When on high the heaven had not been named,
Firm ground below had not been called by name,
Naught but primordial Apsu, their begetter,
And Mummu-Tiamat, she who bore them all,
Their waters commingling as a single body;
No reed hut had been matted, no marsh land had appeared,
When no gods whatever had been brought into being,
Uncalled by name, their destinies undetermined-
Then it was that the gods were formed within them.
Lahmu and Lahamu were brought forth, by name they were called.
Before they had grown in age and stature.
Anshar and Kishar were formed, surpassing the others.
They prolonged the days, added on the years.
Anu was their heir, of his fathers the rival;
Yea, Anshar's first-born,Anu, was his equal.
Anu beget in his image Nudimmud.
This Nudimmud was of his fathers the master;
Of broad wisdom, understanding, mighty in strength,
Mightier by far than his grandfather, Anshar.
He had no rival among the gods, his brothers.

The divine brothers banded together,
They disturbed Tiamat as they surged back and forth,
Yea, they troubled the mood of Tiamat
By their hilarity in the Abode of Heaven.
Apsu could not lessen their clamor
And Tiamat was speechless at their ways.
Their doings were loathsome unto.
Unsavory were their ways; they were overbearing.
Then Apsu, the begetter of the great gods,
Cried out, addressing Mummu, his vizier: "
O Mummu, my vizier, who rejoicest my spirit,
Come hither and let us go to Tiamat!"
They went and sat down before Tiamat,
Exchanging counsel about the gods, their first-born.
Apsu, opening his mouth,
Said unto resplendent Tiamat:
"Their ways are verily loathsome unto me.
By day I find no relief, nor repose by night.
I will destroy, I will wreck their ways,
That quiet may be restored.
Let us have rest!" As soon as Tiamat heard this,
She was wroth and called out to her husband.
She cried out aggrieved, as she raged all alone,
Injecting woe into her mood:
"What? Should we destroy that which we have built?
Their ways indeed are most troublesome, but let us attend kindly.
Then answered Mummu, giving counsel to Apsu;:
Ill-wishing and ungracious was Mummu's advice:
"Do destroy, my father, the mutinous ways.
Then shalt thou have relief by day and rest by nightl"
When Apsu heard this, his face grew radiant
Because of the evil he planned against the gods, his sons.
As for Mummu, by the neck he embraced him
As that one sat down on his knees to kiss him.
Now whatever they had plotted between them,
Was repeated unto the gods, their first-born.
When the gods heard this, they were astir,
Then lapsed into silence and remained speechless.
Surpassing in wisdom, accomplished, resourceful,
Ea, the all-wise, saw through their scheme.
A master design against it he devised and set up,
Made artful his spell against it, surpassing and holy.
He recited it and made it subsist in the deep,
As he poured sleep upon him, Sound asleep he lay.
When Apsu he had made prone, drenched with sleep,
Mummu, the adviser, was powerless to stir
He loosened his band, tore off his tiara,
Removed his halo and put it on himself.
Having fettered Apsu, he slew him.
Mummu he bound and left behind lock.
Having thus upon Apsu established his dwelling,
He laid hold on Mummu, holding him by the nose-rope.
After Ea had vanquished and trodden down his foes,
Had secured his triumph over his enemies,
In his sacred chamber in profound peace had rested,
He named it "Apsu," for shrines he assigned it.
In that same place his cult hut he founded.
Ea and Damkina, his wife, dwelled there in splendor.

In the chamber of fates, the abode of destinies,
A god was engendered, most able and wisest of gods.
In the heart of Apsu was Marduk created,
In the heart of holy Apsu was Marduk created.
He who begot him was Ea, his father;
She who bore him was Damkina, his mother.
The breast of goddesses he did suck.
The nurse that nursed him filled him with awesomeness.
Alluring was his figure, sparkling the lift of his eyes.
Lordly was his gait, commanding from of old.
When Ea saw him, the father who begot him,
He exulted and glowed, his heart filled with gladness.
He rendered him perfect and endowed him with a double godhead.
Greatly exalted was he above them, exceeding throughout.
Perfect were his members beyond comprehension,
Unsuited for understanding, difficult to perceive.
Four were his eyes, four were his ears;
When he moved his lips, fire blazed forth.
Large were all four hearing organs,
And the eyes, in like number, scanned all things.
He was the loftiest of the gods, surpassing was his stature;
His members were enormous, he was exceeding tall.
"My little son, my little son!
My son, the Sun: Sun of the heavensl"
Clothed with the halo of ten gods, he was strong to the utmost,
As their awesome flashes were heaped upon him.

