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Surpu

Sumerian and Akkadian Incantations

About this book
Chapter 2

Be it released, great gods, god and goddess, lords of absolution. Nenni, son of Nenni, whose god is Nenni, whose goddess is Nenni, who is …, sick, in danger of death, distraught, troubled, who has eaten what is taboo to his god,⁠ who has eaten what is taboo to his goddess, who said no for yes, who said yes for no, who pointed his finger accusingly behind the back of his fellow-man, who calumniated, spoke what is not allowed to speak who … gossip, who … a … crooked, who scorned his god, despised his goddess, who … spoke evil things, who … spoke unseemly things, who, as a witness, caused wicked things to be spoken, who caused the judge to pronounce incorrect judgment, who is always present … who says …, always says and exaggerates, who … has oppressed the weak woman, who turned a … woman away from her city, who estranged son from father, who estranged father from son, who estranged daughter from mother, who estranged mother from daughter, who estranged daughter-in-law from mother-in-law, who estranged mother-in-law from daughter-in-law, who estranged brother from brother, who estranged friend from friend, who estranged companion from companion, who did not free a captive, did not release a man in bonds, who did not let the prisoner see the light of day, who said to the captive: leave him captive!, to the man in bonds: bind him tighter!, He does not know what is a crime against god, he does not know what is a sin against the goddess. He scorned the god, despised the goddess, his sins are against his god, his crimes are against his goddess. He is full of contempt against his father, full of hatred against his elder brother. He despised his parents,⁠ offended the elder sister, gave with small measure and received with big measure, he said “there is”, when there was not, he said “there is not”, when there was, spoke unseemly things, spoke improper things, he spoke insolent things, he spoke …, he used an untrue balance, but did not use the true balance,⁠ he took money that was not due to him, but did not take money due to him, he disinherited the legitimate son and did not establish in his rights the legitimated son, he set up an untrue boundary, but did not set up the true boundary,⁠ he removed mark, frontier and boundary. He entered his neighbor’s house, had intercourse with his neighbor’s wife,⁠ shed his neighbor’s blood, took away his neighbor’s clothes, and did not clothe a young man when he was naked.⁠ He ousted a well-to-do young man from his family, scattered a gathered clan, used to stand by the …, His mouth is straight, but his heart is untrue,⁠ when his mouth says “yes”, his heart says “no”, altogether he speaks untrue words. He who is …, shakes and trembles of rage, destroys, expels, drives to flight, accuses and convicts, spreads gossip, wrongs, robs and incites to rob, sets his hand to evil his mouth is …, lying, his lips confused and violent, who knows improper things, has learned unseemly things, who has taken his stand with wickedness, transgressed the borderline of right, committed things that are not proper, set his hand to sorcery and witchcraft. Because of the evil taboo he has eaten, because of the many sins he committed, because of the assembly he divided, because of the tightly united company he dispersed, because of all the contempt for the god and goddess,⁠ because he promised in heart and by mouth but did not give,⁠ omitted the name of his god in his incense-offering, made the purifications, then complained and withheld it, …, saved something for the gods, but ate it, after he behaved arrogantly, he started to pray, disarranged the altar that had been prepared, made his god and his goddess angry with himself, standing up in the assembly, said inadequate words. Be it released, because he has sworn to facts of which he was ignorant,⁠ he has sworn after he took away something,⁠ he has sworn after he hid something, he has sworn in a case of a theft he committed, he has sworn in a capital case, he pointed his finger at a protecting deity, he has sworn by the protecting deity of father and mother, he has sworn by the protecting deity of elder brother and elder sister, he has sworn by the protecting deity of friend and companion, he has sworn by the protecting deity of god and king, he has sworn by the protecting deity of lord and lady; he trampled in bloodshed, he used to follow wherever blood was shed, he ate what was taboo in his city, he betrayed the affairs of his city, he gave his city a bad reputation; he went straight toward an accursed person, an accursed person went straight toward him, he slept in the bed of an accursed person, he sat in the chair of an accursed person, he ate at the table of an accursed person, he drank from the cup of an accursed person. He has asked for a sign, he has asked for a sign; he has asked for a sign through the bed, he has asked for a sign through the chair, he has asked for a sign through the table, he has asked for a sign through the cup-giver, he has asked for a sign through the lit stove, he has asked for a sign through the torch, he has asked for a sign through the bellows, he has asked for a sign through tablet and stylus, he has asked for a sign through the šūlu-measure and the qa-measure, he has asked for a sign at the stable, he has asked for a sign at the animals, he has asked for a sign at the plow, he has asked for a sign at the well, he has asked for a sign at the river, he has asked for a sign at the boat, the ship, the barge, he has asked for a sign at sunrise and sunset, he has asked for a sign the gods of heaven, the sanctuaries of the earth, he has asked for a sign at the sanctuary of the Lord and the Lady, he has asked for a sign leaving the city and entering the city, he has asked for a sign leaving the city-gate and entering the city-gate, he has asked for a sign leaving the house and entering the house, he has asked for a sign in the street, he has asked for a sign in the temple, he has asked for a sign on the road. Be it released, O Šamaš, you judge, release it, Šamaš, lord of above and below, you are the one who deals out justice to the gods, you are king of all lands, through your command let justice be done, may there be justice in his land before you, release it, exorcist among the gods, merciful lord, Marduk, release it, god of the owner of the house, release it, god of the owner of the …, release it, god of the sinner, release it, Nergal, lord of absolution, release it, Šugamuna and Šumaliya, release it, great gods, as many as there are invoked, release it, Stove, son of E[a …!], May the Lord and the Lady release, may Anu and Antu release, may Enlil release, king, creator of a[l], may Ninlil release, the queen of Ek[l]ur, may Ekur release, the living quarter of the Spouse, may Enki release, may Ninki release, may Enšar release, may Ninšar release, may Ea release, king of the Apsû, may the Apsû release, the house of wisdom, may Eridu release, may Ešazu release, may Marduk release, the king of the Igigi, may Sarpanitu release, the queen of Esagil, may Esagil and Babylon release, the dwelling of the great gods, may Nabû and Nanâ release in Ezida, may Tašmētum release, the great daughter-in-law, may DI.KUD release, the thronebearer of Esagil, may Iḫidumqu release, who introduces good words, may Der and Edimgalkalama release, may GAL and Dēritu release, in Susa, may Inšušinak, and Laḫurati release, may Jabru, Ḫumba, Naprušu release, these sublime gods, may from the cardinal points of South, North, East and West, the seven winds blowing upon him, release his oath. May Ištar release in Uruk of the sheepfold, may Nineranna or Belet-ajakki release in Eanna, her quarters, may Anunitu release in Agade, the city of her delight, may Agade release, may Eulmaš release, may Išḫara release, the lady of human dwellings, may Siduri release, goddess of wisdom, protecting goddess of life, may Irra, Girra, Irra-KAL.KAL release, may Laz, Ḫaja, Luḫušû release, may Lugalidena, Latarak, Šarralu release, may the Warrior Šamaš, may mentioning them release, may TI.BAL, SAG.KUD, Kajamānu, Immerija release, may the Bow-star, the Pleiads, Sirius, Mars, Narudu release, may Ḫendursanga, the star Sibzianna release, may god and goddess, as many as there are invoked, stand by him today, and of NN, son of NN, the sins, the errors, the crimes, the offenses, the oaths, may they extirpate, may they ……, blot out, undo, may they lift his oath off him. End-formula of the incantation. The effect of any oath this man, son of his god, is under.

