PROCESSIONAL HYMN TO MARDUK

Origin/Historian/Author: Babylonian
Source: Cuneiform Parallels to the Old Testament, Robert William Rogers

Introduction
This text exists both in an Assyrian copy belonging to Ashurbanipal’s library, and also in a Sumerian and Babylonian original discovered by the Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft in Babylon. Recorded in a single column, which consists of over 60 lines of text, it is almost 100% complete. This ceremonial hymn features Marduk as the supreme god of Babylon and mentions a reasonable amount of genealogical relations.

Chronologically, the events described in this text would have occurred after the defeat of Tiamat, but before the ascension of Anu. Although it is not mentioned as to what has garnered such attention, the text implies a troublesome or impactful event that had recently occurred and was successfully dispensed. We can only assume that event was the defeat of Tiamat and her forces. The key players who we are to assume partook in the war itself are mentioned in this text as being praised to “Rest at last” while those who perhaps experienced the hardships of war in another way were praised to have “Peace at last.”

Full Text Below

O Lord, on thine entrance into thy house, may thy
house rejoice in thee.
Mighty Lord Marduk, on thine entrance into thy
house, may thy house rejoice in thee.
Great warrior, lord Enbilulu, on thine entrance into
thy house, may thy house rejoice in thee.
Rest, O Lord, rest, O Lord, may thy house rejoice in thee.
Rest, lord of Babylon, may thy house rejoice in thee.
Rest, lord of E-sagila, s may thy house rejoice in thee.
Rest, lord of E-zida, may thy house rejoice in thee.
Rest, lord of E-makhtila, may thy house rejoice in thee.
E-sagila, the house of thy lordship, may thy house rejoice in thee.
Thy city cries out to thee, “Rest,” may thy house rejoice in thee.
Babylon cries out to thee, “Rest,” may thy house rejoice in thee.
The great Anu, father of the gods, cries out to thee,
“Rest at last.”
May the mighty mountain, father Bel, cry to thee,
“Rest at last.”
The queen of city and house, the great mother Belit, cry to thee,
“Rest at last.”
Ninib, the first born of Bel, with the exalted armor of Anu, cry to thee,
“Rest at last.”
Sin, the light of heaven and earth, cry to thee,
“Peace at last.”
The strong hero, Shamash, son of Nin-gal, cry to thee,
“Peace at last.”
Ea, king of the deep, cry to thee,
“Peace at last.”
Damkina, queen of the deep, cry to thee,
“Peace at last.”
Sarpanitum, the daughter-in-law of the deep [1], cry to thee,
“Peace at last.”
The true messenger, Nabu, cry to thee,
“Peace at last.”
The daughter-in-law, first born of Urash, cry to thee,
“Peace at last.”
. . . Tashmitum, cry to thee,
“Peace at last.”
The exalted, great, my mistress, queen Nana, cry to thee,
“Peace at last.”
The lord Madanu, the overseer of the Anunaki, cry to thee,
“Peace at last.”
Bau, the gracious consort, cry to thee,
“Peace at last.”
Adad, beloved son of Anu, cry to thee,
“Peace at last.”
Shala, the great lady, cry to thee,
“Peace at last.”
The lord, possessor of power, who dwells in E-kur,
may the courage of thy godhead be appeased.
Lord of the gods art thou, may the gods of heaven
and earth appease thine anger,
Thy city, Nippur, cast not away. Let them cry to thee, “O lord, peace.”
Sippar cast not away. Let her cry to thee, “O lord, peace.”
Babylon, the city of thy peace, cast not away. Let
her cry to thee, “O lord, peace.”
Look graciously upon thy house. Look graciously
upon thy city. Let them cry to thee, “O lord, peace.”
Look graciously upon Babylon and E-sagila. Let
them cry to thee, “O lord, peace.”
The bolt of Babylon, the lock of E-sagila, the defense of E-zida
Bring back to their places. The gods of heaven and
earth, let them cry to thee, “O lord, peace.”

Footnotes
[1] The lord of the deep mentioned here is a reference to Ea, who is Lord of the Apsu. The deep, or Apsu, is perhaps the name of a damhouse created by Ea, to control the flow of a tributary from the Euphrates.