A ritual from Nineveh — the first complete English translation. A Vigslist translation.
The text is the making of a priest. It comes from Ashurbanipal's library at Nineveh, where it stands on a tablet group in the British Museum, K.2437 and its joins (CDLI P238170), with a parallel manuscript — K.2856 and its joins, called F in the scholarship — that preserves whole sections the main tablet has lost. The composition walks a man into the priesthood of Enlil and Ninlil in order: the examination and the rules for who may be admitted, a run of consecration incantations spoken over the barber's razor as the candidate is shaved and washed, a confession litany, the procession into the Ekur, the new priest presenting himself, the purification of his body, and the white garment put on him at the end.
The text was edited once, in German: Rintje Borger, "Die Weihe eines Enlil-Priesters," Bibliotheca Orientalis 30 (1973), with a photograph. A German translation also stands in TUAT 2 (Römer, 1987). In English there has only ever been a fragment of the parallel manuscript: the electronic Babylonian Library record of F carries 22 translated lines by Enrique Jiménez, covering F's examination section and nothing more — credited here, and not used; the translation below was made independently from the transliteration. No complete English translation of this composition has been located in any source checked. This is the first.
The main text as served runs to 162 line-rows. Of these, 118 render whole, 36 in part, and 8 are unrestorable — traces only, printed as traces. Material that survives only in F is translated in the appendix and marked as F's wherever it stands, so the reader always knows which tablet is carrying a line. Sumerian lines and their interlinear Akkadian renderings are both translated, in the order the tablet gives them.
Brackets are restorations — signs the clay has lost, most of them restored from F, whose text runs parallel. They stay visible so the reader can see exactly how much clay carries each line. Two of the joined pieces (K.21520 and K.21701) stand in the edition as unchecked joins, and a small number of lines rest on the hand copies rather than on photographs; the working document lists every line a photograph could change, and says so on its face rather than smoothing it over. Nothing has been filled in.
1. [Incantation: May he be a nêšakku-priest, holding the prayer-office of Enlil and Ninlil — may he be (it)!]
2. [Whether a nêšakku-priest or a pašīšu-priest of Enlil and Ninlil —]
3. [When he sets out to enter the sanctuary of Enlil and Ninlil,]
4. [When the entry into the temple of Enlil and Ninlil begins for him —]
5. [The scholar, the nêšakku-priest, the pašīšu-priest, and the barber]
6. [The scholar, the nêšakku-priest, the senior brother, and the barber]
7. [shall bring him in] to the place of the [purification bath].
8. [They shall bring him in to the place] of purification.
9. [They shall examine] his [extremities],
10. [They shall inspect] his [limbs].
11. [From the top of his head] to [the tip of his toes they shall look him over carefully].
12. [From the top of] his [head to the tip of his fingers-and-toes they shall examine him again and again].
13. If his body is [bright] like a statue of gold —
14. If [his body is pure] like a statue of [gold] —
15. [and] there is god-fearing reverence and humility [in his body],
16. [and] reverence and submission [are present] in [his body],
17. [he may enter] the sanctuary of Enlil and Ninlil.
18. [He may enter] the temple of Enlil and Ninlil.
19. Into the Ekur, the great mountain, a foundling shall not enter; [he shall not touch(?)] the temple [...].
20. To the Ekur, the great mountain, a foundling shall not enter; the temple he shall not […].
21. A foundling who is not the son of an angubbû-priest [shall not be …].
22. Concerning a foundling who is not a son of angubbû-priests —
23. A knowing man who knows the (right) time to enter the sanctuary but does not say so —
24. A knowing man who knows the time of entering the temple but does not say so —
25. that man who knows and does not say it — he is to be made to kneel outside, for purification [?].
