1780 BC
THE CODE OF HAMMURABI
Translated by L. W. King
based on:
ţiElectronically Enhanced Text (c) Copyright 1996, World Library(R)
DAK Upgraded Edition, Copyright 2000, DAK Industries 2000, Inc(R)ţI
THE CODE OF HAMMURABI
-
When Anu the Sublime, King of the Anunaki, and Bel, the lord of
Heaven and earth,
- who decreed the fate of the land, assigned to
Marduk, the over-ruling son of Ea, God of righteousness, dominion over
earthly man, and made him great among the Igigi, they called Babylon
by his illustrious name, made it great on earth, and founded an
everlasting kingdom in it,
whose foundations are laid so solidly as
those of heaven and earth; then Anu and Bel called by name me,
Hammurabi, the exalted prince,
- who feared God, to bring about the rule
of righteousness in the land, to destroy the wicked and the
evil-doers; so that the strong should not harm the weak; so that I
should rule over the black-headed people like Shamash, and enlighten
the land, to further the well-being of mankind.
Hammurabi, the prince, called of Bel am I, making riches and
increase, enriching Nippur and Dur-ilu beyond compare, sublime
patron of E-kur;
- who reestablished Eridu and purified the worship of
E-apsu;
- who conquered the four quarters of the world, made great the
name of Babylon, rejoiced the heart of Marduk, his lord
- who daily pays
his devotions in Saggil; the royal scion
whom Sin made;
- who enriched
Ur; the humble, the reverent,
- who brings wealth to Gish-shir-gal;
the white king, heard of Shamash, the mighty,
- who again laid the
foundations of Sippara;
- who clothed the gravestones of Malkat with
green;
- who made E-babbar great, which is like the heavens, the warrior
- who guarded Larsa and renewed E-babbar, with Shamash as his helper;
the lord
- who granted new life to Uruk,
- who brought plenteous water
to its inhabitants, raised the head of E-anna, and perfected the
beauty of Anu and Nana; shield of the land,
- who reunited the scattered
inhabitants of Isin;
- who richly endowed E-gal-mach; the protecting
king of the city, brother of the god Zamama;
- who firmly founded the
farms of Kish, crowned E-me-te-ursag with glory, redoubled the great
holy treasures of Nana, managed the temple of Harsag-kalama; the grave
of the enemy,
whose help brought about the victory;
- who increased
the power of Cuthah; made all glorious in E-shidlam, the black
steer,
- who gored the enemy; beloved of the god Nebo,
- who rejoiced
the inhabitants of Borsippa, the Sublime;
- who is indefatigable for
E-zida; the divine king of the city; the White, Wise;
- who broadened
the fields of Dilbat,
- who heaped up the harvests for Urash; the
Mighty, the lord to
whom come scepter and crown, with which he clothes
himself; the Elect of Ma-ma;
- who fixed the temple bounds of Kesh,
- who made rich the holy feasts of Nin-tu; the provident, solicitous,
- who provided food and drink for Lagash and Girsu,
- who provided large
sacrificial offerings for the temple of Ningirsu;
- who captured the
enemy, the Elect of the oracle
- who fulfilled the prediction of Hallab,
- who rejoiced the heart of Anunit; the pure prince,
whose prayer is
accepted by Adad;
- who satisfied the heart of Adad, the warrior, in
Karkar,
- who restored the vessels for worship in E-ud-gal-gal; the king
- who granted life to the city of Adab; the guide of E-mach; the
princely king of the city, the irresistible warrior,
- who granted
life to the inhabitants of Mashkanshabri, and brought abundance to the
temple of Shidlam; the White, Potent,
- who penetrated the secret cave
of the bandits, saved the inhabitants of Malka from misfortune, and
fixed their home fast in wealth;
- who established pure sacrificial
gifts for Ea and Dam-gal-nun-na,
- who made his kingdom everlastingly
great; the princely king of the city,
- who subjected the districts on
the Ud-kib-nun-na Canal to the sway of Dagon, his Creator;
who
spared the inhabitants of Mera and Tutul; the sublime prince,
who
makes the face of Ninni shine;
- who presents holy meals to the divinity
of Nin-a-zu,
- who cared for its inhabitants in their need, provided a
portion for them in Babylon in peace; the shepherd of the oppressed
and of the slaves;
whose deeds find favor before Anunit,
who
provided for Anunit in the temple of Dumash in the suburb of Agade;
- who recognizes the right,
- who rules by law;
- who gave back to the
city of Ashur its protecting god;
- who let the name of Ishtar of
Nineveh remain in E-mish-mish; the Sublime,
- who humbles himself before
the great gods; successor of Sumula-il; the mighty son of
Sin-muballit; the royal scion of Eternity; the mighty monarch, the sun
of Babylon,
whose rays shed light over the land of Sumer and Akkad;
the king, obeyed by the four quarters of the world; Beloved of
Ninni, am I.