Anu brought forth and begot the fourfold wind
Consigning to its power the leader of the host.
He fashioned . . ., stationed the whirlwind,
He produced streams to disturb Tiamat.
The gods, given no rest, suffer in the storm.
Their hearts having plotted evil,
To Tiamat, their mother, said:
"When they slew Apsu, thy consort,
Thou didst not aid him but remainedst still.
When the dread fourfold wind he created,
Thy vitals were diluted and so we can have no rest.
Let Apsu, thy consort, be in thy mind
And Mummu, who has been vanquished!  Thou art left alonel!
. . . thou pacest about distraught,
. . . without cease. Thou dost not love us!
. . . pinched are our eyes,
. . . without cease. Let us have rest!
. . . to battle. Do thou avenge them!
. . .  and render them as the wind:"
When Tiamat heard these words, she was pleased
". . . you have given. Let us make monsters,
. . . and the gods in the midst.
. . . let us do battle and against the gods
They thronged and marched at the side of Tiamat.
Enraged, they plot without cease night and day,
They are set for combat, growling, raging,
They form a council to prepare for the fight.
Mother Hubur, she who fashions all things,
Added matchless weapons, bore monster-serpents,
Sharp of tooth, unsparing of fang.
With venom for blood she has filled their bodies.
Roaring dragons she has clothed with terror,
Has crowned them with haloes, making them like gods,
So that he who beholds them shall perish abjectly,
And that, with their bodies reared up. none might turn them back
She set up the Viper, the Dragon, and the Sphinx,
The Great-Lion, the Mad-Dog, and the Scorpion-Man,
Mighty lion-demons, the Dragon-Fly, the Centaur-
Bearing weapons that spare not, fearless in battle.
Firm were her decrees, past withstanding were they.
Withal eleven of this kind she brought forth.
From among the gods, her first-born, who formed her Assembly,
She elevated Kingu, made him chief among them.
The leading of the ranks, command of the Assembly,
The raising of weapons for the encounter, advancing to combat,
In battle the command-in-chief-
These to his hand she entrusted as she seated him in the Council:
"I have cast for thee the spell, exalting thee in the Assembly  of the gods.
To counsel all the gods I have given thee full power.
Verily, thou art supreme, my only consort art thou!
Thy utterance shall prevail over all the Anunnaki:"
She gave him the Tablet of Destinies, fastened on his breast:
"As for thee, thy command shall be unchangeable, Thy word shall endurel"
As soon as Kingu was elevated, possessed of the rank of Anu,
For the gods, his sons, they decreed the fate:
"Your word shall make the first subside,
Shall humble the 'Power-Weapon,' so potent in its sweep!

The scene now shifts to the new gods as they discover Tiamat's plan and try to forestall it. The situation is similar to the time when Apsu was planning to kill all his children. But this time, the enemy, Tiamat, is much more formi-dable and better prepared. In their desperation, the new gods make two unsuccessful attempts at stopping Tiamat before finding a workable plan.
       As we might expect, Ea makes the first attempt to subdue Tiamat. When he hears of her plans, he reports to his grandfather, Anshar. The old god recalls that Ea has killed Apsu and bids him to do the same with Tiamat. Ea's attempt, however, ends in failure and he returns defeated. Although Anshar is disturbed by this news, he asks Anu to try again, but this time he tells Anu to speak with the authority of Anshar so that "Tiamat's mood may be calmed." Anu sets out to accomplish this task but retreats sheepishly at the mere sight of the fierce Tiamat. When Anshar is informed of this second failure, he becomes so upset that his hair stands on end. Overcoming his disappointment, however, he summons Marduk to come before him.
       Meanwhile, La's son Marduk has been waiting in the wings. Thoroughly briefed by his father, Marduk is ready to take advan-tage of the situation. So when he steps forward and is asked to kill Tiamat, he boasts that the rest of the gods are afraid of a mere woman. He alone will slay her, he says, if he is given absolute authority over all the gods.
       Anshar is apparently pleased with this brash suggestion and immediately sends for Lahmu and Lahamu to ratify the decision. On hearing the full story of Tiamat's behavior, Lahmu and Lahamu are sorely distressed. They quickly go to Anshar's house where they indulge in a large banquet and plenty of wine. After they become "very languid," they agree to give Marduk the power he requested. The story then continues as follows:

