English by Donald A. Mackenzie in Myths of Babylonia and Assyria (1914), from the King/Jastrow tradition of the tablet's copy of record (King, Babylonian Magic and Sorcery no. 4, 1896). The edition of record is Werner Mayer, Untersuchungen zur Formensprache der babylonischen “Gebetsbeschwörungen” (1976, in German). How much of the whole collection the early English tradition covers has not been fully checked — King BMS no. 4 and Jastrow 1898 are the named doors — so no first-English claim is made for this page. The Mackenzie portion is credited here; the remaining prayers are rendered in English in this translation.
of four Akkadian šuila ("lifting of the hand") prayers — to Ea, Damkina, Ninurta, and Gula. Its editions of record are German (King's copy, BMS no. 4; Loretz & Mayer's supplement; Mayer, UFBG (1976), Damkina 1 at pp. 441–442 and Gula 1b at pp. 455–457). No published English translation of these prayers from this tablet was found in any source checked. Anthology translations of individual šuilas exist in the literature generally; none was located for these four texts, and the
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One joined tablet: K.8105 + K.11929 + 82-3-23,127, Kuyunjik collection, British Museum — Neo-Assyrian, 19 + 28 lines of inscription by the catalogue. Genres: Literature → Hymns → Divine → Šuʾila. Photograph on the record. CDLI number on the record: P397492.
Four hand-lifting prayers copied onto one tablet for a sufferer whose trouble is dated by an eclipse: something has gone wrong "in the evil of the eclipse of Sîn, in the evil of signs and portents, evil and not good, that are in my palace and my land." Damkina is praised as Ea's clever wife, mistress of heaven and earth, and begged in the first person: I, So-and-so son of So-and-so, your servant, weary and worn out… may the one who does not fear his god or his goddess not see (my fate) at my hand's doing — let me see your punishment of him. Then the tablet turns to Gula, the healing goddess, and the prayer changes strategy: the sufferer asks her to intercede — to carry his case to his angry personal god, to his city's god, to Marduk himself, and to speak the word that settles it: take the intercession — speak a good word! "By your exalted command, spoken in Ekur, which is not changed, and your true 'yes,' which is not altered — may my angry god return."
Transliteration exactly as the record serves it; the transliteration restores the prayers' broken middles from the šuila corpus's parallel witnesses, and every bracket is the record's. NENNI = "So-and-so," the ritual's placeholder for the patient's name. Counts: 64 line-units — 0 whole, 34 part, 30 fragments, 0 invented.
Dragon scan (standing order): no ušumgal, muš-serpent, mušḫuššu or bašmu stands on this tablet.
1′–5′. [...] x x [...] · NUN# u GIR₃.NITA₂# [...] · [l]i?-piš a-me-ri# [...] · ina# KA UN-MEŠ liš-ša₂-k[in? ...] · x-ni? taš-me-e u sa-li-mu# [šu]-kun#? ina pi#-[ia]
Fragments of the prayer's close: "[...] prince and governor [...] let [...] be established in the mouth of the people [...] set hearing and peace in my mouth." (Fragments.)
6′. [{d}]e₂-a ina lib₃-bi-ka SIG₅-ti# IGI-[...]
"Ea, in your heart [look on me with] favour [...]" (Part.)
7′ (rubric). %sux [k]a-inim-ma šu-il₂-la₂ {d}+en-lil₂-ban₃-da-k[am@v]
"It is the wording of a šuila to Enlilbanda (Ea)."
8′. EN₂# {d}dam-ki-na šar-rat DU₃ DIGIR-MEŠ LA₂-t[u₂]
"Incantation: Damkina, queen who binds all the gods," (Part.)
9′. al-ti {d}e₂-a qa-rit-tu₂ at-t[i]
"wife of Ea, warrioress are you."
10′. {d}ir-ni-na šar-rat DU₃ DIGIR-MEŠ LA₂-tu₂ : al-ti {d}e₂-a qa-rit-tu₂ at-t[i]
"Irnina, queen who binds all the gods; wife of Ea, warrioress are you." (Part — the line repeats 8′–9′ under her second name, as the record gives it.)
11′. šur-ba-ti ina DIGIR-MEŠ LA₂-u₂ par-ṣu-[ki]
"You are magnificent among the gods [...]; your rites are bound [...]" (Part.)
12′. [A]BGAL-at {d}DIŠ.U & mu-da-at {d}i₂#-[gi₃-gi₃]
"Sage of Ea, who knows the Igigi," (Part.)