When Marduk sent me to rule over men, to give the protection of
right to the land, I did right and righteousness in . . . , and
brought about the well-being of the oppressed.
{^paragraph 5}
-
-
CODE OF LAWS
-
1.
If any one ensnare another, putting a ban upon him, but he can
not prove it, then he that ensnared him shall be put to death.
2.
If any one bring an accusation against a man, and the accused go
to the river and leap into the river, if he sink in the river his
accuser shall take possession of his house. But if the river prove
that the accused is not guilty, and he escape unhurt, then he
who
had brought the accusation shall be put to death, while he
who
leaped into the river shall take possession of the house that had
belonged to his accuser.
{^paragraph 10}
3.
If any one bring an accusation of any crime before the elders,
and does not prove what he has charged, he shall, if it be a capital
offense charged, be put to death.
4.
If he satisfy the elders to impose a fine of grain or money,
he shall receive the fine that the action produces.
5.
If a judge try a case, reach a decision, and present his
judgment in writing; if later error shall appear in his decision,
and it be through his own fault, then he shall pay twelve times the
fine set by him in the case, and he shall be publicly removed from the
judge's bench, and never again shall he sit there to render judgement.
6.
If any one steal the property of a temple or of the court, he
shall be put to death, and also the one
- who receives the stolen
thing from him shall be put to death.
7.
If any one buy from the son or the slave of another man, without
witnesses or a contract, silver or gold, a male or female slave, an ox
or a sheep, an ass or anything, or if he take it in charge, he is
considered a thief and shall be put to death.
{^paragraph 15}
8.
If any one steal cattle or sheep, or an ass, or a pig or a goat,
if it belong to a god or to the court, the thief shall pay
thirtyfold therefor; if they belonged to a freed man of the king he
shall pay tenfold; if the thief has nothing with which to pay he shall
be put to death.
9.
If any one lose an article, and find it in the possession of
another: if the person in
whose possession the thing is found say "A
merchant sold it to me, I paid for it before witnesses," and if the
owner of the thing say, "I will bring witnesses
- who know my property,"
then shall the purchaser bring the merchant
- who sold it to him, and
the witnesses before
whom he bought it, and the owner shall bring
witnesses
- who can identify his property. The judge shall examine their
testimony--both of the witnesses before
whom the price was paid, and
of the witnesses
- who identify the lost article on oath. The merchant
is then proved to be a thief and shall be put to death. The owner of
the lost article receives his property, and he
- who bought it
receives the money he paid from the estate of the merchant.
10.
If the purchaser does not bring the merchant and the
witnesses before
whom he bought the article, but its owner bring
witnesses
- who identify it, then the buyer is the thief and shall be
put to death, and the owner receives the lost article.
11.
If the owner do not bring witnesses to identify the lost
article, he is an evil-doer, he has traduced, and shall be put to
death.
12.
If the witnesses be not at hand, then shall the judge set a
limit, at the expiration of six months.
If his witnesses have not
appeared within the six months, he is an evil-doer, and shall bear the
fine of the pending case.
[editor's note: there is no 13th law in the code,
13 being
considered and unlucky and evil number]
{^paragraph 20}
14.
If any one steal the minor son of another, he shall be put to
death.
15.
If any one take a male or female slave of the court, or a
male or female slave of a freed man, outside the city gates, he
shall be put to death.
16.
If any one receive into his house a runaway male or female
slave of the court, or of a freedman, and does not bring it out at the
public proclamation of the major domus, the master of the house
shall be put to death.
17.
If any one find runaway male or female slaves in the open
country and bring them to their masters, the master of the slaves
shall pay him two shekels of silver.
18.
If the slave will not give the name of the master, the finder
shall bring him to the palace; a further investigation must follow,
and the slave shall be returned to his master.
{^paragraph 25}
19.
If he hold the slaves in his house, and they are caught
there, he shall be put to death.
20.
If the slave that he caught run away from him, then shall he
swear to the owners of the slave, and he is free of all blame.
21.
If any one break a hole into a house (break in to steal), he
shall be put to death before that hole and be buried.
22.
If any one is committing a robbery and is caught, then he shall
be put to death.
23.
If the robber is not caught, then shall he
- who was robbed claim
under oath the amount of his loss; then shall the community, and . . .
on
whose ground and territory and in
whose domain it was compensate
him for the goods stolen.
{^paragraph 30}
24.
If persons are stolen, then shall the community and . . . pay
one mina of silver to their relatives.
