They set a lordly dais for him⁠a
And he took his seat before his fathers to receive kingship.
“You are chief among the great gods,
Your fate is unequalled, your word is Anu!
O Marduk, you are chief among the great gods,
Your fate is unequalled, your word is Anu!
From now on your command shall not be without avail,⁠b
In your power it shall be to exalt and to abase.
Established shall be the word of your mouth, irresistible shall be your command;
None among the gods shall transgress your boundary.
Abundance, the desire of the shrines of the gods,
Shall be established in your sanctuary, even though they lack (offerings).
O Marduk, you are our avenger!
We give you sovereignty over the whole world.
Sit down in might, be exalted in your command.
Your weapon shall never lose its power, it shall crush your foe.
O lord, spare the life of him who puts his trust in you,
But as for the god who began the rebellion, pour out his life.”
They set a constellation in the middle
And addressed Marduk, their son,
“Your destiny, Bel, is superior to that of all the gods,
Command and bring about annihilation and re-creation.
Let the constellation disappear at your utterance,⁠c
With a second command let the constellation reappear.”
He gave the command and the constellation disappeared,
With a second command the constellation came into being again.
When the gods, his fathers, saw (the fulfilment of) his word,
They rejoiced, and they did homage (to him, saying), “Marduk is king!”
They bestowed upon him the sceptre, and the throne, and the ring,
They give him an invincible weapon, which overwhelms the foe.
“Go, and cut off the life of Tiamat,
And let the wind carry her blood into secret places.”
After the gods his fathers had decreed for the lord his fate,
They caused him to set out on a path of prosperity and success.
He made ready the bow, he chose his weapon,
He set an arrow in place, put the bow string on.
He raised the club, in his right hand he grasped (it),
The bow and the quiver he hung at his side.
He set the lightning in front of him,⁠d
With burning flame he filled his body.
He made a net to enclose the inward parts of Tiamat,
The four winds he stationed so that nothing of her might escape;
The South wind and the North wind and the East wind and the West wind
He brought near to the net, the gift of his father Anu.
He created the evil wind, and the tempest, and the hurricane,
And the fourfold wind, and the sevenfold wind, and the whirlwind, and the wind which had no equal;
He sent forth the winds which he had created, the seven of them;
To disturb the inward parts of Tiamat, they followed after him.
Then the lord raised the thunderbolt, his mighty weapon,
He mounted the chariot, the storm unequalled for terror,
He harnessed and yoked to it four horses,
Destructive, ferocious, overwhelming, and swift of pace;
Their lips were parted, their teeth bore venom,
They were strangers to weariness, trained to sweep forward.
At his right hand he stationed raging battle and strife,⁠e
On the left, conflict that overwhelms a united battle array.
He was clad in a tunic, a fearful coat of mail,
With overpowering brightness his head was crowned.
Then he set out, he took his way,
And towards the [rag]ing Tiamat he set his face.
In his lips he held a spell,
He grasped a plant to counter poison in his hand,
Then they saw him, the gods saw him,
The gods his fathers saw him, the gods saw him.
And the lord drew near, he gazed upon the inward parts of Tiamat,
He perceived the muttering of Qingu, her spouse.
As (Marduk) gazed, (Qingu) was troubled in his gait,
His will was destroyed and his motions ceased.
And the gods, his helpers, who marched by his side,
Saw the warrior, the foremost, and their vision became dim.
Tiamat cast her spell without turning her neck,
With lips that did not fail she uttered rebellious words:
“[…] your coming as lord of the gods,
From their places they have gathered, in your place are they!”
Then the lord [raised] the thunderbolt, his mighty weapon,
[And against] Tiamat, who was raging, thus he sent (the word):
“[You] have become great, you have exalted yourself on high,
And your [heart has prompted] you to call to battle.
The younger generation have shouted, outraging their elders,
But you, their mother, hold pity in contempt.
[You have exalted Qing]u to be [your] spouse,
And you have improperly appointed him to the rank of Anuship.
Against Anshar, king of the gods, you have stirred up trouble,
And [against] the gods my fathers you have contrived your wicked plan.
Let then your host be equipped, let your weapons be fastened on!
Stand! I and you, let us join battle!”
When Tiamat heard these words,
She was like one possessed, she lost her reason.
Tiamat uttered wild, piercing cries,
She trembled and shook to her very foundations.
She recited an incantation, she pronounced her spell,
And the gods of the battle cried out for their weapons.
Then advanced Tiamat and Marduk, the counsellor of the gods;⁠f
To the fight they came on, to the battle they drew near.
The lord spread out his net and caught her,
And the evil wind that was behind (him) he let loose in her face.
As Tiamat opened her mouth to its full extent,
He drove in the evil wind, while as yet she had not shut her lips.
The terrible winds filled her belly,
And her courage was taken from her, and her mouth she opened wide.
He seized the spear and burst her belly,
He severed her inward parts, he pierced (her) heart.
He overcame her and cut off her life;
He cast down her body and stood upon it.
When he had slain Tiamat, the leader,
Her might was broken, her host was scattered.
And the gods her helpers, who marched by her side,
Trembled, and were afraid, and turned back.
They took to flight to save their lives;
But they were surrounded, so that they could not escape.
He took them captive, he broke their weapons;
In the net they were caught and in the snare they sat down.
Hiding in corners, filled with grief,
They received punishment from him, they were held in bondage.
And on the eleven creatures which she had filled with the power of striking terror,
The throng of devils who went as grooms at her right hand,
He put ropes upon them and bound their arms,
Them and their opposition he trampled under his feet.
Moreover, Qingu, who had been exalted over them,
He conquered, and with the god Dug-ga he counted him.
He took from him the Tablets of Destiny that were not rightly his,
He sealed them with a seal and in his own breast he laid them.
Now after the hero Marduk had conquered and cast down his enemies,
And had made the arrogant foe even like …,
And had fully established Anshar’s triumph over the enemy,
And had attained the purpose of Nudimmud,
Over the captive gods he strengthened his custody,
And to Tiamat, whom he had conquered, he returned.
And the lord stood upon Tiamat’s hindquarters,
And with his merciless club he smashed her skull.
He cut through the channels of her blood,
And he made the North wind bear it away into secret places.
His fathers saw, and they rejoiced and were glad;
Presents and gifts they brought to him.
Then the lord rested, gazing upon her dead body,
In order to divide the lump by a clever scheme.⁠g
He split her up like a flat fish into two halves;
One half of her he set up and stretched out as the heavens.⁠h
He stretched the skin and appointed a watch⁠i
And ordered them not to let her waters come forth.
He passed through the heavens, he surveyed the regions (of it),
And opposite the Deep he set the dwelling of Nudimmud.
And the lord measured the structure of the Deep,
And he founded Esharra, a mansion like it.
The mansion Esharra which he created as heaven,
He caused Anu, Enlil, and Ea in their districts to inhabit.