They erected for him a princely throne.
Facing his fathers, he sat down, presiding.
"Thou art the most honored of the great gods,
Thy decree is unrivaled, thy command is Anu.
Thou, Marduk, art the most honored of the great gods,
Thy decree is unrivaled, thy word is Anu.
From this day unchangeable shall be thy pronouncement.
To raise or bring low-these shall be in thy hand.
Thy utterance shall be true, thy command shall be unimpeachable.
No one among the gods shall transgress thy bounds!
Adornment being wanted for the seats of the gods,
Let the place of their shrines ever be in thy place.
 O Marduk, thou art indeed our avenger.
We have granted thee kingship over the universe entire.
When in Assembly thou sittest, thy word shall be supreme.
Thy weapons shall not fail; they shall smash thy foes:
O lord, spare the life of him who trusts thee,
But pour out the life of the god who seized evil.
Having placed in their midst the Images,
They addressed themselves to Marduk, their first-born:
"Lord, truly thy decree is first among gods.
Only say to wreck or create; it shall be.
Open thy mouth: the Images will vanish!
Speak again, and the Images shall be whole!
At the word of his mouth the Images vanished.
He spoke again, and the Images were restored.
When the gods, his fathers, saw the fruit of his word,
Joyfully they did homage: "Marduk is king!"
They conferred on him scepter, throne, and vestment;
They gave him matchless weapons that ward off the foes:
"Go and cut off the life of Tiamat.
May the winds bear her blood to places undisclosed."
Bel's destiny thus fixed, the gods, his fathers,
Caused him to go the way of success and attainment.
He constructed a bow, marked it as his weapon,
Attached thereto the arrow, fixed its bow-cord.
He raised the mace, made his right hand grasp it;
Bow and quiver he hung at his side.
In front of him he set the lightning,
With a blazing flame he filled his body.
He then made a net to enfold Tiamat therein.
The four winds he stationed that nothing of her might escape,
The South Wind, the North Wind, the East Wind, the West Wind.
Close to his side he held the net, the gift of his father, Anu.
He brought forth Imhulla "the Evil Wind," the Whirlwind, the
Hurricane, The Fourfold Wind, the Sevenfold Wind, the Cyclone, the Matchless Wind; Then he set forth the winds he had brought forth, the seven of them.
To stir up the inside of Tiamat they rose up behind him.
Then the lord raised up the flood-storm, his mighty weapon.
He mounted the storm-chariot irresistible and terrifying.
He harnessed and yoked to it a team-of-four,
The Killer, the Relentless, the Trampler, the Swift.
Their lips were parted, their teeth bore poison.
They were tireless and skilled in destruction.
On his right he posted the Smiter, fearsome in battle,
On the left the Combat, which repels all the zealous.
For a cloak he was wrapped in an armor of terror;
With his fearsome halo his head was turbaned.
The lord went forth and followed his course,
Towards the raging Tiamat he set his face.
In his lips he held a spell;
A plant to put out poison was grasped in his hand.
Then they milled about him, the gods milled about him,
The gods, his fathers, milled about him, the gods milled about  him.
The lord approached to scan the inside of Tiamat,
And of Kingu, her consort, the scheme to perceive.
As he looks on, his course becomes upset,
His will is distracted and his doings are confused.
And when the gods, his helpers, who marched at his side,
Saw the valiant hero, blurred became their vision.
Tiamat emitted a cry, without turning her neck,
Framing savage defiance in her lips:
"Too important art thou for the lord of the gods to rise up against thee!
Is it in their place that they have gathered, or in thy place?"
Thereupon the lord, having raised the flood-storm, his mighty weapon,
To enraged Tiamat he sent word as followe:
"Why art thou risen, art haughtily exalted,
Thou hast charged thine own heart to stir up conflict,
. . . . . .sons reject their own fathers,
Whilst thou, who hast born them, hast foresworn love:
Thou hast appointed Kingu as thy consort,
Conferring upon him the rank of Anu, not rightfully his.
Against Anshar, king of the gods, thou seekest evil;
Against the gods, my fathers, thou hast confirmed thy wickedness.
Though drawn up be thy forces, girded on thy weapons,
Stand thou up, that I and thou meet in single combatl"
When Tiamat heard this,
She was like one possessed; she took leave of her senses.
In fury Tiamat cried out aloud.
To the roots her legs shook both together.
She recites a charm, keeps casting her spell,
While the gods of battle sharpen their weapons.
Then joined issue Tiamat and Marduk, wisest of gods.
They strove in single combat, locked in battle.
The lord spread out his net to enfold her,
The Evil Wind, which followed behind, he let loose in her face.
When Tiamat opened her mouth to consume him,
He drove in the Evil Wind that she close not her lips.
As the fierce winds charged her belly,
Her body was distended and her mouth was wide open.
He released the arrow, it tore her belly,
It cut through her insides, splitting the heart.
Having thus subdued her, he extinguished her life.
He cast down her carcass to stand upon it.
After he had slain Tiamat, the leader,
Her band was shattered, her troupe broken up;
And the gods, her helpers who marched at her side,
Trembling with terror, turned their backs about,
In order to save and preserve their lives.
Tightly encircled, they could not escape.
He made them captives and he smashed their weapons.
Thrown into the net, they found themselves ensnared;
Placed in cells, they were filled with wailing;
Bearing his wrath, they were held imprisoned.
And the eleven creatures which she had charged with awe,
The whole band of demons that marched on her right,
He cast into fetters, their hands he bound.
For all their resistance, he trampled them underfoot.
And Kingur who had been made chief among them,
He bound and accounted him to Uggae.
He took from him the Tablet of Destinies, not rightfully his,
Sealed them with a seal and fastened them on his breast.