25.
If fire break out in a house, and some one
- who comes to put
it out cast his eye upon the property of the owner of the house, and
take the property of the master of the house, he shall be thrown
into that self-same fire.
26.
If a chieftain or a man (common soldier),
- who has been
ordered to go upon the king's highway for war does not go, but hires a
mercenary, if he withholds the compensation, then shall this officer
or man be put to death, and he
- who represented him shall take
possession of his house.
27.
If a chieftain or man be caught in the misfortune of the king
(captured in battle), and if his fields and garden be given to another
and he take possession, if he return and reaches his place, his
field and garden shall be returned to him, he shall take it over again.
28.
If a chieftain or a man be caught in the misfortune of a
king, if his son is able to enter into possession, then the field
and garden shall be given to him, he shall take over the fee of his
father.
{^paragraph 35}
29.
If his son is still young, and can not take possession, a third
of the field and garden shall be given to his mother, and she shall
bring him up.
30.
If a chieftain or a man leave his house, garden, and field
and hires it out, and some one else takes possession of his house,
garden, and field and uses it for three years: if the first owner
return and claims his house, garden, and field, it shall not be
given to him, but he
- who has taken possession of it and used it
shall continue to use it.
31.
If he hire it out for one year and then return, the house,
garden, and field shall be given back to him, and he shall take it
over again.
32.
If a chieftain or a man is captured on the "Way of the King"
(in war), and a merchant buy him free, and bring him back to his
place; if he have the means in his house to buy his freedom, he
shall buy himself free: if he have nothing in his house with which
to buy himself free, he shall be bought free by the temple of his
community; if there be nothing in the temple with which to buy him
free, the court shall buy his freedom. His field, garden, and house
shall not be given for the purchase of his freedom.
33.
If a . . . or a . . . enter himself as withdrawn from the
"Way of the King," and send a mercenary as substitute, but withdraw
him, then the . . . or . . . shall be put to death.
{^paragraph 40}
34.
If a . . . or a . . . harm the property of a captain, injure
the captain, or take away from the captain a gift presented to him
by the king, then the . . . or . . . shall be put to death.
35.
If any one buy the cattle or sheep which the king has given
to chieftains from him, he loses his money.
36. The field, garden, and house of a chieftain, of a man, or of
one subject to quit-rent, can not be sold.
37.
If any one buy the field, garden, and house of a chieftain,
man, or one subject to quit-rent, his contract tablet of sale shall be
broken (declared invalid) and he loses his money. The field, garden,
and house return to their owners.
38. A chieftain, man, or one subject to quit-rent can not assign
his tenure of field, house, and garden to his wife or daughter, nor
can he assign it for a debt.
{^paragraph 45}
39. He may, however, assign a field, garden, or house which he
has bought, and holds as property, to his wife or daughter or give
it for debt.
40. He may sell field, garden, and house to a merchant (royal
agents) or to any other public official, the buyer holding field,
house, and garden for its usufruct.
41.
If any one fence in the field, garden, and house of a
chieftain, man, or one subject to quit-rent, furnishing the palings
therefor; if the chieftain, man, or one subject to quit-rent return to
field, garden, and house, the palings which were given to him become
his property.
42.
If any one take over a field to till it, and obtain no
harvest therefrom, it must be proved that he did no work on the field,
and he must deliver grain, just as his neighbor raised, to the owner
of the field.
43.
If he do not till the field, but let it lie fallow, he shall
give grain like his neighbor's to the owner of the field, and the
field which he let lie fallow he must plow and sow and return to its
owner.
{^paragraph 50}
44.
If any one take over a waste-lying field to make it arable, but
is lazy, and does not make it arable, he shall plow the fallow field
in the fourth year, harrow it and till it, and give it back to its
owner, and for each ten gan (a measure of area) ten gur of grain shall
be paid.
45.
If a man rent his field for tillage for a fixed rental, and
receive the rent of his field, but bad weather come and destroy the
harvest, the injury falls upon the tiller of the soil.
46.
If he do not receive a fixed rental for his field, but lets
it on half or third shares of the harvest, the grain on the field
shall be divided proportionately between the tiller and the owner.
47.
If the tiller, because he did not succeed in the first year,
has had the soil tilled by others, the owner may raise no objection;
the field has been cultivated and he receives the harvest according to
agreement.
48.
If any one owe a debt for a loan, and a storm prostrates the
grain, or the harvest fail, or the grain does not grow for lack of
water; in that year he need not give his creditor any grain, he washes
his debt-tablet in water and pays no rent for this year.
{^paragraph 55}
49.