26. That man who knows and does not say it shall kneel for the purification rite.
27. A foundling(?) of another god shall not be interrogated. [On the variant Sumerian reading, see apparatus.]
28. Concerning a foundling of another god: he shall not be examined.
29. A murderer, caught in theft or in distraint —
30. One stained with blood, who was seized in a theft or a distraint [?] —
31. A criminal who has borne the staff-blow, beaten with the […] and [struck with] the whip —
32. A convict (guilty of) a crime, who [has been struck] with the staff [or the whip] —
33. [… signs only; nothing renders.]
34. [… nothing renders.]
35. […] … nail(?) … flesh(?) … […]
36. […] the nail of his palm they give … […]
37. [One who suffers from the] (kidney-)stone […], a man … […]
38. [Who] is sick with a stone, whose rectum […] —
39. […] … in the fire(?) […]
40. [… off]spring of burning, a disgrace […]
41. [Who bears a side-]mark(?), whose features are not regular — to that man […]
42. [On whom] a mark is placed, whose features are not strai[ght — that man …]
43. [Into the sanctuary of E]nlil and Ninlil he shall not enter — [it is an abomination of the temple].
44. Into the temple of Enlil and Ninlil he shall not enter — [it is an abomination of the temple].
45. Scribal notation in logograms; it does not render into prose and is left as it stands. [See apparatus.]
46. [Incantation: Water] poured [on the head], alkali sprinkled [on] —
47. [Water(?)] poured on the head, alkali [sprinkled] —
48. [the barber's razor], bathed toward pure bronze —
49. [with the razor] bathed purely —
50. [Water] poured on, [alkali rubbed on] —
51. [Water] poured on, alkali [sprinkled] —
52. [Water poured on —] his [limbs] made bright —
53. [Water] poured on, his limbs made [bright] —
54. [Asarl]uhi, son of Eridu — glossed: Marduk, son of Eridu —
55. [May he be holy, may he be pure], may he be bright!
56. [May he be pure, may he be clean], may he shine!
57. [May the evil tongue] stand [aside]!
58. [… rest of the piece (Rm-II.242) broken; nothing renders. About 7 lines are missing to the end of column i.]
ii 1. Incantation: Water poured on the head, alkali covering the body —
ii 2. the barber's razor, bathed toward pure bronze —
ii 3. water poured on, alkali rubbed on —
ii 4. water poured on — the nail(?) of the head(?) cut, made bright — [see apparatus]
ii 5. Asarluhi, son of Eridu —
ii 6. with his bright hand may he wipe (it) over (him)!
ii 7. May he be holy, may he be pure, may he be bright! (: the evil tongue —)
ii 8. Incantation formula: (for) 7 (recitations with) the barber's razor.
ii 9. Incantation: The barber's razor of bronze — its alkali heaped up like a mountain —
ii 10. its alkali is holy, its alkali is pure, its alkali is bright! (: the evil tongue —)
ii 11. Incantation formula: (for) 3 (recitations with) the barber's razor.
ii 12. Incantation: The great barber of mankind, bathed toward holiness —
ii 13. The great barber, who is bathed above mankind —
ii 14. water poured on the head, alkali sprinkled —
ii 15. the barber's razor, bathed toward pure bronze —
ii 16. water poured on, alkali rubbed on —
ii 17. water poured on — his arms and legs made bright —
ii 18. Asarluhi, son of Eridu — may he be holy, may he be pure,
ii 19. may he be bright! (: the evil tongue —)
ii 20. Incantation formula: (for) 7 (recitations with) the barber's razor.
ii 21. Incantation: The great barber of mankind, bathed toward holiness —
ii 22. alkali brought with its milk(?), written down(?) with juniper — [see apparatus]
ii 23a. Heaven — the first of its holy milk(?) — :
ii 23b. Let him rub the temple! Let him rub with holy water!
ii 24. Asari-alim-nuna, son of Eridu —
ii 25. may he be holy, may he be pure, may he be bright! (: the evil tongue —)
ii 26. Incantation formula: (for) 7 (recitations with) the barber's razor.