When he had vanquished and subdued his adversaries,
Had . . . the vainglorious foe,
Had wholly established Anshar's triumph over the foe,
Nudimmud's desire had achieved, valiant Marduk
Strengthened his hold on the vanquished gods,
And turned back to Tiamat whom he had bound.
The lord trod on the legs of Tiamat,
With his unsparing mace he crushed her skull.
When the arteries of her blood he had severed,
The North Wind bore it to places undisclosed.
On seeing this, his fathers were joyful and jubilant,
They brought gifts of homage, they to him.
Then the lord paused to view her dead body,
That he might divide the monster and do artful works.
He split her like a shellfish into two parts:
Half of her he set up and ceiled it as sky,
Pulled down the bar and posted guards.
He bade them to allow not her waters to escape.
He crossed the heavens and surveyed the regions.
He squared Apsu's quarter, the abode of Nudimmud,
As the lord measured the dimensions of Apsu.
The Great Aboder its likeness, he fixed as Esharra,
The Great Abode, Esharra, which he made as the firmament.

He constructed stations for the great gods,
Fixing their astral likenesses as the Images.
He determined the year by designating the zones:
He set up three constellations for each of the twelve months.
After defining the days of the year by means of heavenly figures,
He founded the station of Nebiru to determine their heavenly bands,
That none might transgress or fall short.
Alongside it he set up the stations of Enlil and Ea.
Having opened up the gates on both sides,
He strengthened the locks to the left and the right.
In her belly he established the zenith.
The Moon he caused to shine, the night to him entrusting.
He appointed him a creature of the night to signify the days:
"Monthly, without cease, form designs with a crown.
At the month's very start, rising over the land,
Thou shalt have luminous horns to signify six days,
On the seventh day reaching a half-crown.
At full moon stand in opposition in mid-month.
When the sun overtakes thee at the base of heaven,
Diminish thy crown and retrogress in light.
At the time of disappearance approach thou the course of the sun
And on the thirtieth thou shalt again stand in opposition to the sun."
 

       23ff. At this point the text is fragmentary. But enough remains to reveal that Marduk continues to create "marvelous things." He pokes out Tiamat's eyes, and the Tigris and Euphrates rivers flow from them. He forms mountains out of her breasts. Then he drills holes in them, allowing springs to gush forth. Finally, as a memorial to his conquest of Tiamat, he turns her eleven monsters into statues and places them at the gate of the Apsu. After these events are described, there is a gap in the text. The story then resumes on Tablet VI:

        VI: 45-VII: 144. Now that Marduk has finished putting order  into the universe, the gods propose that a sanctuary (the city of Babylon) be built for them all. After they complete the job, they praise the weapons Marduk used to slay Tiamat. Then they proclaim the duties of the human race which include paying homage to Marduk and supplying sustenance to all the gods. Finally, they praise Marduk by reciting his fifty names. Each name indicates something of Marduk's accomplishments and powers. For example, he is called "Ziukkinna" because he "established the heavens," "Suhrim" because he defeated his enemies, and "Asaru" beeause he created vegetation. Finally, the gods give Marduk yet another title, "Fifty," to encompass all the characteristics of his fifty names.

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