Prophets and Prophecy in the Ancient Near East

~00.Nissinen.indbSBL P res
Editorial Board: edward m. cook daniel fleming
Theo P. J. van den hout martti nissinen
William m. schniedewind emily teeter steve Vinson
number 41 Volume editor Peter machinist
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second edition
c. l. seow, robert K. ritner, and h. craig melchert
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copyright © 2019 by society of Biblical literature
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Printed on acid-free paper.
Translations
1. Mari Letters .............................................................................................13 1. nur-sîn to Zimri-lim (fm 7 39) 17 2. nur-sîn to Zimri-lim (fm 7 38) 21 3. laûm to yasma-addu (fm 6 1) 23 4. an pilum of Šamaš to Zimri-lim (arm 26 194) 24 5. addu-duri to Zimri-lim (arm 26 195) 26 6. Šamaš-nair to Zimri-lim (arm 26 196) 27 7. inib-šina to Zimri-lim (arm 26 197) 28 8. nn to Zimri-lim (arm 26 198) 30 9. sammetar to Zimri-lim (arm 26 199) 31 10. aum to Zimri-lim (arm 26 200) 34 11. Badi-lim to Zimri-lim (arm 26 201) 35 12. Kanisan to Zimri-lim (arm 26 202) 36 13. nn to Zimri-lim (arm 26 203) 37 14. inib-šina to Zimri-lim (arm 26 204) 37SBL P
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15. nn to Zimri-lim (arm 26 205) 38 16. [yaqqim-addu?] to Zimri-lim (arm 26 206) 39 17. Šibtu to Zimri-lim (arm 26 207) 41 18. Šibtu to Zimri-lim (arm 26 208) 44 19. mukannišum to Zimri-lim (arm 26 209) 46 20. Kibri-dagan to Zimri-lim (arm 26 210) 47 21. Šibtu to Zimri-lim (arm 26 211) 48 22. Šibtu to Zimri-lim (arm 26 212) 48 23. Šibtu to Zimri-lim (arm 26 213) 49 24. Šibtu to Zimri-lim (arm 26 214) 50 25. lanasûm to Zimri-lim (arm 26 215) 52 26. tebi-gerišu to Zimri-lim (arm 26 216) 53 27. itur-asdu to Zimri-lim (arm 26 217) 54 28. nn to Zimri-lim (arm 26 218) 55 29. nn to Zimri-lim (arm 26 219) 56 30. Kibri-dagan to Zimri-lim (arm 26 220) 57 31. Kibri-dagan to Zimri-lim (arm 26 221) 58 32. Kibri-dagan to Zimri-lim (arm 26 221bis) 59 33. Ušareš-hetil to dariš-libur (arm 26 222) 61 34. laûm (?) to yasma-addu (?) (arm 26 223) 62 35. addu-duri to Zimri-lim (arm 26 227) 63 36. report of ayala (arm 26 229) 63 37. Zunana to Zimri-lim (arm 26 232) 64 38. itur-asdu to Zimri-lim (arm 26 233) 66 39. Kibri-dagan to Zimri-lim (arm 26 234) 68 40. Kibri-dagan to Zimri-lim (arm 26 235) 69 41. Šibtu to Zimri-lim (arm 26 236) 70 42. addu-duri to Zimri-lim (arm 26 237) 71 43. addu-duri to Zimri-lim (arm 26 238) 73 44. Šimatum to Zimri-lim (arm 26 239) 74 45. timlû to addu-duri (arm 26 240) 75 46. nn to Zimri-lim (arm 26 243) 76 47. yarim-addu to Zimri-lim (arm 26 371) 77 48. yasim-el to Zimri-lim (arm 26 414) 78 49. Zakira-ammû to Zimri-lim (arm 27 32) 80 50. manatan to Zimri-lim (fm 3 152) 81 50a. Three deities to Zimri-lim (arm 26 192) 82 50b. ammi-šagiš to Šu-nura-alu (m. 7160) 83
2. Other Documents from Mari .................................................................85 51. ritual of ištar, text 2 (fm 3 2) 86SBL P
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52. ritual of ištar, text 3 (fm 3 3) 88 53. assignment of a donkey (a. 3796) 89 54. outlay of garment (arm 9 22) 90 55. outlay of garment (arm 21 333) 91 56. outlay of garment (arm 22 167) 92 57. extract from a decree of expenditures (a. 4676) 92 58. outlay of garment (arm 22 326) 93 59. outlay of garment (arm 23 446) 93 60. donation of lances (arm 25 15) 94 61. donation of silver rings (arm 25 142) 94 62. outlay of silver (m. 11436) 95 63. deed of donation (t. 82) 96 64. epic of Zimri-lim (fm 14) 96 65. report of criminal acts (fm 6 45) 97 65a. outlay of garment (m. 18192) 98 65b. outlay of silver (m. 11299) 99
3. Texts from Ešnunna ..............................................................................101 66. oracle of Kititum to ibalpiel (flP 1674) 102 67. oracle of Kititum to ibalpiel (flP 2064) 103 67a. food rations list from nerebtum (oect 13 263) 103