ii 27a. Incantation: Asarre, toward his holy place — :
ii 27b. the appointed place … […] …
ii 28. [… signs only; nothing renders.]
ii 29. […] … […] fearing(?) […]
ii 30. [from … of mine] may he […] — the refrain frame only; no content word survives.
ii 31. [from …] of mine may he […] — frame only.
ii 32. from […] of mine may he […] — frame only.
ii 33. [May the] evil tongue [stand] aside!
ii 34. [Incantation formula]: (for) 7 (recitations with) the ba[rber's razor].
ii 35. [Incantation: The] evil [knot] is to be loosened — it is with the lord Marduk.
ii 36. [The knot] of evil is to be loosened; with the evil one, to […] —
ii 37. [Lord] Marduk is with you alone: [loose]n my bond!
ii 38. [Incantation for]mula: 3 (recitations), for the removal(?) of the nail […]
ii 39. [Incantation: The thread] — Uttu has filled her hand [with it].
ii 40. [Uttu] fills her hand with the thread.
ii 41. [Innin] has set [the thread] straight with Uttu.
ii 42. [Ištar] has made the thread straight with Uttu.
ii 43. [The fashioned woman] … its lap … […]
ii 44. [The woman] of the design [has taken up(?)] her lap […]
ii 45. [The old] woman fashioned (it) and set (it) straight.
ii 46. [The old wom]an of the design has set (it) straight.
ii 47. [Asarluh]i […] the incantation […]
ii 48. [Mardu]k cast the incantation.
ii 49. [May he be ho]ly, may he be pure, may he be [bright! (: the evil tongue —)]
ii 50. [Incantation formula: (for) 7 (recitations with) the] [pure garment].
The rest of column ii is broken (about 7 lines missing). §X is preserved
only in F; see the Appendix.
Akkadian throughout, restored in large part from F (reverse iii, A+9–A+22).
iii 1′. [Whether he swore] false [oaths, with him(?) …] —
iii 2′. [Whether I am] pure, or am not [pure] —
iii 3′. [Whe]ther I swore (truly), or did not swear —
iii 4′. [W]hether I sinned, or did not [sin] —
iii 5′. [W]hether I erred, or did not err —
iii 6′. [W]hether (there is) water with which I did not wash you —
iii 7′. [W]hether (there is) anything at all that I received, as a remnant(?), and did not know —
iii 8′. [W]hether (there is) any filth that I touched and did not know —
iii 9′. Nuska, purify me!
iii 10′. [N]uska, absolve me!
iii 11′. [Kus]u, chief exorcist, puri[fy me]!
iii 12′. [Ningir]im, purify me! [Let me enter the Ekur!]
iii 13′. [I prostrate myself(?), and he] humbles me; I tread the grou[nd — may he make my feet stand firm!]
iii 14′. S (gloss). [Like heaven] : like earth [the heart(?) like heaven] — gloss fragment.
iii 15′. [May the evil tong]ue(?) [stand aside]!
The rest of K.9096 is broken. F closes this incantation with its rubric —
"Incantation formula: 26 (lines), for passing through the street" (F rev. iii
A+23) — translated in the Appendix.
iv 1. From behind me, turn aside […]!
iv 2. Behind me, turn the stranger away!
iv 3. S/A. Evil one! Demon! Do not come near me! (: [do not approach])
iv 4. Do not fashi[on] evil!
iv 5. Enemy, do not draw [near]!
iv 6. May the evil tongue [stand] aside!
iv 7. Incantation formula: for en[tering] the Ekur.
iv 8. Incantation: I am the gudu-priest, the šuluhhu-priest of En[lil]!
iv 9. My heart is the abzu : my eyes have fo[und …]
iv 10. Enkum is the couns[elor].
iv 11. The abgal [loosens] the side-hair.
iv 12. Enkum and Ninkum [set] the hand [straight(?) …]
iv 13. Kusu, chief exorcist of Enlil, […]
iv 14. Ningirim, lady of the holy water, the purif[ying one] —
iv 15. Asalluhi, son of Eri[du] —
iv 16. may he be holy, may he be pure, may he be bright!
iv 17. Incan[tation] formula: the words of the ab[zu — Akkadian gloss: which brings the waters of the temple of Kusu].
