Unread Atlas
Letter from Ibbi-Suen to Puzur-Šulgi hoping for Išbi-Erra's downfall (Q000560)
Literary, Old Babylonian, Nippur · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE
Open in the reader & map →See it among all tablets
| Designation | Letter from Ibbi-Suen to Puzur-Šulgi hoping for Išbi-Erra's downfall |
|---|---|
| ID | Q000560 |
| Language | Sumerian |
| Period | Old Babylonian · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE |
| Genre | Literary |
| Find spot | Nippur |
| Coordinates | 32.1271, 45.2300 |
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) |
|---|---|---|
| puzur₄-{d}šul-gi ensi₂ ka-zal-lu{ki} puzur₄-{d}nu-muš-da | Puzur-Šulgi governor of Kazallu Puzri-Numušda | |
| Ver.1, | ||
| 2 | u₃-na-a-dug₄ | he did praise for him. |
| 3 | {d}i-bi₂-{d}suen lugal-zu na-ab-be₂-a | Ibbi-Suen, your king, should not say: |
| 4 | X X erin₂-ta mu-ra-suh-a-gin₇-nam ensi₂ ka-zal-lu{ki}-še₃ mu-ra-ŋal₂ | Like a ... from among the troops, he carried it off for you as governor of Kazallu. |
| ŋe₂₆-e-gin₇-nam erin₂-zu dugud-da-zu in-nu-u₃ uŋ₃-zu | Like you, your labor-troops are stretched out, your ... | |
| 6 | a-na-aš-am₃ x-gin₇ lu₂ mu-e-ši-in-gi₄ | Why does someone turn away like ...? |
| 7 | {m}iš-bi-{d}er₃-ra | Ibbi-Erra, |
| 8 | ugu-ŋu₁₀-še₃ igi-ni im-ma-ši-in-ŋar | he looked at him. |
| 9 | u₃ ŋe₂₆-e u₃-mu-un-šub ga-am₃-ŋen | And I want to say “Umunšub!" |
| 10 | en-na iš-bi-{d}er₃-ra kur-re bi₂-in-gi₄-a a-gin₇ nu-e-zu | As long as Išbi-Erra has returned to the netherworld, how do you know it? |
| 11 | za-e gir-bu-bu ensi₂ GIR₂-kal{ki}-ke₄ | You, Girbubu, governor of Šep-kal |
| 12 | a-na-aš-am₃ erin₂ šu-zu-še₃ i₃-ŋal₂-la igi-ni-še₃ la-ba-an-sug₂-ge-za-na | Why do you not stand in front of your own troops who have been carried off? |
| 13 | X ki-bi gi₄-gi₄-da | ... to be restored |
| 14 | a-gin₇ mi-ni-ib-šum₂-za-na | How are you treated? |
| 15 | ud-da {d}en-lil₂-le ki-en-gi hul mu-un-gi₄ | At that time, Enlil returned Sumer to ruin. |
| {ugu₂}ugu₄-bi kur-bi-ta ed₃-de₃ ed₂-de₃ | Its young ones, out of their mountains, are to be slain, to be lain. | |
| 17 | nam-sipad kalam-ma-še₃ mu-x-il₂ | He raised the shepherdship of the Land |
| i₃-ne-eš₂ {d}en-lil₂-le lu₂-IM sa₁₀-sa₁₀ nu-luh-ha{sar} sag₉-sag₉ | Now, Enlil, the seller of the nuḫaḫa plant, is beautiful. | |
| 18a | a-da-lam {d}en-lil₂-la₂ nu-luh-ha{sar} sa₁₀-sa₁₀-de₃ lu₂-IM niŋin₂ x | The adalam offerings of Enlil, the nuḫha offerings, to buy, a ... man |
| 19 | {m}iš-bi-er₃-ra numun ki-en-gi-ra nu-me-a nam-lugal-la mu-na-an-šum₂ | Išbi-Erra, the seed of Sumer, was not worthy of kingship, |
| 20 | ga-nam pu-uh₂-rum ki diŋir-re-e-ne ki-en-gi sag₂ ba-ab-dug₄ | “It is indeed a flood, the place of the intertwined people, Sumer was struck down. |
| 21 | a-a {d}en-lil₂ dug₄-ga-dug₄-ga-ni dib-be₂-da-aš | Father Enlil, when he speaks kindly |
| 22 | en-na urim₅{ki}-ma lu₂-erim₂-ša mu-un-ri-a | until the enemy came to Urim |
| 23 | iš-bi-{d}er₃-ra lu₂ ma₂-ri₂{ki}-ke₄ suhuš-bi ba-bur₁₂-re | Išbi-Erra, the man of Mari, has stripped away its foundation |
| 24 | ki-en-gi he₂-aŋ₂-e ur₅-gin₇-nam bi₂-in-dug₄ | May Sumer be praised like a dog! |
| 25 | u₃ tukum-bi ensi₂ |URU×A| dili-dili i₃-ŋar-ŋar-re-en-ze₂-en | And if the governor of the inner city is alone, we shall go together. |
| 26 | inim {d}en-lil₂-la₂-ta iš-bi-er₃-ra i₃-bal-e-eš-a | By the command of Enlil they have turned back |