4. Nineveh Oracles ....................................................................................107 68–77. First Collection of Prophecies (SAA 9 1) ................................111 68. issar-la tašiya to esarhaddon (saa 9 1.1) 112 69. sinqiša-amur to esarhaddon (saa 9 1.2) 113 70. remut-allati to esarhaddon (saa 9 1.3) 114 71. Bayâ to esarhaddon (saa 9 1.4) 114 72. ilussa-amur to esarhaddon (saa 9 1.5) 116 73. nn to esarhaddon (saa 9 1.6) 116 74. issar-bel-daini to the Queen mother (saa 9 1.7) 118 75. aat-abiša to the Queen mother (saa 9 1.8) 119 76. nn to esarhaddon (saa 9 1.9) 120 77. la-dagil-ili to esarhaddon (saa 9 1.10) 120 78–83. Second Collection of Prophecies (SAA 9 2) ............................121 78. [nabû]-ussanni to esarhaddon and to the
Queen mother (saa 9 2.1) 122 79. Bayâ to esarhaddon (saa 9 2.2) 122 80. la-dagil-ili to esarhaddon (saa 9 2.3) 123 81. Urkittu-šarrat to esarhaddon (saa 9 2.4) 125 82. [sinqiša-amur] to esarhaddon (saa 9 2.5) 126
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83. nn to esarhaddon (saa 9 2.6) 128 84–88. Third Collection of Prophecies (SAA 9 3) ...............................128 84. introduction (saa 9 3.1) 129 85. oracle to esarhaddon (saa 9 3.2) 130 86. oracle to esarhaddon (saa 9 3.3) 131 87. meal of the covenant (saa 9 3.4) 132 88. oracle to esarhaddon (saa 9 3.5) 133 89. fragment of a collection of Prophecies (saa 9 4) 135 90. nn to the Queen mother (saa 9 5) 136 91. tašmetu-ereš to esarhaddon (saa 9 6) 137 92. mullissu-kabtat to assurbanipal (saa 9 7) 137 93. nn to assurbanipal (saa 9 8) 140 94. dunnaša-amur to assurbanipal (saa 9 9) 141 95. dunnaša-amur to assurbanipal (?) (saa 9 10) 143 96. nn to assurbanipal (saa 9 11) 143
5. Other Neo-Assyrian Documents .........................................................145 97. esarhaddon’s rise to Power (rinaP 4 1) 149 98. esarhaddon’s ascending the Throne (rinaP 4 57) 155 99. assurbanipal’s establishment of the cult of the lady
of Kidmuri (rinaP 5 asb 10) 156 100. assurbanipal’s mannean War (rinaP 5 asb 11) 157 101. assurbanipal’s War against teumman, King of elam
(rinaP 5 asb 3) 158 102. succession treaty of esarhaddon (saa 2 6) 163 103. marduk ordeal (saa 3 34/35) 164 104. list of lodgings for officials (saa 7 9) 164 105. Bel-ušezib to esarhaddon (saa 10 109) 165 106. Bel-ušezib to esarhaddon (saa 10 111) 168 107. nabû-nadin-šumi to esarhaddon (saa 10 284) 170 108. Urad-gula to assurbanipal (saa 10 294) 171 109. mar-issar to esarhaddon (saa 10 352) 176 110. decree of expenditures for ceremonies in in the
aššur temple in assur (saa 12 69) 179 111. adad-au-iddina to esarhaddon (saa 13 37) 180 112. aššur-amatu’a to assurbanipal (saa 13 139) 181 113. nabû-reši-išši to esarhaddon (?) (saa 13 144) 182 114. nn to esarhaddon (?) (saa 13 148) 182 115. nabû-retu-uur to esarhaddon (saa 16 59) 183 116. nabû-retu-uur to esarhaddon (saa 16 60) 185 117. nabû-retu-uur to esarhaddon (saa 16 61) 187SBL P
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118. ritual of ištar and dumuzi (K 2001+) 188 118a. dialogue between assurbanipal and nabû (saa 3 13) 190 118b. Prayer to nabû (PSBA 17:138) 193 118c. outlay of copper from tušan (Ztt 25) 195 118d. nabû-bel-šumati to assurbanipal (saa 21 109) 195 118e. Three astrologers to assurbanipal (saa 10 24) 197 118f. marduk-šumu-uur to assurbanipal (saa 10 174) 198 118g. Votive inscription of assurbanipal (K 120B+) 200 118h. lament over a King (saa 3 23) 202 118i. extispicy report concerning assurbanipal’s illness
(saa 4 317) 203 118j. extispicy report concerning a Written Plan (saa 4 320) 204
6. Miscellaneous Cuneiform Sources ......................................................207 119. King of Ur to Ur-lisi (tcs 1.369) 209 120. old Babylonian lexical list (msl 12 5.22) 210 121. tušratta of mitanni to amenophis iii of egypt (ea 23) 210 122. The righteous sufferer from Ugarit (Ugaritica 5:162) 212 123. middle assyrian food rations list from Kar-tukulti-
ninurta (Vs 19.1) 214 124. neo-assyrian lexical list (msl 12 4.212) 214 125. neo-assyrian lexical list (msl 12 4.222) 216 126. neo-assyrian lexical list (msl 12 6.2) 216 127. Birth omens (Šumma izbu xi) 218 128. commentary on the Birth omens (K 1913) 218 129. city omens (Šumma lu i) 218 130. neo-Babylonian list of temple offerings (oect 1 20–21) 221 131. neo-Babylonian decree of redemption of an estate