The rest of K.8212 is broken. (§XIV′ is preserved only in F; see Appendix.)
A+1. The water of the abzu(?) […]
A+2. May the water that is in the abzu [(…)] be released(?)!
A+3. S/A. My mouth — Akkadian: may my mouth be pure — Sumerian: [may it be holy]!
A+4. S/A. My hands — Akkadian: may my hands be clean — Sumerian: [may they be pure]!
A+5. S/A. My feet — Akkadian: may my feet be bright — : may they be [bright]!
A+6. S/A. My body — Akkadian: may my body shine — may it be [washed clean]!
A+7. May the evil tongue [stand] aside!
A+8. Incantation formula: (for) [his] holy [self].
A+9. Incantation: The white tapsû-garment, the fitting ornament [of divinity] —
A+10. The pure tapsû-garment, fitting for [divinity] —
A+11. the tapsû-garment of the pure abzu, fitting […]
A+12. the tapsû-garment of the abzu, pu[re, fitting …]
A+13. the tapsû-garment, the rite of Enlil-[ship …]
A+14. the [taps]û-garment, the rite of [Enlil-ship …]
A+15. Before [Enli]l(?), the lord who performs the rites, […]
A+16. Befo[re E]nlil, my lord, […]
A+17. [En]ki(?), [lord of the ab]zu, the mount[ain(?) …]
A+18. Ea, lord of the abz[u …]
A+19. [The taps]û-garment of the pure abz[u …]
A+20. [The taps]û-garment, [pure …]
The rest of Sm.350+ is broken (about 10 lines missing to the end of column iv).
In F, §XVI′ survives only as the catchline of the colophon — the incipit of
A+9 — before the copyist's colophon proper, translated in the Appendix.
Translated from F's served text. These lines are not part of the 162
line-rows counted for K.2437+; they are given because the composition is not
whole without them. F's obverse i 1–44, which parallels Part I above, is not
repeated here.
F i 58. [Incantation: Water] poured on the head, alkali covering the body —
F i 59. [the barber's razor], bathed toward [pure] bronze —
F i 60. […] made bright — Asarlu[hi, so]n of Eridu —
F i 61. [with] his [bright] hand may he wipe (it) over (him)!
F i 62. May he be holy, may he be pure, may he be bright!
F i 63. May [the] evil tongue [stand] aside!
F i 64. [Incantation for]mula: (for) 7 (recitations with) [the barber's razor].
F ii 53. In[cantation: Uttu, the good woman, the daughter born to Enlil] —
F ii 54. [Uttu, the good woman, the daughter whom Enlil begot] —
F ii 55. [the beloved daughter of Enki, to whom (clothes) are brought for her body] —
F ii 56. [the beloved daughter of Ea, who … her body(?)]
F ii 57. [from her flocks(?), good wool (and) white wool she placed(?) in her hand] —
F ii 58. [flocks(?), good fleeces (and) white fleeces, into (her) hands] —
F ii 59. [a headdress … a pure weapon(?) she … in her hand, a net she …] — [heavily uncertain; see apparatus]
F ii 60. [a headdress, a prayer … dust(?) she spread(?)] — [uncertain]
F ii 61. [she gave (it) into the hand of the garment-worker of the land] —
F ii 62. [she entrusted (it) to the fuller of the land] —
F ii 63. [a headdress … washed clean(?)] —
F ii 64. [a headdress she purified with …] —
F ii 65. [with a pure hand … rubbed(?)] —
F ii 66. [with the hand …]
End of F's column ii. F's reverse iii, opening (§XI′ context): "Asarluhi … /
Marduk …" and about 40 lines missing, before the confession lines A+1–A+22
(paralleled in Part III above) and the §XI′ rubric:
F iii A+23. Incantation formula: 26 (lines), for passing through the street.
