Early Israel and the Surrounding Nations Part 21

13. O man of Surippak, son of Ubara-Tutu,

14. frame the house, build a s.h.i.+p: leave what thou canst; seek life!

15. Resign (thy) goods, and cause thy soul to live,

16. and bring all the seed of life into the midst of the s.h.i.+p.

17. As for the s.h.i.+p which thou shalt build,

18. ... cubits shall be in measurement its length;

19. and ... cubits the extent of its breadth and its height.

20. Into the deep [then] launch it.'

21. I understood and spake to Ea my lord:

22. 'As for the building of the s.h.i.+p, O my lord, which thou hast ordered thus,

23. I will observe and accomplish it.

24. [But what] shall I answer the city, the people and the old men?'

25. [Ea opened his mouth and] says, he speaks to his servant, even to me:

26. ['If they question thee] thou shalt say unto them:

27. Since (?) Bel is estranged from me and

28. I will not dwell in your city, I will not lay my head [in] the land of Bel;

29. but I will descend into the deep; with [Ea] my lord will I dwell.

30. (Bel) will rain fertility on you,

31. [flocks] of birds, shoals of fish.'

_Lines 32 to 42 are lost_.

43. On the fifth day I laid the plan of it (i.e. the s.h.i.+p);

44. in its hull (?) its walls were 10 _gar_ (120 cubits?) high;

45. 10 _gar_ were the size of its upper part.'

Another version of the account of the Deluge, of which a fragment has been preserved, puts a wholly different speech into the mouth of Ea, and gives the hero of the story the name of Adra-Khasis. This fragment is as follows:--

'I will judge him above and below, [But] shut [not thou thy door]

[until] the time that I shall tell thee of.

[Then] enter the s.h.i.+p, and close the door of the vessel.

[Bring into] it thy corn, thy goods, [thy] property, thy [wife], thy slaves, thy handmaids, and the sons of [thy]

people, the [cattle] of the field, the beasts of the field, as many as I appoint ...

I will tell thee of (the time), and the door [of thy s.h.i.+p]

shall preserve them.'

Adra-Khasis opened his mouth and says, he speaks to Ea [his] lord:

'[O my lord,] none has ever made a s.h.i.+p [on this wise]

that it should sail over the land.' ...

Here the fragment is broken off. The other version proceeds thus:--

46. 'I fas.h.i.+oned its side, and closed it in;

47. I built six storeys (?), I divided it into seven parts;

48. its interior I divided into nine parts.

49. I cut worked (?) timber within it.

50. I looked upon the rudder and added what was lacking.

51. I poured 6 _sars_ of pitch over the outside;

52. [I poured] 3 _sars_ of bitumen over the inside;

53. 3 _sars_ of oil did the men carry who brought it ...

54. I gave a _sar_ of oil for the workmen to eat;

55. 2 _sars_ of oil the sailors stored away.

56. For the [workmen?] I slaughtered oxen;

57. I killed [sheep?] daily.

58. Beer, wine, oil and grapes

59. [I distributed among] the people like the waters of a river, and

60. [I kept] a festival like the festival of the new year.

61. ... I dipped my hand [in] oil:

62. [I said to] Samas (the Sun-G.o.d): 'The storeys (?) of the s.h.i.+p are complete;

63. the ... is strong, and

64. the oars (?) I introduced above and below.'