13′. [be-l]et e₂.engur.ra & ka-nu-ut E₂ a-[a-ki]
"mistress of the E-engur, [...] of the house of Āki(?)," (Part — the second phrase is uncertain in the record.)
14′. [hi]r-ti it-pe-še {d}e₂-a & a-ši-bat ABZU be-let AN u [KI]
"clever wife of Ea, who dwells in the Apsû, mistress of heaven and earth."
15′. [ana-ku NENN]I A# NENNI# & an-hu šu-ud-lu#-p[u] IR₃#-[ki]
"I, So-and-so son of So-and-so, your servant, weary and worn out," (Part.)
16′–18′. [ina HUL AN.G]I₆ {d}30 & ša₂ ina ITI NENNI U₄ [NENNI GAR-na] · [(ina) HUL A₂-MEŠ] GIŠKIM-MEŠ HUL-M[EŠ NU DUG₃.GA-MEŠ] · [ša₂ ina E₂.GAL-ia₅ u KUR-i]a₅ GAL₂-a GIG dan-nu x [...]
"in the evil of the eclipse of Sîn, which was set in month So-and-so, day So-and-so; in the evil of the forces, the signs, evil and not good, that are in my palace and my land — a grievous sickness [...]" (Part.)
19′–22′. [...] & EME# [...] · [...] x & im# x [...] x# [...] · [... k]a-sa-a A₂+MIN-a-[a] · [...] ter-ri ki-šad-ki iṣ-bu-su UG[U-MU]
Fragments: "[...] they bound my arms [...] they seized [...] upon me." (Fragments.)
23′–28′. [... bu-u]l-liṭ-ṭi IR₃-k[i] · [... T]I-i un-ni-ni-M[U] · [... la] pa-lih DIGIR-šu₂ u {d}iš₈-tar₂-šu₂ ina ŠU-ia₅ li#-[mur] · [...] a-ta-mar še-ret-[ki] · [...] x : AN-u₂ HUL₂-ki ABZU! SU₃-[ki] · [DIGIR-MEŠ ša₂ kiš-ša₂-ti lik-ru-bu-k]i : DIGIR#-MEŠ# GAL#-MEŠ ŠA₃-ki# li#-[ṭib-bu]
"[...] give life to your servant! [...] receive my supplication! [...] may the one who does not fear his god or his goddess [not] see (it) at my hand — [...] let me see your punishment! [...] may your heart rejoice [...] may the gods of the universe bless you, may the great gods gladden your heart." (Parts/fragments.)
(Segmentation per the record's note; see the seam flagged in the Credits.)
1′–8′. [...] ši#-ma#-a# [...] · [...] zik-ri li#-ṭib# [UGU-ka] · [si-lim KI ia-a-tu]-u₂# pa-lih-[ka] · [pa-ni-ka a-ta-ma]r lu-še-ra & ana-[ku] · [mu-up-pal-sa-ta ki-niš nap-lis-a]n?-ni : an-ni pu-ṭur šir₂-ti₃ p[u-šur] · [šu-ti-iq gil₂-la-ti-m]a hi-ṭi-ti ru-u[m-me] · · [nar-bi-ka lu-ša₂-pi] da₃#-li₂-li₂-ka lud-[lul]
"[...] hear [...]; [...] may my utterance be pleasing to you. Be reconciled with me, your worshipper; let me see your face... Look on me faithfully, turned towards me; loose this, release my punishment; pass over my offence, remove my sin. May my god and my goddess be reconciled with me and speak good of me. Let me proclaim your greatness, let me sing your praise." (Part.)
9′ (rubric). %sux [ka-inim-ma] šu-il₂-la₂ {d}nin-urta-[kam@v]
"It is the wording of a šuila to Ninurta."
10′. [EN₂ {d}gu.la] GAŠAN# šur-bu-tu₂ a-ši-bat AN-e {d}[DIŠ]
"Incantation: Gula, exalted lady, who dwells in heaven, goddess," (Part.)
11′. [il-t]u₄ reme-ni-tu₄ qa-i-šat TI.[LA]
"merciful goddess, giver of life," (Part.)
12′. "whose glance is heeded, whose word is well-being." (Part.)
13′. [al]-si-ki GAŠAN i-ziz-zi-ma & ši-mi₃-i qa-ba-[a-a]
"I call on you, Lady — stand by me and hear my speech!" (Part.)
