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Letter from Šulgi to Išbi-Erra about the purchase of grain (Q000554)
Literary, Old Babylonian, Susa · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE
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| Designation | Letter from Šulgi to Išbi-Erra about the purchase of grain |
|---|---|
| ID | Q000554 |
| Language | Sumerian; Akkadian |
| Period | Old Babylonian · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE |
| Genre | Literary |
| Find spot | Susa |
| Coordinates | 32.1895, 48.2569 |
Transliteration (ATF)
From Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus (ORACC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (ORACC default); per-file JSON license fields say: This data is released under the CC0 license (133618)
Machine draft. The right-hand column is machine English from ixmon/atf-to-english (atf-en-t5base-F, 2026-10-17), generated line by line from the transliteration. It is unreviewed and is not a scholarly translation.
| Line | ATF | Machine English (draft) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | {m}iš-bi₂-{d}er₃-ra-a₂-ra mu-un-ne-du | I built for Išbi-Erra. |
| 2 | šul-gi lu₂-gal-zu₂ na-ap-pa-a | Šulgi, your king is a fox |
| 3 | inim me-e-ga-na u₂-ud-ki-im me-e-hu-lu a-na a-wa-at ta-aš-pu-ra da-an-ni-iš ah-du | (Sum) The word that you have spoken to me is a storm wind, a rainstorm. (Akk) To the word which you have written, I am frightened. |
| 4 | e-me-du di-ik-ki-nam mi-in-na na-ar-ra a-ba ma-an-šu IR₃ ša₃ ki-ma ka-ta ta-ak-lu ia-a-ši₂ ma-an-nu i-na-an-di-na | (Sum) He is a judge, why is there sobbing? (Akk) Who is this judge, who is like you? Who will give it to me? |
| 5 | a-am-ga lu-ga-al-be šu zi-im ga-ra a-ba ab-tu-ku-e-še le-e-a ša₃ a-na be-li-šu šu-ud-mu-qu₂ ma-an-nu i-šu-uš | (Sum) I want to utter an arazu prayer to my lord (Akk) May I utter a prayer to him (var.) The hand of the true and perfect one, who can know of it? |
| 6 | ne-e-še niŋ₂ a-na mu-ši-iq-qa-an-gu i-na-an-na mi-im-ma ša ta-aš-pu-ra | Now, whatever you wrote |
| 7 | ŋiš-ki-im li-ig-in-ne u₂-gu-zi-eš-še me-e-ra-am-gi u₃-ul e-gi ŠE₃ EDIN-ka aṭ-ṭa₂-ar-da | “Let your lips be bound, let them be bound to you, I will not return to you in the steppe! |
| 8 | ba-ba-tu pi-ša₃-ad-ba-ar-ra at-ta-at-ta e-eg-la-am-gu ŠE₃ ba-ba-ti ša₃-an-da-ba-ak-ki | (Sum) You are the one who smite(?) the enemy (Akk) You (are) the one that destroys the enemy |
| 9 | li-be-ra ad ki-ki ad ki-ki mu-un-da-a la-be-ra mu-un-ta-al-ka ša₃ mi-it-lu-u₂-ka i-du-u₂ | (Sum) May he go, the father of the netherworld will go with you (Akk) May your father who goes with you go, he who goes behind you will know your guilt |
| 10 | un ge-eš-tu kub-babbar₂ un ge-eš-tu ku-us-ke-eš še mu-ra-ad-ka ne-er GU₂.UN MA.NA KUG.BABBAR 60 GU₂.UN MA.NA KUG.SIG₁₇ uš-te-bi-la-ak-ku | I have sent you one talent of silver (and) sixty talents of gold. |
| 11 | mu mu-nu-ut-ku we-egir mi-na-an-gu šu mu-un-te-em-ga im-ma-ši-im-gi aš-šu mu-nu-ut-ke-e ša₃ eger um-ma-ni-ia il-qa-am-ma it-ta-al-ka-ak-ku | (Sum) The name of the woman is “You are the one who has sex with me!’ (Akk) She is the one that has spoken with me, she is the man who has sexual relations with me— (She) took the name of my lady and made it known to me. |
| 12 | u₂-mu-uš eri-na-ak-ke u₂-gu-uz-ze-eš-še me-e-ra-am-gi ṭe₄-mi um-ma-ni-ia ŠE₃ ṣe₂-ri-ka tu-ur₂-ku | (Sum) The lord of the Erinak temple, the one who provides for them (Akk) The hero of Erinakk is a hero, the hero is my hero Return to your place |
| 13 | e-ne-er-ra šu-mu-un-na ni-ig-na-ma-an-ne ak-ka-a a-na ša₃-šu i-di-iš-šu-um-ma ša₃ qa-be-šu DIM₂-uš | (Sum) The word of the lord has been spoken to him (Akk) He has spoken to his heart, he has said to him his word |
| 14 | e-ma-ru-uk-ka ša₃-ap-pi hu-un na-an-gi-ga ap-pu-tu ŠA₃-šu la i-ma-ra-aṣ-ku | (Sum) The šapputu-demon will not return to you(?) (Akk) The sapputu of the ḫungig priestess is not to be returned to you His hand will not be cut off |