F iv 1. [Incantation: … he went up … to the Ekur] —
F iv 2. [… to the pure Ekur] —
F iv 3. [… my right arm : … my right (Akkadian)] —
F iv 4. [… my left arm : … my left (Akkadian)] —
F iv 5. [… before me : … my face (Akkadian)] —
F iv 6. [… behind me : … behind me (Akkadian)] —
(Borger's line numbering skips to 10 here; the eBL note states that line 6
may overlap with line 10 and that Borger's numeration is kept.)
F iv 10. [From behind me, turn aside …] — parallel to Part IV, line iv 1.
F iv 11. [Behind me, turn the stranger away!] — parallel to iv 2.
F iv 12. S/A. [Ev]il one : demon, do [not approach : do not approach] — parallel to iv 3.
F iv 13. S/A. [Evi]l : enemy, do not dra[w near : do not fashion] — parallel to iv 4–5.
F iv 14. May [the] evil tongue [stand] aside! — parallel to iv 6.
F iv 15. Incantation formula: 11 (lines), for entering the Ekur.
F iv 27. Incantation: The holy water of Enki — he named the water (at) the lapis quay.
F iv 28. … its abzu … he restored to its place.
F iv 29. [May he be holy, may] he be pure, may he be bright! : May the evil tongue stand aside!
F iv 30. [Incantation formula: 4 (lines) … abz]u(?) … to bring out.
F carries the same section at fuller length than the main text's A+ block:
F iv 31. [Incantation: … the water of the E]uphrates … — (eBL note: compare BM 33723 obverse 1′.)
F iv 33. [The water of the abzu …] — (compare BM 33723 obverse 3′.)
F iv 34. The water(?) [that is in the abzu] may be released(?) — parallel to A+2.
F iv 40. Incantation formula: (for) his holy self. — parallel to A+8.
F iv 41. (Incipit of the next incantation — §XVI′, preserved as text in the main
witness, Part VII:) "The white tapsû-garment, fitting for divinity."
F iv 42. [Cop]y of a Babylon (tablet), written and [coll]ated according to its original.
F iv 43. […] the junior apprentice(?).
F iv 44. [… the exor]cist of the king(?).
F iv 45. [Nineveh(?)], month Kislīmu, day 11.
F iv 46. [Epon]ym: Mitūnu, governor of [the land] Isana.
F iv 47. Year 6 of Sennacherib.
F iv 48. [The Date Palm], Assyria.
F iv 49. "[Conf]idence(?) …" — closing line partly unrestorable; left as it stands.
End of tablet.
Edition of record: Rintje Borger, "Die Weihe eines Enlil-Priesters," Bibliotheca Orientalis 30 (1973), pp. 163–176, with photograph (pl. 3); German translation also in TUAT 2 (W. H. Ph. Römer, 1987). Borger made the joins and is the text's editor. The transliteration is the electronic Babylonian Library record: Enrique Jiménez (2021, revised 2022) for the main text; the parallel witness F (K.2856 + K.17712 + K.18807) preserves sections the main text has lost, and its colophon is Hunger 1968, no. 501. Partial English, credited and not used: 22 lines by Enrique Jiménez on F's record, rendering F's obverse column i, lines 1–43 only. Drawer transliteration, credited by name: on the record of the joined piece Sm.350 sits a historical transliteration by Mark Geller (1980) alongside Jeremiah Peterson's transliteration of the same piece (2018); both are credited as the record carries them, and neither is republished. The full line-by-line bilingual text, with the apparatus and every divergence from Jiménez's partial rendering stated, is the program's working document and is available to any scholar who wants to check the work.
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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