Unread Atlas
Letter from Lugal-nesaĝe to Enlil-massu (Q000581)
Literary, Old Babylonian, Nippur · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE
Open in the reader & map →See it among all tablets
| Designation | Letter from Lugal-nesaĝe to Enlil-massu |
|---|---|
| ID | Q000581 |
| 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) |
|---|---|---|
| {d}en-lil₂-mas-su dimma ad gi₄ sag₉ ka lal₃ inim gun₃-gun₃-ra u₃-na-a-dug₄ za | Enlilmassu, a beautiful statuette, adorned with honey and speckled words, is your servant. | |
| 2 | dumu diŋir-ra-ni-ir gub-ba a-a ama-ni ni₂ teŋ₃-ŋe₂₆-e-ra | Stand by him, son of his dibir priestess, father, his mother! |
| 3 | u₃-na-de₃-tah | he shall remove for him. |
| 4 | {a-la-ad}{d}alad {d}lamma diŋir kal-la-ŋu₁₀ ša i-di ulutim₂ alan zil₂-zil₂-i | Alad, lamma, dibir, kalla-bu, who the river bank, the statue of zilzil |
| 5 | me-te nam-dub-sar-ra | suitable for the scribal art, |
| ur-saŋ šag₄-tam-e-ne he₂-du₇ e₂-gal-la a₂ aŋ₂ ki-bi gi₄ ur-saŋ šag₄-tam-e-ne a₂ aŋ₂-ŋa₂ ki-bi-še₃ he₂-du₇ e₂-gal-la ur-saŋ šag₄-tam-ne a₂ aŋ₂-ŋa₂ ki-bi he₂-du₇ e₂-gal-la ur-saŋ šag₄-tam-e-ne a₂ aŋ₂-ŋa₂ ki-ba-e | The hero of the šagtam-priests is perfect. In the palace, the labor and the wages return. The sherds are perfect. The labor and [the wages] return to their (own) place. In [the palace], the herdsmen are excellent. The labour and the wage return to its place. | |
| šag₄ lugal-la-na dug₃-dug₃-ge-ra u₃-na-de₃-peš u₃-na-de₃-tah | In order to make the king's heart happy, I want to make him tremble | |
| 8 | {m}lugal-nesaŋ-e nu-eš₃ {d}en-lil₂-la₂ lu₂ zu₂ li₉ lugal-la | Lugal-nesa, the nu'eš priest of Enlil, the man who the king's teeth |
| dumu {d}en-lil₂-al-sag₉ um-mi-a nibru{ki}-a ad-da-zu na-ab-be₂-a zu-zu | The son of Enlil-alsag, the mother of Nippur, your father should know (this). | |
| ud X uru₁₆-na-zu ba-hu-hu-bu-uš-en DA NA-ŋu₁₀ NI KID₂ NA-ŋu₁₀ | (Sum) When you rise up ... (Akk) When your sunrise/sunset is bright ... | |
| šag₄-ŋu₁₀ mu-da-šub im-ta-qu₂-ut enmen₂ šaŋar-ŋu₁₀ ba-tur šaŋar enmen₂-ŋu₁₀ | (Sum) The šagbû-demon stood with him, he fell (Akk) He fell into the tavern, the treasury was reduced to the threshing floor | |
| 12 | nam-zu ib₂-gu₇-en i-si-iš-zu ta-az-me-tu-ka ib₂-sig₉-ge-en | (Sum) You eat your fate, (Akk) You make your fate favorable, you make your utterance favorable |
| 13 | mah-zu GIŠ-KU-ka ib₂-sur-re-en | (Sum) Your exalted one will overthrow your ... (Akk) Your supreme one will overwhelm your .... |
| bar saŋ₅-zu ib₂-til-en bar saŋ₅ TA LA-zu ṭu-pu-ul-ka bar šeŋ₃-ŋe₂₆-e-zu | (Sum) You have finished your scribal art, (Akk) Your finished barley art is finished, your completed barley arts are completed from your excess, | |
| lib bar ak-ŋu₁₀-ta šu ba-dag lib bar ki-ŋu₁₀-ta IM bar ak-ŋu₁₀-ta šu bi-dag ab-tu-uq | (Sum) The heart of Akkad is trembling, the heart of the earth is shaking, the wind is shaking (Akk) The liver of Akkid is shaking and the hand is shaking | |
| ŋeštug₂ šag₄-ŋu₁₀-ta lul ba-ŋar ŋeštug₂ šag₄ tuku-tuku | The one who wears a cloak from a dark place, the one who possesses a protective spirit | |
| 17 | ni₂ te-te-ŋu₁₀-ta šag₄-ŋu₁₀ uš₂ lugud ba-si | (Sum) Fearing(?) the fearsome one, (Akk) Fearful one, awe-inspiring one, full of brilliance |
| 18 | en₃ tar-tar-re-de₃ zi ba-ir | to inquire about it faithfully, |
| 17A | ni₂ te-te-ŋu₁₀-ne šag₄-ŋu₁₀ uš₂ lugud₂-lugud₂ X x | (Sum) The fearsome one, the one who screams (Akk) Fearful one, terrifying one, ... |
| 18A | en₃ tar-tar-de₃ zi ba-ir a-ša-X-X | (Sum) The one who inquires after you, the true one ... (Akk) The true one, ... |
| 17B | en₃ tar-tar-re-de₃ zi ba-ir | to inquire about it faithfully, |
| 18B | ni₂ teŋ₃-teŋ₃-ŋe₂₆-de₃ šag₄-ŋu₁₀ uš₂ lugud ab-si | (Sum) In order to calm down the fearsome one, he sat down (Akk) To calm the fearful one, I sit down |
| ki nam tar-ra-še₃ nu-ub-da-ŋen-na-aš nu-ub-da-ŊA₂ la aš-X-x | The place where fates are to be decided does not exist, does not ... | |
| dug₄-ga {d}en-lil₂-la₂-ta muš₃-me-zu he₂-bi₂-ib₂-du₈ igi | By means of the good deeds of Enlil may he see your face. |
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.