(yos 6 18) 222 132. neo-Babylonian decree of delivery of dates (yos 7 135) 223 133. late Babylonian akitu ritual (RAcc 129–46) 224 134. late Babylonian chronographic text (tishri, 133 Bce)
(AD 3-132 B) 226 135. late Babylonian chronographic text (tishri, 133 Bce)
(AD 3-132 c) 228 135a. old Babylonian Prophecy from Uruk (W19900, 1) 229 135b. old Babylonian Prophecy from Kiš (rime 4.3.7.7) 230 135c. decree of expenditures for ceremonies at larsa (cm 33 1) 233 135d. legal document from dilbat (tcl 1 57) 234 135e. legal document from larsa (tcl 10 34) 235 135f. legal document from Ur (ts 1) 237
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135g. decree of delivery of silver from larsa (tcl 10 39) 238 135h. decree of delivery of oil from sippar (im 50.852) 241 135i. old Babylonian decree of delivery of Beer from
chagar Bazar (chagar Bazar 3 176) 242 135j. decree of delivery of sesame from tuttul (Ktt 306) 242 135k. fragment of a letter from tuttul (Ktt 359) 243 135l. middle assyrian lexical list (erimhuš iii) 244 135m. neo-assyrian lexical list (LTBA 2 1 iii 19–31, vi 41–48) 245 135n. neo-Babylonian lexical list from nippur (oiP 114 122) 246 135o. neo-Babylonian ritual from Uruk (LKU 51) 247 135p. epic of gilgameš, tablet V (sB gilg. V mss h2 and ff) 248 135q. late Babylonian lexical list (SpTU 3 116) 250
7. West Semitic Sources (C. L. Seow) .......................................................251 136. amman citadel inscription 252 137. Zakkur stela 253 138. deir alla Plaster texts 258 139. lachish ostracon 3 263 140. lachish ostracon 6 266 141. lachish ostracon 16 268 141a. a seal from deir rifa (Uc 51354) (martti nissinen) 269
8. Report of Wenamon (Robert K. Ritner) ..............................................271 142. ecstatic episode from The report of Wenamon
(col. 1/34–43) 271
concordances ......................................................................................................279 Bibliography .........................................................................................................283 glossary ................................................................................................................329 indexes ..................................................................................................................337
series editor’s foreword
Writings from the ancient World is designed to provide up-to-date, readable english translations of writings recovered from the ancient near east.
The series is intended to serve the interests of general readers, students, and educators who wish to explore the ancient near eastern roots of Western civilization or to compare these earliest written expressions of human thought and activity with writings from other parts of the world. it should also be useful to scholars in the humanities or social sciences who need clear, reliable translations of ancient near eastern materials for comparative purposes. spe- cialists in particular areas of the ancient near east who need access to texts in the scripts and languages of other areas will also find these translations helpful. given the wide range of materials translated in the series, different volumes will appeal to different interests. however, these translations make available to all readers of english the world’s earliest traditions as well as valu- able sources of information on daily life, history, religion, and the like in the preclassical world.
covering the period from the invention of writing (by 3000 Bce) down to the conquests of alexander the great (ca. 330 Bce), the ancient near east comprised northeast africa and southwest asia. The cultures represented within these limits include especially egyptian, sumerian, Bab- ylonian, assyrian, hittite, Ugaritic, aramean, Phoenician, and israelite. it is hoped that Writings from the ancient World will eventually produce trans- lations of most of the many different genres attested in these cultures: letters (official and private), myths, diplomatic documents, hymns, law collections, monumental inscriptions, tales, and administrative records, to mention but a few.