| 27 | {lu₂}tab-zu-gin₇ iri erim₂-ra ba-šum₂-mu-na-ta | Since your rival has been brought into the city of the enemy |
| u₃ za-e arad gen₆-na še-ni-gin₇ iš-bi-er₃-ra nu-mu-un-zu-a iš-bi-er₃-ra mu-un-zu | And you, like a good slave who does not know a šbi-erra, he knows a sissot. | |
| 29 | i₃-ne-eš₂ inim dug₃-ga gi₄-gi₄-de₃ | Now, to answer me with a good word |
| 30 | lul du₈-du₈-u₃-da he₂-ni-ib-tum₂-tum₂-mu | They shall bring him to an end the falsehood. |
| 31 | uŋ₃-ba buru₁₄-ba he₂-ak-e-de₃ | in order that the harvests be done, |
| za-e na-an-gur-ru ugu-ŋu₁₀-še₃ nam-ma-ši-du-un na-an-gur₁₀-un | You should not lie down, do not go up to the roof, don’t lie down | |
| 33 | šu-ni iri{ki}-a nam-bi₂-ib-sa₂-sa₂ | his hand should not be placed in the city |
| 34 | lu₂ ma₂-ri₂{ki}-ke₄ ŋalga ur-re nam-en na-an-na-ak-e | The man of Mari, the hero, should not act with lordship |
| i₃-ne-eš₂ mar-tu kur-bi-ta {d}en-lil₂ a₂-tah-ŋu₁₀ im-ma-zig₃ i₃-ne-eš₂ ti-da-nu-um x {d}en-lil₂ kur-bi-ta a₂ x | Now, the Amorite from its mountain Enlil raised the ataḫ-boil. Now, Tidanum ... Enlile from its mountains ... | |
| 36 | elam{ki} ki zag mu-un-tag-ge u₃ {d}iš-bi-er₃-ra mu-un-dab₅-be₂ | Elam struck with the sword, and Išbi-Erra seized it. |
| 37 | kalam ki-bi gi₄-gi₄-de₃ nam-kalag-ga kur-kur-ra he₂-zu-zu | May the land be restored to its place, may it know the mightyness of all the lands. |
| a-ma-ru-kam za-e nam-ba-še-be₂-en nam-ba-e-še-ba-e-de₃-en-ze₂-en | It is an amaru-lament, you should not be there, you must not be here! | |
| Ver.2, | ||
| 1 | x gi₄ | ... returned |
| 3 | x X x X X DU | [......] goes |
| 4 | x X E NE x ba-e-sug₂-ge-de₃-eš | They stood ... |
| 5 | x X kur šu bi₂-gi₄-a a-gin₇ nu-e-zu | ... who restored the land, how do you not know it? |
| 6 | x X GIR₂-kal{ki}-a-ke₄ | of Šep-Kala, |
| 7 | x in-ŋal₂-le-eš igi-ni-še₃ la-ba-an-sug₂-de₃-eš | ... they have carried off, they have not stood before him |
| 8 | x X-da a-gin₇ mi-ni-ib₂-šum₂-mu-za-na | How did he bring you ... |
| 9 | x gi hul ba-an-gig | ... the evil reed was stricken. |
| 10 | x-de₃ | to ... |
| 11 | nam-sipad kalam-ma mu-un-il₂-la | he raised the shepherdship of the land |
| 12 | x nu-ha-ra{sar} | ... nuḫara, |
| 13 | x-me-a nam-lugal-la mu-na-šum₂ | ... he fashioned kingship for him. |
| 14 | x gi sag₂ u₃-bi₂-in-dug₄ | ... the scattered reeds ... |
| 18 | x X x RI | ...; |
| 19 | x bi₂-in-dug₄ | he satisfied. |
| 20 | x X X X X E NE | ... V |
| 21 | x x-X-er₃-ra i₃-bal-e | ... will cross over. |
| 22 | x X x erim₂-še₃ ba-ra-an-šum₂-ma-ta | After the ... had been brought to the enemy |
| 23 | x X x-er₃-ra ni₂-bi mu-un-zu-a | ... who knows by himself. |
| 24 | x-ze₂-me-en | I am ... |
| 25 | x-e-ši-hul | ... destroyed |
| 26 | x-a-kam | of ... |
| 27 | x X-ur₂ illu ba-ni-bal-e | ... the flood carried off. |
| 28 | x X-gi₄-gi₄ | ... return! |
| 29 | x KA ŠU ŋal₂-la-ŋa₂ | Hand of a Bala-man |
| 30 | x ŋeštug₂-ga mu-degₓ(RI) | he sat on the throne |
| 31 | x X X X silim-ma im-ma-an-ŋar | ... he made sound. |
| 32 | x X DA X X BU ba-da-dirig u₃-mu-ni-ak | ... I made great, I made it perfect. |
| 33 | x-be₂-e šu-ŋa₂ ba-ni-in-dab₅-be₂ KA GIŠ BI RA-RA | ... seized ... |
| 34 | x BI KID UD ŠU ed₂-de₃ BA KI ba-nu₂-de₃ | ... to make the hand tremble, to make it lie down on the ground |
| 35 | x X | |
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.