Ancient texts / The Flood (Gilgamesh, Tablet XI)
The Flood (Gilgamesh, Tablet XI) Gilgamesh XI, lines 1–205
Uta-Napishtim's first-person account of the flood, as told to Gilgamesh.
1Gilgamish said unto Uta-Napishtim, to Uta-Napishtim the remote:
2"I am looking at thee, Uta-Napishtim.
3Thy person is not altered; even as am I so art thou.
4Verily, nothing about thee is changed; even as am I so art thou.
5[Moved is my] heart to do battle,
6But thou art at leisure and dost lie upon thy back.
7How then wast thou able to enter the company of the gods and see life?"
8Uta-Napishtim said unto him, to Gilgamish:✦ Genesis 6:13
9"I will reveal unto thee, O Gilgamish, a hidden mystery,
10And a secret matter of the gods I will declare unto thee.
11Shurippak, a city which thou thyself knowest,
12On [the bank] of the river Puratti (Euphrates) is situated,
13That city was old and the gods [dwelling] within it--
14Their hearts induced the great gods to make a wind-storm
15Their father Anu,
16Their counsellor, the warrior Enlil,
17Their messenger En-urta [and]
18Their prince Ennugi.
19Nin-igi-azag, Ea, was with them [in council] and
20reported their word to the house of reeds.
21O House of reeds, O House of reeds! O Wall, O Wall!
22O House of reeds, hear! O Wall, understand!
23O man of Shurippak, son of Ubara-Tutu.
24Throw down the house, build a ship,✦ Genesis 6:14
25Forsake wealth, seek after life,
26Abandon possessions, save thy life,
27Carry grain of every kind into the ship.
28The ship which thou shalt build,
29The dimensions thereof shall be measured,
30The breadth and the length thereof shall be the same.
31... the ocean, provide it with a roof."
32"I understood and I said unto Ea, my lord:
33[I comprehend] my lord, that which thou hast ordered,
34I will regard it with great reverence, and will perform it.
35But what shall I say to the town, to the multitude, and to the elders?"
36"Ea opened his mouth and spake
37And said unto his servant, myself,
38... Thus shalt thou say unto them:
39Ill-will hath the god Enlil formed against me,
40Therefore I can no longer dwell in your city,
41And never more will I turn my countenance upon the soil of Enlil.
42I will descend into the ocean to dwell with my lord Ea.
43But upon you he will rain riches:
44A catch of birds, a catch of fish
45... an [abundant] harvest,
46... the prince (?) of the darkness
47... shall make a violent cyclone [to fall upon you]."
48As soon as [the dawn] broke...
55The weak [man] ... brought bitumen,✦ Genesis 6:15
56The strong [man] ... brought what was needed.
57On the fifth day I decided upon its plan.
58According to the plan its walls were 10 Gar (i.e. 120 cubits) high,
59And the circuit of the roof thereof was equally 10 Gar.
60I measured out the hull thereof and marked it out (?)
61I covered (?) it six times.
62Its exterior I divided into seven,
63Its interior I divided into nine,
64Water bolts I drove into the middle of it.
65I provided a steering pole, and fixed what was needful for it,
66Six sar of bitumen I poured over the inside wall,
67Three sar of pitch I poured into the inside.
68The men who bear loads brought three sar of oil,
69Besides a sar of oil which the offering consumed,
70And two sar of oil which the boatman hid.
71I slaughtered oxen for the [work]people,
72I slew sheep every day.
73Beer, sesame wine, oil and wine
74I made the people drink as if they were water from the river.
75I celebrated a feast-day as if it had been New Year's Day.
76I opened [a box of ointment], I laid my hands in unguent.
77Before the sunset the ship was finished.
78[Since] ... was difficult.
79The shipbuilders brought the ... of the ship, above and below,
80... two-thirds of it.
81With everything that I possessed I loaded it (i.e. the ship).
82With everything that I possessed of silver I loaded it.
83With everything that I possessed of gold I loaded it.
84With all that I possessed of living grain I loaded it.✦ Genesis 7:7
85I made to go up into the ship all my family and kinsfolk,
86The cattle of the field, the beasts of the field, all handicraftsmen I made them go up into it.
87The god Shamash had appointed me a time (saying)
88The Power of Darkness will at eventide make a rain-flood to fall;
89Then enter into the ship and shut thy door.
90The appointed time drew nigh;
91The Power of Darkness made a rain-flood to fall at eventide.
92I watched the coming of the [approaching] storm,
93"When I saw it terror possessed me,
94I went into the ship and shut my door.
95To the pilot of the ship, Puzur-Bêl (or Puzur-Amurri) the sailor
96I committed the great house (i.e. ship), together with the contents thereof.
97As soon as the gleam of dawn shone in the sky
98A black cloud from the foundation of heaven came up.
99Inside it the god Adad (Rammânu) thundered,
100The gods Nabû and Sharru (i.e. Marduk) went before,
101Marching as messengers over high land and plain,
102Irragal (Nergal) tore out the post of the ship,
103En-urta (Ninib) went on, he made the storm to descend.
104The Anunnaki brandished their torches,
105With their glare they lighted up the land.
106The whirlwind (or, cyclone) of Adad swept up to heaven.
107Every gleam of light was turned into darkness.
108...... the land ...... as if ...... had laid it waste.
109A whole day long [the flood descended] ...
110Swiftly it mounted up ..... [the water] reached to the mountains
111[The water] attacked the people like a battle.
112Brother saw not brother.
113Men could not be known (or, recognized) in heaven.