If any one take money from a merchant, and give the merchant
a field tillable for corn or sesame and order him to plant corn or
sesame in the field, and to harvest the crop; if the cultivator
plant corn or sesame in the field, at the harvest the corn or sesame
that is in the field shall belong to the owner of the field and he
shall pay corn as rent, for the money he received from the merchant,
and the livelihood of the cultivator shall he give to the merchant.
50.
If he give a cultivated corn-field or a cultivated
sesame-field, the corn or sesame in the field shall belong to the
owner of the field, and he shall return the money to the merchant as
rent.
51.
If he have no money to repay, then he shall pay in corn or
sesame in place of the money as rent for what he received from the
merchant, according to the royal tariff.
52.
If the cultivator do not plant corn or sesame in the field, the
debtor's contract is not weakened.
53.
If any one be too lazy to keep his dam in proper condition, and
does not so keep it; if then the dam break and all the fields be
flooded, then shall he in
whose dam the break occurred be sold for
money, and the money shall replace the corn which he has caused to
be ruined.
{^paragraph 60}
54.
If he be not able to replace the corn, then he and his
possessions shall be divided among the farmers
whose corn he has
flooded.
55.
If any one open his ditches to water his crop, but is careless,
and the water flood the field of his neighbor, then he shall pay his
neighbor corn for his loss.
56.
If a man let in the water, and the water overflow the
plantation of his neighbor, he shall pay ten gur of corn for every ten
gan of land.
57.
If a shepherd, without the permission of the owner of the
field, and without the knowledge of the owner of the sheep, lets the
sheep into a field to graze, then the owner of the field shall harvest
his crop, and the shepherd,
- who had pastured his flock there without
permission of the owner of the field, shall pay to the owner twenty
gur of corn for every ten gan.
58.
If after the flocks have left the pasture and been shut up in
the common fold at the city gate, any shepherd let them into a field
and they graze there, this shepherd shall take possession of the field
which he has allowed to be grazed on, and at the harvest he must pay
sixty gur of corn for every ten gan.
{^paragraph 65}
59.
If any man, without the knowledge of the owner of a garden,
fell a tree in a garden he shall pay half a mina in money.
60.
If any one give over a field to a gardener, for him to plant it
as a garden, if he work at it, and care for it for four years, in
the fifth year the owner and the gardener shall divide it, the owner
taking his part in charge.
61.
If the gardener has not completed the planting of the field,
leaving one part unused, this shall be assigned to him as his.
62.
If he do not plant the field that was given over to him as a
garden, if it be arable land (for corn or sesame) the gardener shall
pay the owner the produce of the field for the years that he let it
lie fallow, according to the product of neighboring fields, put the
field in arable condition and return it to its owner.
63.
If he transform waste land into arable fields and return it
to its owner, the latter shall pay him for one year ten gur for ten
gan.
{^paragraph 70}
64.
If any one hand over his garden to a gardener to work, the
gardener shall pay to its owner two-thirds of the produce of the
garden, for so long as he has it in possession, and the other third
shall he keep.
65.
If the gardener do not work in the garden and the product
fall off, the gardener shall pay in proportion to other neighboring
gardens.
[Here a portion of the text is missing, apparently comprising
thirty-four paragraphs.]
100. . . . interest for the money, as much as he has received, he
shall give a note therefor, and on the day, when they settle, pay to
the merchant.
101.
If there are no mercantile arrangements in the place whither
he went, he shall leave the entire amount of money which he received
with the broker to give to the merchant.
{^paragraph 75}
102.
If a merchant entrust money to an agent (broker) for some
investment, and the broker suffer a loss in the place to which he
goes, he shall make good the capital to the merchant.
103. If, while on the journey, an enemy take away from him anything
that he had, the broker shall swear by God and be free of obligation.
104.
If a merchant give an agent corn, wool, oil, or any other
goods to transport, the agent shall give a receipt for the amount, and
compensate the merchant therefor. Then he shall obtain a receipt
form the merchant for the money that he gives the merchant.
105.
If the agent is careless, and does not take a receipt for
the money which he gave the merchant, he can not consider the
unreceipted money as his own.
106.
If the agent accept money from the merchant, but have a
quarrel with the merchant (denying the receipt), then shall the
merchant swear before God and witnesses that he has given this money
to the agent, and the agent shall pay him three times the sum.
{^paragraph 80}
107.
If the merchant cheat the agent, in that as the latter has
returned to him all that had been given him, but the merchant denies
the receipt of what had been returned to him, then shall this agent
convict the merchant before God and the judges, and if he still deny
receiving what the agent had given him shall pay six times the sum
to the agent.
108.
If a tavern-keeper (feminine) does not accept corn according
to gross weight in payment of drink, but takes money, and the price of
the drink is less than that of the corn, she shall be convicted and
thrown into the water.