The society of Biblical literature provided significant funding for the Writings from the ancient World series. in addition, authors have benefited from working in research collections in their respective institutions and beyond. Were it not for such support, the arduous tasks of preparation, trans- lation, editing, and publication could not have been accomplished or even undertaken. it is the hope of all who have worked on these texts or supported
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this work that Writings from the ancient World will open up new horizons and deepen the humanity of all who read these volumes.
Theodore J. lewis The Johns hopkins University
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abbreviations
4 r rawlinson, h. c. The Cuneiform Inscriptions of Western Asia. Vol 4. london: trustees of the British museum, 1875.
4 r2 rawlinson, h. c. The Cuneiform Inscriptions of West- ern Asia. Vol 4. 2nd ed. london: trustees of the British museum, 1891.
5 r rawlinson, h. c. The Cuneiform Inscriptions of Western Asia. Vol 5. london: trustees of the British museum, 1909.
a. tablet signature of texts from mari aasf annales academiae scientiarum fennicae ABD freedman, david noel, ed. Anchor Bible Dictionary. 6 vols.
new york: doubleday, 1992. aBg arbeiten zur Bibel und ihrer geschichte ABL harper, robert f., ed. Assyrian and Babylonian Letters
Belonging to the Kouyunjik Collections of the British Museum. edited by 14 vols. chicago: University of chicago Press, 1892–1914.
ABRT craig, James a. Assyrian and Babylonian Religious Texts. 2 vols. leipzig: hinrichs, 1895–1897.
aBs archaeology and Biblical studies AD sachs, abraham J., and hermann hunger. Astronomi-
cal Diaries and Related Texts from Babylonia. Vols. 1–3. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen akademie der Wissen- schaften, 1988–1996.
ADD Johns, c. h. W. Assyrian Deeds and Documents. 4 vols. cambridge: deighton, Bell, 1898–1923.
adog abhandlungen der deutschen orient-gesellschaft adPV abhandlungen des deutschen Palästina-Vereins AfO Archiv für Orientforschung afoB archiv für orientforschung: Beiheft AHw soden, Wolfram von. Akkadisches Handwörterbuch. 3 vols.
Wiesbaden: harrassowitz, 1959–1981.
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ail ancient israel and its literature AJSL American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures anBib analecta Biblica anem ancient near east monographs/monografías sobre el anti-
guo cercano oriente ANES Ancient Near Eastern Studies ANET Pritchard, James B., ed. Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating
to the Old Testament. 3rd ed. Princeton: Princeton Univer- sity Press, 1969.
ao museum siglum of the louvre (antiquités orientales) aoat alter orient und altes testament AoF Altorientalische Forschungen aos american oriental series aotU altorientalische texte und Untersuchungen arm archives royales de mari asb assurbanipal ash collection of the ashmolean museum, oxford ASJ Acta Sumerologica (Japan) ass prefix of excavation numbers from the german excavations
at assur AThR Anglican Theological Review auorsup aula orientalis supplement AUSS Andrews University Seminary Studies BA Biblical Archaeologist BAR Biblical Archaeology Review BASOR Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research BB Bezold, carl, and e. a. Wallis Budge. The Tell el-Amarna
Tablets in the British Museum. london: British museum, 1892.
BCSMS Bulletin of the Canadian Society for Mesopotamian Studies Be tablets in the collections of the staatliche museen, Berlin BeataJ Beiträge zur erforschung des alten testaments und des
antiken Judentum Bevt Beiträge zur evangelischen Theologie Bht Beiträge zur historischen Theologie Bib Biblica BIWA Borger, rykle. Beiträge zum Inschriftenwerk Assurbanipals.
Wiesbaden: harrassowitz, 1996. BJs Brown Judaic studies BKat Biblischer Kommentar, altes testament BlmJ museum siglum of the Bible lands museum, JerusalemSBL P
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Bm tablets in the collections of the British museum BN Biblische Notizen BO Bibliotheca Orientalis BTB Biblical Theology Bulletin Bu tablets in the collections of the British museum BWant Beiträge zur Wissenschaft vom alten (und neuen) testa-
ment BWL lambert, Wilfred george. Babylonian Wisdom Literature.
oxford: clarendon, 1963. BzA Beiträge zur Assyriologie BZaW Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissen-
schaft CAD The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the Uni-
versity of Chicago. 21 vols. chicago: The oriental institute of the University of chicago, 1956–2006.