14′. "For judgement: judge my case, decide my decision, and grant well-being!" (Part.)
15′. [as-hur-k]i a-še-ʾ-ki TUG₂.SIG₂-ki aṣ-bat GIN₇ TUG₂.SIG₂ DIGIR-ia₅ u {d}iš₈#-[tar-ia₅]
"I turned to you, I sought you out; I grasped your hem as the hem of my god and my goddess." (Part.)
16′. [di]-ni# di-ni EŠ.BAR-a-a KU₅-si & a-lak-ti lim-[di]
"Judge my judgement, decide my decision, learn my course!" (Part.)
17′–18′. [aš-šu]m e-ṭe-ra ga-ma-la & šu-zu-ba ti-d[e-e] · [aš-šum] bul-lu-ṭu šul-lu-mu & ba-šu-u₂ it-t[i-ki]
"Because you know how to save and to spare, to release; because keeping alive and keeping well are with you," (Part.)
19′. [GAŠAN ana k]a-a-ši at-kal-ki & MU-ki az₂-k[ur]
"Lady, I trusted in you; I invoked your name." (Part.)
20′. [ib-ša₂]-a#-ki GEŠTUG.MIN-a-a eṭ-ri-NIN!-in-ni-ma DIGIR-ut-ki lud-[lul]
"Your ears are turned to me — save me, and let me proclaim your godhead!" (Part.)
21′. [I]L₂ ŠU-ia₅ muh-ri-ma TI-i un-ni-n[i-MU]
"I lift my hands to you — receive my supplication, keep me alive!" (Part.)
22′–24′. [lu-u]š-pur-ki ana DIGIR-ia₅ ze-ni-i {d}iš₈-tar₂-ia₅ ze-n[i-ti] · [ana DIGIR] IRI#-ia₅ ša₂ šab-su kam-lu ŠA₃-šu₂ it-t[i-ia₅] · [ina] MAŠ₂.GI₆ u bi-ri & GAR.GAR-n[am-ma]
"Let me send you to my angry god, my angry goddess, to the god of my city who is furious and wroth with me — in dream and in oracle he keeps [...] " (Part.)
25′–28′. [ina H]UL AN.GI₆ {d}30 ša₂ ina ITI NENNI U₄ NENNI GAR-[na] · [(ina) HU]L A₂-MEŠ GIŠKIM-MEŠ HUL-MEŠ NU DUG₃.G[A-MEŠ] · [ša₂] ina E₂.GAL-ia₅ u KUR-ia₅ GAL₂-[a] · [p]al-ha-ku ad-ra-ku & u šu-ta-du-ra-[ku]
"In the evil of the eclipse of Sîn, set in month So-and-so, day So-and-so; in the evil of the forces, the signs, evil and not good, that are in my palace and my land — I am afraid, I dread, I am continually terrified." (Part.)
29′–30′. ina a-mat qi₂-bi-ti-ki ṣir-ti ša₂ ina E₂.KUR šu[r-bat] · u# an-ni-ki ki-nim ša₂ NU BA[L-u]
"By your exalted command-word, which is exalted in Ekur, and your true 'yes,' which is not changed:" (Part.)
31′–33′. i₃#-li₂ šab-su GUR-ra {d}iš₈-tar₂-MU ze-ni-tu₂ N[IGIN-ra] · [D]IGIR IRI-ia₅ {d}marduk ša₂ i-gu-ga l[i-nu-ha] · [ša₂] i#-zi#-zu# BU[R₂-ra] {d#}gu.la GAŠAN šur-bu-tu₂ AM[A reme-ni-tu₄]
"May my angry god return, may my angry goddess be reconciled; may the god of my city, Marduk, who raged, be calmed; may the one who flared up be soothed — Gula, exalted lady, merciful mother!" (Part.)
34′–36′. · [a-bu-ti ṣab-ti] qi₂-bi-i [SIG₅-ti] · [šu-uš-ki-ni DA-...] x ina x [...]
"Before Marduk, the merciful lord, firstborn of Ea — take the intercession, speak a good word! Set me [...]" (Part/fragment — the tablet breaks off inside the plea.)
Doors on the face as stated in the header. Release holds behind the triple-check and Richard's read. Branding on any future publication: a Vigslist translation.
Nuvira Technologies conducts this research with AI assistance, cross-verified against the primary sources to scholarly integrity standards. Uncertain readings are marked; broken lines are left broken.
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