109.
If conspirators meet in the house of a tavern-keeper, and
these conspirators are not captured and delivered to the court, the
tavern-keeper shall be put to death.
110.
If a "sister of a god" open a tavern, or enter a tavern to
drink, then shall this woman be burned to death.
111.
If an inn-keeper furnish sixty ka of usakani-drink to . . .
she shall receive fifty ka of corn at the harvest.
{^paragraph 85}
112.
If any one be on a journey and entrust silver, gold,
precious stones, or any movable property to another, and wish to
recover it from him; if the latter do not bring all of the property to
the appointed place, but appropriate it to his own use, then shall
this man,
- who did not bring the property to hand it over, be
convicted, and he shall pay fivefold for all that had been entrusted
to him.
113.
If any one have consignment of corn or money, and he take from
the granary or box without the knowledge of the owner, then shall he
- who took corn without the knowledge of the owner out of the granary or
money out of the box be legally convicted, and repay the corn he has
taken. And he shall lose whatever commission was paid to him, or due
him.
114.
If a man have no claim on another for corn and money, and
try to demand it by force, he shall pay one-third of a mina of
silver in every case.
115.
If any one have a claim for corn or money upon another and
imprison him; if the prisoner die in prison a natural death, the
case shall go no further.
116.
If the prisoner die in prison from blows or maltreatment,
the master of the prisoner shall convict the merchant before the
judge.
If he was a free-born man, the son of the merchant shall be put
to death; if it was a slave, he shall pay one-third of a mina of gold,
and all that the master of the prisoner gave he shall forfeit.
{^paragraph 90}
117.
If any one fail to meet a claim for debt, and sell himself,
his wife, his son, and daughter for money or give them away to
forced labor: they shall work for three years in the house of the
man
- who bought them, or the proprietor, and in the fourth year they
shall be set free.
118.
If he give a male or female slave away for forced labor, and
the merchant sublease them, or sell them for money, no objection can
be raised.
119.
If any one fail to meet a claim for debt, and he sell the maid
servant
- who has borne him children, for money, the money which the
merchant has paid shall be repaid to him by the owner of the slave and
she shall be freed.
120.
If any one store corn for safe keeping in another person's
house, and any harm happen to the corn in storage, or if the owner
of the house open the granary and take some of the corn, or if
especially he deny that the corn was stored in his house: then the
owner of the corn shall claim his corn before God (on oath), and the
owner of the house shall pay its owner for all of the corn that he
took.
121.
If any one store corn in another man's house he shall pay
him storage at the rate of one gur for every five ka of corn per year.
{^paragraph 95}
122.
If any one give another silver, gold, or anything else to
keep, he shall show everything to some witness, draw up a contract,
and then hand it over for safe keeping.
123.
If he turn it over for safe keeping without witness or
contract, and if he to
whom it was given deny it, then he has no
legitimate claim.
124.
If any one deliver silver, gold, or anything else to another
for safe keeping, before a witness, but he deny it, he shall be
brought before a judge, and all that he has denied he shall pay in
full.
125.
If any one place his property with another for safe keeping,
and there, either through thieves or robbers, his property and the
property of the other man be lost, the owner of the house, through
whose neglect the loss took place, shall compensate the owner for
all that was given to him in charge. But the owner of the house
shall try to follow up and recover his property, and take it away from
the thief.
126.
If any one
- who has not lost his goods state that they have
been lost, and make false claims: if he claim his goods and amount
of injury before God, even though he has not lost them, he shall be
fully compensated for all his loss claimed. (I.e., the oath is all
that is needed.)
{^paragraph 100}
127.
If any one "point the finger" (slander) at a sister of a god
or the wife of any one, and can not prove it, this man shall be
taken before the judges and his brow shall be marked. (by cutting
the skin, or perhaps hair.)
128.
If a man take a woman to wife, but have no intercourse with
her, this woman is no wife to him.
129.
If a man's wife be surprised (in flagrante delicto) with
another man, both shall be tied and thrown into the water, but the
husband may pardon his wife and the king his slaves.
130.
If a man violate the wife (betrothed or child-wife) of another
man,
- who has never known a man, and still lives in her father's house,
and sleep with her and be surprised, this man shall be put to death,
but the wife is blameless.
131.
If a man bring a charge against one's wife, but she is not
surprised with another man, she must take an oath and then may
return to her house.
{^paragraph 105}
132.
If the "finger is pointed" at a man's wife about another
man, but she is not caught sleeping with the other man, she shall jump
into the river for her husband.
133.
If a man is taken prisoner in war, and there is a sustenance
in his house, but his wife leave house and court, and go to another
house: because this wife did not keep her court, and went to
another house, she shall be judicially condemned and thrown into the
water.