114The gods were terrified at the cyclone.
115They betook themselves to flight and went up into the heaven of Anu.
116The gods crouched like a dog and cowered by the wall.
117The goddess Ishtar cried out like a woman in travail.
118The Lady of the Gods lamented with a loud voice [saying]:
119"Verily the former dispensation is turned into mud,
120Because I commanded evil among the company of the gods.
121When I commanded evil among the company of the gods,
122I commanded battle for the destruction of my people.
123Did I of myself bring forth my people
124That they might fill the sea like little fishes?"
125The gods of the Anunnaki wailed with her.
126The gods bowed themselves, and sat down, and wept.
127Their lips were shut tight (in distress) ...
128For six days and nights✦ Genesis 8:4
129The storm raged, and the cyclone overwhelmed the land.
130When the seventh day approached the cyclone and the raging flood ceased:
131--now it had fought like an army.
132The sea became quiet and went down, and the cyclone and the rain-storm ceased.
133I looked over the sea and a calm had come,
134And all mankind were turned into mud,
135The land had been laid flat like a terrace.
136I opened the air-hole and the light fell upon my face,
137I bowed myself, I sat down, I cried,
138My tears poured down over my cheeks.
139I looked over the quarters of the world--open sea!
140After twelve days an island appeared.
141The ship took its course to the land of Nisir.
142The mountain of Nisir held the ship, it let it not move.
143The first day, the second day, the mountain of Nisir held the ship and let it not move.
144The third day, the fourth day, the mountain of Nisir held the ship and let it not move.
145The fifth day, the sixth day, the mountain of Nisir held the ship and let it not move.
146When the seventh day had come✦ Genesis 8:6
147I brought out a dove and let her go free.
148The dove flew away and [then] came back;
149Because she had no place to alight on she came back.
150I brought out a swallow and let her go free.
151The swallow flew away and [then] came back;
152Because she had no place to alight on she came back.
153I brought out a raven and let her go free.
154The raven flew away, she saw the sinking waters.
155She ate, she pecked in the ground, she croaked, she came not back.
156Then I brought out everything to the four winds and offered up a sacrifice;✦ Genesis 8:20
157I poured out a libation on the peak of the mountain.
158Seven by seven I set out the vessels,
159Under them I piled reeds, cedarwood and myrtle (?).
160The gods smelt the savour,
161The gods smelt the sweet savour.
162The gods gathered together like flies over him that sacrificed.
163Now when the Lady of the Gods came nigh,
164She lifted up the priceless jewels which Anu had made according to her desire, [saying]
165"O ye gods here present, as I shall never forget the lapis-lazuli jewels of my neck
166So shall I ever think about these days, and shall forget them nevermore!
167Let the gods come to the offering,
168But let not Enlil come to the offering,
169Because he would not accept counsel and made the cyclone, 17O. And delivered my people over to destruction."
171Now when Enlil came nigh
172He saw the ship; then was Enlil wroth
173And he was filled with anger against the gods, the Igigi [saying]:
174"What kind of a being hath escaped with his life?
175He shall not remain alive, a man among the destruction!"
176Then En-Urta opened his mouth and spake
177And said unto the warrior Enlil (Bêl):
178Who besides the god Ea can make a plan?
179The god Ea knoweth everything.
180He opened his mouth and spake✦ Genesis 9:11
181And said unto the warrior Enlil (Bêl),
182O Prince among the gods, thou warrior,
183How couldst thou, not accepting counsel, make a cyclone?
184He who is sinful, on him lay his sin,
185He who transgresseth, on him lay his transgression.
186But be merciful that [everything] be not destroyed; be long-suffering that [man be not blotted out].
187Instead of thy making a cyclone,
188Would that a lion had come and diminished mankind.
189Instead of thy making a cyclone 19O. Would that a wolf had come and diminished mankind.
191Instead of thy making a cyclone
192Would that a famine had arisen and [laid waste] the land.
193Instead of thy making a cyclone
194Would that Urra (the Plague god) had risen up and [laid waste] the land.
195As for me I have not revealed the secret of the great gods.
196I made Atra-hasis to see a vision, and thus he heard the secret of the gods.
197Now therefore counsel him with counsel."
198"Then the god Ea went up into the ship,
199He seized me by the hand and brought me forth.
200He brought forth my wife and made her to kneel by my side. 2O1. He turned our faces towards each other, he stood between us, he blessed us [saying],
202Formerly Uta-Napishtim was a man merely,
203But now let Uta-Napishtiin and his wife be like unto the gods, ourselves.
204Uta-Napishtim shall dwell afar off, at the mouth of the rivers."
205"And they took me away to a place afar off, and made me to dwell at the mouth of the rivers."
a-bu-bi), [12
First Speech of Ea to Uta-Napishtim who is sleeping in a reed hut.
Uta-Napishtim's answer to Ea.
Second Speech of Ea.
The Building of the Ship.
Lines 49-54 broken away.
The Loading of the Ship.
The Abubu (Cyclone) and its effects Described.
Ishtar's Lament.
Uta-Napishtim's Story continued.
The Abating of the Storm.
Uta-Napishtim Leaves the Ship.
Speech of Ishtar, Lady of the Gods.
The Anger of Enlil (Bêl).
14
Speech of En-Urta.
Ea deifies Uta-Napishtim and his Wife.
Uta-Napishtim Ends his Story of the Deluge.
Editorial restorations by the translator are in [square brackets]; “…” and italic notes mark where the tablet is broken. Bracketed scene-headings are the translator's, not part of the text.