CAH Cambridge Ancient History cB chagar Bazar cBet contributions to Biblical exegesis and Theology CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly CDA Black, Jeremy, ed. A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian. Wies-
baden: harrassowitz, 2012. cdli cuneiform digital library initiative chane culture and history of the ancient near east cm cuneiform monographs conBot coniectanea Biblica: old testament series COS hallo, William W., and K. lawson younger Jr., eds. The Con-
text of Scripture. 4 vols. leiden: Brill, 1997–2016. CRAI Comptes rendus de l’Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres crrai comptes rendus de la rencontre assyriologique internatio-
nale ct cuneiform texts from Babylonian tablets in the British
museum DBSup Pirot, lous, and andré robert, eds. Dictionnaire de la Bible:
Supplément. Paris: letouzey & ané, 1928–. dcls deuterocanonical and cognate literature studies dmoa documenta et monumenta orientis antiqui dt tablets in the collections of the British museum ea el-amarna tablets ErIsr Eretz-Israel EVO Egitto e Vicino Oriente EvT Evangelische TheologieSBL P
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fat forschungen zum alten testament flP tablets in the collections of the free library of Pennsylvania fm florilegium marianum frlant forschungen zur religion und literatur des alten und
neuen testaments hdo handbuch der orientalistik hsm harvard semitic monographs HTR Harvard Theological Review HUCA Hebrew Union College Annual IDBSup crim, Keith, ed. Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible: Supple-
mentary Volume. nashville: abingdon, 1976. im tablets in the collections of the iraq museum JANER Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions JANESCU Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society of Columbia Uni-
versity JAOS Journal of the American Oriental Society JARG Jahrbuch für Anthropologie und Religionsgeschichte JBL Journal of Biblical Literature JCS Journal of Cuneiform Studies JEOL Jaarbericht van het Vooraziatisch-Egyptisch Gezelschap
(Genootschap) Ex oriente lux JNES Journal of Near Eastern Studies JNSL Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages JSOT Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Jsotsup Journal for the study of the old testament supplement
series JSS Journal of Semitic Studies K tablets in the collections of the British museum KAR ebeling, erich. Keilschrifttexte aus Assur religiösen Inhalts. 2
vols. leipzig: hinrichs, 1919–1923. Ktt Krebernik, manfred. Tall Bi‘a-Tuttul II: Die altorientalischen
Schriftfunde. saarbrücken: sdV, 2001. LÄ helck, Wolfgang, eberhard otto, and Wolfhart Westendorf,
eds. Lexikon der Ägyptologie. Wiesbaden: harrassowitz, 1972.
laPo littératures anciennes du Proche-orient LAS Parpola, simo. Letters from Assyrian Scholars to the Kings
Esarhaddon and Assurbanipal. 2 vols. Kevelaer: Butzon & Bercker; neukirchen-Vluyn: neukirchener Verlag, 1970– 1983.
lhBots The library of hebrew Bible/old testament studiesSBL P res
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LKU falkenstein, adam. Literarische Keilschrifttexte aus Uruk. Berlin: Vorderasiatische abteilung der staatlichen museen, 1931.
LTBA matouš, lubor, and Wolfram von soden. Die lexikalischen Tafelserien der Babylonier und Assyrer. 2 vols. Berlin: staatli- che museen zu Berlin, Vorderasiatische abteilung, 1933.
lsts The library of second temple studies m. tablet signature of texts from mari maog mitteilungen der altorientalischen gesellschaft MARI Mari: Annales de recherches interdisciplinaires MdB Le Monde de la Bible MIOF Mitteilungen des Instituts für Orientforschung ms(s) manuscript(s) msl materialien zum sumerischen lexikon/materials for the
sumerian lexikon mVag mitteilungen der Vorderasiatisch-ägyptischen gesellschaft NABU Nouvelles assyriologiques brèves et utilitaires NARGD Postgate, J. n. Neo-Assyrian Royal Grants and Decrees.
rome: Pontificial Biblical institute, 1969. NBL Neues Bibel-Lexikon nd tablet signature of texts from nimrud oac orientis antiqui collectio oBo orbis Biblicus et orientalis OBRT dalley, stephanie, c. B. f. Walker, and J. d. hawkins. The
Old Babylonian Tablets from Tell al Rimah. hertford: British school of archaeology in iraq, 1976.
oect oxford editions of cuneiform inscriptions oiP oriental institute Publications ola orientalia lovaniensia analecta Or Orientalia (ns) PEQ Palestine…