134.
If any one be captured in war and there is not sustenance in
his house, if then his wife go to another house this woman shall be
held blameless.
135.
If a man be taken prisoner in war and there be no sustenance
in his house and his wife go to another house and bear children; and
if later her husband return and come to his home: then this wife shall
return to her husband, but the children follow their father.
136.
If any one leave his house, run away, and then his wife go
to another house, if then he return, and wishes to take his wife back:
because he fled from his home and ran away, the wife of this runaway
shall not return to her husband.
{^paragraph 110}
137.
If a man wish to separate from a woman
- who has borne him
children, or from his wife
- who has borne him children: then he shall
give that wife her dowry, and a part of the usufruct of field, garden,
and property, so that she can rear her children. When she has
brought up her children, a portion of all that is given to the
children, equal as that of one son, shall be given to her. She may
then marry the man of her heart.
138.
If a man wishes to separate from his wife
- who has borne him no
children, he shall give her the amount of her purchase money and the
dowry which she brought from her father's house, and let her go.
139.
If there was no purchase price he shall give her one mina of
gold as a gift of release.
140.
If he be a freed man he shall give her one-third of a mina
of gold.
141.
If a man's wife,
- who lives in his house, wishes to leave it,
plunges into debt, tries to ruin her house, neglects her husband,
and is judicially convicted: if her husband offer her release, she may
go on her way, and he gives her nothing as a gift of release.
If her
husband does not wish to release her, and if he take another wife, she
shall remain as servant in her husband's house.
{^paragraph 115}
142.
If a woman quarrel with her husband, and say: "You are not
congenial to me," the reasons for her prejudice must be presented.
If she is guiltless, and there is no fault on her part, but he
leaves and neglects her, then no guilt attaches to this woman, she
shall take her dowry and go back to her father's house.
143.
If she is not innocent, but leaves her husband, and ruins
her house, neglecting her husband, this woman shall be cast into the
water.
144.
If a man take a wife and this woman give her husband a
maid-servant, and she bear him children, but this man wishes to take
another wife, this shall not be permitted to him; he shall not take
a second wife.
145.
If a man take a wife, and she bear him no children, and he
intend to take another wife: if he take this second wife, and bring
her into the house, this second wife shall not be allowed equality
with his wife.
146.
If a man take a wife and she give this man a maid-servant as
wife and she bear him children, and then this maid assume equality
with the wife: because she has borne him children her master shall not
sell her for money, but he may keep her as a slave, reckoning her
among the maid-servants.
{^paragraph 120}
147.
If she have not borne him children, then her mistress may sell
her for money.
148.
If a man take a wife, and she be seized by disease, if he then
desire to take a second wife he shall not put away his wife,
- who has
been attacked by disease, but he shall keep her in the house which
he has built and support her so long as she lives.
149.
If this woman does not wish to remain in her husband's
house, then he shall compensate her for the dowry that she brought
with her from her father's house, and she may go.
150.
If a man give his wife a field, garden, and house and a deed
therefor, if then after the death of her husband the sons raise no
claim, then the mother may bequeath all to one of her sons
whom she
prefers, and need leave nothing to his brothers.
151.
If a woman
- who lived in a man's house made an agreement with
her husband, that no creditor can arrest her, and has given a document
therefor: if that man, before he married that woman, had a debt, the
creditor can not hold the woman for it. But if the woman, before she
entered the man's house, had contracted a debt, her creditor can not
arrest her husband therefor.
{^paragraph 125}
152.
If after the woman had entered the man's house, both
contracted a debt, both must pay the merchant.
153.
If the wife of one man on account of another man has their
mates (her husband and the other man's wife) murdered, both of them
shall be impaled.
154.
If a man be guilty of incest with his daughter, he shall be
driven from the place (exiled).
155.
If a man betroth a girl to his son, and his son have
intercourse with her, but he (the father) afterward defile her, and be
surprised, then he shall be bound and cast into the water (drowned).
156.
If a man betroth a girl to his son, but his son has not
known her, and if then he defile her, he shall pay her half a gold
mina, and compensate her for all that she brought out of her
father's house. She may marry the man of her heart.
{^paragraph 130}
157.
If any one be guilty of incest with his mother after his
father, both shall be burned.
158.
If any one be surprised after his father with his chief
wife,
- who has borne children, he shall be driven out of his father's
house.
159.
If any one,
- who has brought chattels into his
father-in-law's house, and has paid the purchase-money, looks for
another wife, and says to his father-in-law: "I do not want your
daughter," the girl's father may keep all that he had brought.
160.
