Prologue

There was a time when exalted Anu, the king of the Anunnaki, and Enlil, the lord of heaven and earth, who determines the destinies of the nation, determined that Marduk, the first son born to Ea, should govern as Enlil all the peoples of the world. They exalted him among among [sic] the Igigi, and gave Babylon its illustrious name, and made it pre-eminent throughout the earth; with its foundations as secure as heaven and earth, they established for him an everlasting reign within it. It was then that Anu and Enlil ordained Hammurabi, a devout prince who fears the gods, to demonstrate justice within the land, I am Hammurabi, Enlil's chosen shepherd who heaps up plenty and abundance supplying Nippur, where earth and heaven meet, with whatever it needs, the devoted provider for Ekur. I am the powerful king, who restored the site of Eridu, who purified worship in Eabzu, who marched in every corner of the world, who made the name Babylon famous, who made the heart of Marduk his lord happy, who attended Esagila at the proper time. I am a descendant of the royal line, one whom Sin created, who made Ur prosper, the humble and clever one, who brought prosperity to Ekishnugal. I am a prudent king, who listens obediently to Shamash, who powerfully fixes the foundations of Sippar, who covers the chapels of Aya with greenery, who exalts the shrine of Ebabbar to look like a home in heaven. I am a hero, who shows favour to Larsa, who makes Ebabbar anew for Shamash his helper, the lord, who makes Uruk come alive, and secures plentiful supplies of water for its people, who raises up high the pinnacles of Eanna, who heaps up luxury for Anu and Ishtar; a shade for the land, who gathers together the scattered people of Isin, who spreads riches in the shrine of Egalmah. I am the most fearsome of kings, the kinsman of Zababa, who establishes Kish as a residence, who makes Emeteursag shine on every side, who organizes the magnificent rituals for Ishtar, and the guardian of the temple of Hursagkalamma. I am the net that traps the enemy, the one with Erra as his friend, who allowed him to achieve his ambition, the one who extended Kutû, and enlarged E-Meslam in different ways. I am a raging ox that tosses his opponent, the one whom Tutu loves, and who makes Borsippa rejoice, the devoted one who never neglects Ezida. I am the god of the kings, possessing deep wisdom, who develops land to be ploughed in Dilbat, who fills up the granaries for mighty Urash; the lord with symbolic crown and sceptre, which Mama the wise goddess completed for him, who brought the plans for Kesh to fulfilment, who established the sacred food for Nintu; the perfect arbitrator, who designates pastures and the watering places for Lagash and Girsu, who sends magnificent food offerings to Eninnu, who grasps hold of the enemy; the darling of Tellitum, who fulfils the oracles for Sugal, the one who makes the heart of Ishtar rejoice. I am the sacred prince, whose raised hand Adad acknowledges, who quietens the heart of Adad as he fights in Bit Karkara, who maintains the ceremonials properly in E-udgalgal. I am the king who gives Adab its life, the controller of the temple of Emah, the most eminent of kings, unrivalled in the strife; the gift he gives to Mashkan-shapir is life, and for Meslam he provides an abundant water-supply. He is the clever one who gets things done; who reaches the depths of wisdom, who protects the people of Malgium from catastrophe, who secures their habitations with plentiful supplies, who decrees that sacred offerings always be made to Ea and Damgal-nunna, the ones who have made his kingship magnificent, the leader of kings, who controls the Euphrates communities under the guidance of Dagan his creator. He is the one who shows favour to the inhabitants of Man and Tuttul, the devout prince, who brightens the face of the god Tishpak, and ensures that pure food is presented to the goddess Ninazu; the deliverer of his people from affliction, who provides secure foundations for them in the midst of Babylon; the shepherd of the people, whose achievements bring pleasure to Ishtar, who sets Ishtar in the E-ulmash within the centre of the city of Akkad; the one who demonstrates justice, who guides the population aright, who brings back the protective statues to Asshur, who silences the objectors; the king who made famous the rites of Ishtar in Nineveh and E-mesmes; the devout one who holds intercourse with the mighty gods. I am the descendant of Sumu-la-il, the mighty heir of Sin-muballit, with royal ancestors for generations; the mighty king, the sun of Babylon who shines all over the lands of Sumer and Akkad; the king who has made the four parts of the world listen; the one beloved of Ishtar. And so when Marduk urged me to direct the people of the land to adopt correct behaviour, I made the land speak with justice and truth, and improved the welfare of the people. Accordingly therefore:

If you are using eHammurabi for scholarly research on the Prologue, the following information is important. (1) The transliterations are derived from Harper (1904), which is an outdated source. It was nevertheless selected because of availability constraints as few scholars publish the transliterations for both the Prologue and Epilogue. (2) As noted by prior scholars, both the Prologue and Epilogue are uniquely difficult to translate. You are thus encouraged to evaluate the translator's useful footnotes in the original source–which is available herein via a direct page link to OMNIKA Library. (3) Unlike the Laws section in eHammurabi, both the Prologue and Epilogue utilize more redaction from the original publication. (4) The designation of 22 "parts" of the Prologue is not found in the original inscription. It is the organization observed in Richardson (2004), and it is utilized herein eHammurabi to ensure all contents are visually accessible without scrolling.