Texts in conversation

Compare Surpu II and Isaiah 29:13

Ancient Near East, Babylonian · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Isaiah describes Israel professing to be loyal but inwardly far from God, based on ancient Near Eastern tradition such as the Akkadian Surpu tablets, which use the same language to describe the people saying one thing but inwardly doing another.

Passages

Surpu II

Ancient Near East, Babylonian · Sumerian and Akkadian Incantations
He ousted a well-to-do young man from his family, scattered a gathered clan, used to stand by the …, His mouth is straight, but his heart is untrue, when his mouth says “yes”, his heart says “no”, altogether he speaks untrue words. He who is …, shakes and trembles of rage, destroys, expels, drives to flight, accuses and convicts, spreads gossip, wrongs, robs and incites to rob, sets his hand to evil his mouth is …, lying, his lips confused and violent, who knows improper things, has learned unseemly things, who has taken his stand with wickedness, transgressed the borderline of right, committed things that are not proper, set his hand to sorcery and witchcraft.
1200 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Surpu

Isaiah 29:13

Hebrew Bible
11 To you this entire prophetic revelation is like words in a sealed scroll. When they hand it to one who can read and say, “Read this,” he responds, “I can’t, because it is sealed.” 12 Or when they hand the scroll to one who can’t read and say, “Read this,” he says, “I can’t read.” 13 The Lord says, “These people draw near to me with their mouth; with their lips they say wonderful things about me, but their hearts are far from me26. Their worship consists of nothing but man-made ritual. 14 Therefore I will again do an amazing thing for these people—an absolutely extraordinary deed. Wise men will have nothing to say, the sages will have no explanations.”
740–450 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Isaiah

References

"... Isaiah puts emphasis on the uncleanness of lips for two reasons. In the first place, it underscores the shallowness of both Isaiah’s and his people’s commitment to Yahweh. If Isaiah’s vision occurred during communal worship in the temple as we have suggested, both the future prophet and his people were involved in an outward display of devotion to Yahweh, but Isaiah’s vision enabled him to see that display for what it really was. As he says of Yahweh in a later oracle, “This people draw near to me with their mouth and with their lips they honor me, but their heart is far from me” (Isaiah 29:13). Public worship that does not lead on to a transformed life and the everyday pursuit of God’s will for justice is an abomination to God (Isa 1:10-17) and leaves one with lips stained unclean by hypocrisy ..."
Jimmy J. M. Roberts, First Isaiah: A Commentary (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2015), 99.
"... the reliability of the spoken word was a general concern to Mesopotamians and Israelites. The sin of hypocrisy, that is, saying one thing and thinking another, rouses the wrath of the gods. Assurbanipal paints with disgust the wicked conduct of Šamaššumukin who “outwardly, with his lips, spoke friendly words, but inwardly in his heart, planned murder.” Similar emotional accents can be heard in the laments of the Old Testament psalmists when they denounce the wicked ways of their would-be friends. Lies and falsehood are abhorred by the LORD and are in conflict with the ethos of the righteous; the Mesopotamian pantheon does not hold innocent the man who says “no” for “yes” or “yes” for “no,” “there is not” when there is or “there is” when there is not. The retracted promise met with a strong disapproval by the gods, particularly on Marduk’s behalf. “If you have promised, give …” was a current counsel, the spirit of which is also reflected in penitential confessions. A similar ideal is pictured in the Psalms, which praise the man who, having sworn to his own disadvantage, does not break his vow (compare Psalm 15:4, Deuteronomy 23:22-24, Ecclesiastes 5:3-5) ..."
Karel van der Toorn, Sin and Sanction in Israel and Mesopotamia: A Comparative Study, SSN 22 (Assen: Van Gorcum & Comp. b.v., 1985), 20.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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