| 15 | u₂ za-e ku₃-ud-ki kub-babbar₂ zu-un-ne-et-ta šu-u₂ zi-ba-ab u₃ at-ta |KUG.BABBAR| u₃ |KUG.SIG₁₇| ša₃ ŠU-šu le-qe₂-ma | And you, your silver (and) the silver that you weighed out, and you, silver and gold, take it from him and |
| 16 | ganba-zu₂ e-da-da-be e ša₃-a-ša₃-a-ma-an-ne |KI.LAM|-at |I₃.ŊAL₂|-šu-u₂ ŠE-am ši₂-ta-a₂-a-ma | When you go to your market place, he will measure out the price of his oil. |
| 17 | šu du-uz-zu ni-ig-nam na-an-nu-le TA ŠU-ka li-ib-qur-ma mi-im-ma la ta-ar-ru-ur₂ | May the hand of your good deeds never cease, so that nothing is to be forgotten. |
| 18 | u₂-da-da dumu{mu} ša₃-az zu-ga-am-gu-u₂ de-mi-in uš-tu UD-mi an-ni-i DUMU-rum mu-ṭi₃-ib li-ib-bi-ia at-ta | (Sum) I am the šazzugamgû-priestess, you are the son-in-law of Enlil (Akk) You are the one-of-the-throne-princess, the one who makes the heart of my son rejoice |
| 19 | iri du kur mar-du e₂-nam du-a-be mu-ra-ga me-e-ek-ki-na mi-du-gu-ut-ta ŠE₃ IGI a-mur-ri-i u₃ NIM-ti ka-li-šu GAR-na-a-ti ki-ma ia-a-ti KU-ib | (Sum) The city that is built, the land that is ruined (Akk) The one who builds a temple, the one who makes a dwelling suitable for you (var.) (The one who) has been seized by a curse before Amurru and the netherworld, all of them are placed (there) like me |
| 20 | ku-uz-zi barag ku-uz-zi igi{gi}-ne-en-ne-eš-še tu-uš-ša AH BI IR TA ku-us-si₂ BARAG |KUG.SIG₁₇| ŠE₃ IGI-šu-nu KU-ma | The kuzzi priestess, the dais, and the kuzi priestesses sat before him. ... from the kussu. The dais of gold was removed. He looked at them and |
| 21 | za-na lu-u₂-ki-im-ga-ne-en-ne he-li-ib-za-za-an-ne ŠE₃ ka-šu |DUMU.MEŠ| ši-ip-ri-šu-nu li-iš-ke-nu-ni-ik-ku | May they set him free. May they stand by him. Hand of the kašu-demon, may they make their work clear to you. |
| 22 | du-ru-be-šu uz-zu hu-ur-mi ni-ig na-me na-an-tu-uk-ku e-li-šu-nu u₂-te-el-li mi-im-ma la te-ne-eʾ₂-a | (Sum) His limbs are swollen, no one is able to escape (Akk) No one can escape his limb(s), no one can approach |
| 23 | im-sik zig₃-ga im-sik ga-ra-a |IM.SIG| |ZI.GA| |IM.SIG| GAR-un | “Raise the hem, raise the hammer’s hem! You set up a mudbrick wall. |
| 24 | saŋ-ŋen ga-ra nu-banda₃ ŋiš-ki-im ku-ra ša₃-ak-ka-na-ak-ka GAR-un |NU.BANDA₃| wu-ud-di | The sa-ben-ga-ra, the overseer of the ša-biš-kīm, (and) the kukkanakku(-priests) are placed. The nu-banda priest is a young man. |
| 25 | lu-u₂ na-an-ga lu-u₂ uk-ka igi{gi} lu-u₂ uk-ka hu-la-a be-el an-ni a-šu-ur₂ uz-ni LU₂ gu-ul-li-il | “Be it a nanga-demon, be it an eye-witness, may it be a eyewitness! The lord of heaven, the scepter of the man, may he carry (him) off! |
| 26 | u₂-ku-uš i-gi du-uq-qa im-ma-an-sag₁₀-qa re-e-da-a ša₃ TA IGI-ka id-dam-qu₂-ma | (Sum) The ukû-demon looked at the reed-bed, it was covered with a cloud (Akk) It was covered in a storm, the head was covered from your presence |
| 27 | e₂ nam-šul-zu e-ne-er-ra du-mu-un-na šu-um ŋar-zu ma-ha E₂-ti eṭ-lu-ti ŠE₃ ša₃-šu DIM₂-ma gi-mil-la-ka li-ti-ir | (Sum) The house of your leadership, the word of the lord (Akk) The temple of your dominion, a word of your princely majesty (var.) The hand of your nobleman, the sanctuaries of the temples, may it be restored to its former condition |
| 28 | ne-e-še niŋ₂-ga-na mu-ši-iq-qa-an-gu i-na-an-na mi-im-ma ša₃ ta-aš-pu-ra | Now what have you written to me? |
| 29 | e-ma-ru-uk ka-az-zu na-ap-pa-le-e ap-pu-tu pi-ka la te-en-na-a | (Sum) I am the one who sees the eye of the enemy (Akk) I see the eye(s), the eye (of the enemy) is a flash of light, your mouth cannot be opened |
Sources & licences
- Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus (ORACC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (ORACC default); per-file JSON license fields say: This data is released under the CC0 license (133618) · ORACC project editions, https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ ; cite the individual project (see texts.extra_json.project)
Cite the original edition and translator. Page generated by Unread Atlas from the public corpus export of 2026-10-18.