If a man bring chattels into the house of his father-in-law,
and pay the "purchase price" (for his wife): if then the father of the
girl say: "I will not give you my daughter," he shall give him back
all that he brought with him.
161.
If a man bring chattels into his father-in-law's house and pay
the "purchase price," if then his friend slander him, and his
father-in-law say to the young husband: "You shall not marry my
daughter," the he shall give back to him undiminished all that he
had brought with him; but his wife shall not be married to the friend.
{^paragraph 135}
162.
If a man marry a woman, and she bear sons to him; if then this
woman die, then shall her father have no claim on her dowry; this
belongs to her sons.
163.
If a man marry a woman and she bear him no sons; if then
this woman die, if the "purchase price" which he had paid into the
house of his father-in-law is repaid to him, her husband shall have no
claim upon the dowry of this woman; it belongs to her father's house.
164.
If his father-in-law do not pay back to him the amount of
the "purchase price" he may subtract the amount of the "Purchase
price" from the dowry, and then pay the remainder to her father's
house.
165.
If a man give to one of his sons
whom he prefers a field,
garden, and house, and a deed therefor: if later the father die, and
the brothers divide the estate, then they shall first give him the
present of his father, and he shall accept it; and the rest of the
paternal property shall they divide.
166.
If a man take wives for his son, but take no wife for his
minor son, and if then he die: if the sons divide the estate, they
shall set aside besides his portion the money for the "purchase price"
for the minor brother
- who had taken no wife as yet, and secure a
wife for him.
{^paragraph 140}
167.
If a man marry a wife and she bear him children: if this
wife die and he then take another wife and she bear him children: if
then the father die, the sons must not partition the estate
according to the mothers, they shall divide the dowries of their
mothers only in this way; the paternal estate they shall divide
equally with one another.
168.
If a man wish to put his son out of his house, and declare
before the judge: "I want to put my son out," then the judge shall
examine into his reasons.
If the son be guilty of no great fault,
for which he can be rightfully put out, the father shall not put him
out.
169.
If he be guilty of a grave fault, which should rightfully
deprive him of the filial relationship, the father shall forgive him
the first time; but if he be guilty of a grave fault a second time the
father may deprive his son of all filial relation.
170.
If his wife bear sons to a man, or his maid-servant have borne
sons, and the father while still living says to the children
whom
his maid-servant has borne: "My sons," and he count them with the sons
of his wife; if then the father die, then the sons of the wife and
of the maid-servant shall divide the paternal property in common.
The son of the wife is to partition and choose.
171. If, however, the father while still living did not say to
the sons of the maid-servant: "My sons," and then the father dies,
then the sons of the maid-servant shall not share with the sons of the
wife, but the freedom of the maid and her sons shall be granted. The
sons of the wife shall have no right to enslave the sons of the
maid; the wife shall take her dowry (from her father), and the gift
that her husband gave her and deeded to her (separate from dowry, or
the purchase-money paid her father), and live in the home of her
husband: so long as she lives she shall use it, it shall not be sold
for money. Whatever she leaves shall belong to her children.
{^paragraph 145}
172.
If her husband made her no gift, she shall be compensated
for her gift, and she shall receive a portion from the estate of her
husband, equal to that of one child.
If her sons oppress her, to force
her out of the house, the judge shall examine into the matter, and
if the sons are at fault the woman shall not leave her husband's
house.
If the woman desire to leave the house, she must leave to her
sons the gift which her husband gave her, but she may take the dowry
of her father's house. Then she may marry the man of her heart.
173.
If this woman bear sons to her second husband, in the place to
which she went, and then die, her earlier and later sons shall
divide the dowry between them.
174.
If she bear no sons to her second husband, the sons of her
first husband shall have the dowry.
175.
If a State slave or the slave of a freed man marry the
daughter of a free man, and children are born, the master of the slave
shall have no right to enslave the children of the free.
176. If, however, a State slave or the slave of a freed man marry a
man's daughter, and after he marries her she bring a dowry from a
father's house, if then they both enjoy it and found a household,
and accumulate means, if then the slave die, then she
- who was free
born may take her dowry, and all that her husband and she had
earned; she shall divide them into two parts, one-half the master
for the slave shall take, and the other half shall the free-born woman
take for her children.
If the free-born woman had no gift she shall
take all that her husband and she had earned and divide it into two
parts; and the master of the slave shall take one-half and she shall
take the other for her children.
{^paragraph 150}
177.
If a widow,
whose children are not grown, wishes to enter
another house (remarry), she shall not enter it without the
knowledge of the judge.
If she enter another house the judge shall
examine the state of the house of her first husband. Then the house of
her first husband shall be entrusted to the second husband and the
woman herself as managers. And a record must be made thereof. She
shall keep the house in order, bring up the children, and not sell the
house-hold utensils. He
- who buys the utensils of the children of a
widow shall lose his money, and the goods shall return to their
owners.
178.
If a "devoted woman" or a prostitute to
whom her father has
given a dowry and a deed therefor, but if in this deed it is not
stated that she may bequeath it as she pleases, and has not explicitly
stated that she has the right of disposal; if then her father die,
then her brothers shall hold her field and garden, and give her
corn, oil, and milk according to her portion, and satisfy her. If
her brothers do not give her corn, oil, and milk according to her
share, then her field and garden shall support her. She shall have the
usufruct of field and garden and all that her father gave her so
long as she lives, but she can not sell or assign it to others. Her
position of inheritance belongs to her brothers.
179.
If a "sister of a god," or a prostitute, receive a gift from
her father, and a deed in which it has been explicitly stated that she
may dispose of it as she pleases, and give her complete disposition
thereof: if then her father die, then she may leave her property to
whomsoever she pleases. Her brothers can raise no claim thereto.
180.
If a father give a present to his daughter--either
marriageable or a prostitute (unmarriageable)--and then die, then
she is to receive a portion as a child from the paternal estate, and
enjoy its usufruct so long as she lives. Her estate belongs to her
brothers.
181.
If a father devote a temple-maid or temple-virgin to God and
give her no present: if then the father die, she shall receive the
third of a child's portion from the inheritance of her father's house,
and enjoy its usufruct so long as she lives. Her estate belongs to her
brothers.
{^paragraph 155}
182.
If a father devote his daughter as a wife of Mardi of
Babylon (as in 181), and give her no present, nor a deed; if then
her father die, then shall she receive one-third of her portion as a
child of her father's house from her brothers, but Marduk may leave
her estate to
whomsoever she wishes.
183.
If a man give his daughter by a concubine a dowry, and a
husband, and a deed; if then her father die, she shall receive no
portion from the paternal estate.
184.
If a man do not give a dowry to his daughter by a concubine,
and no husband; if then her father die, her brother shall give her a
dowry according to her father's wealth and secure a husband for her.
185.
If a man adopt a child and to his name as son, and rear him,
this grown son can not be demanded back again.
186.
If a man adopt a son, and if after he has taken him he
injure his foster father and mother, then this adopted son shall
return to his father's house.
{^paragraph 160}
187. The son of a paramour in the palace service, or of a
prostitute, can not be demanded back.
188.
If an artizan has undertaken to rear a child and teaches him
his craft, he can not be demanded back.
189.
If he has not taught him his craft, this adopted son may
return to his father's house.
190.
If a man does not maintain a child that he has adopted as a
son and reared with his other children, then his adopted son may
return to his father's house.
191.
If a man,
- who had adopted a son and reared him, founded a
household, and had children, wish to put this adopted son out, then
this son shall not simply go his way. His adoptive father shall give
him of his wealth one-third of a child's portion, and then he may
go. He shall not give him of the field, garden, and house.
{^paragraph 165}
192.
If a son of a paramour or a prostitute say to his adoptive
father or mother: "You are not my father, or my mother," his tongue
shall be cut off.
193.
If the son of a paramour or a prostitute desire his father's
house, and desert his adoptive father and adoptive mother, and goes to
his father's house, then shall his eye be put out.
194.
If a man give his child to a nurse and the child die in her
hands, but the nurse unbeknown to the father and mother nurse
another child, then they shall convict her of having nursed another
child without the knowledge of the father and mother and her breasts
shall be cut off.
195.
If a son strike his father, his hands shall be hewn off.
196.
If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be
put out. [ An eye for an eye ]
{^paragraph 170}
197.
If he break another man's bone, his bone shall be broken.
198.
If he put out the eye of a freed man, or break the bone of a
freed man, he shall pay one gold mina.
199.
If he put out the eye of a man's slave, or break the bone of a
man's slave, he shall pay one-half of its value.
200.
If a man knock out the teeth of his equal, his teeth shall
be knocked out. [ A tooth for a tooth ]
201.
If he knock out the teeth of a freed man, he shall pay
one-third of a gold mina.
{^paragraph 175}
202.
If any one strike the body of a man higher in rank than he, he
shall receive sixty blows with an ox-whip in public.
203.
If a free-born man strike the body of another free-born man or
equal rank, he shall pay one gold mina.
204.
If a freed man strike the body of another freed man, he
shall pay ten shekels in money.
205.
If the slave of a freed man strike the body of a freed man,
his ear shall be cut off.
206.
If during a quarrel one man strike another and wound him, then
he shall swear, "I did not injure him wittingly," and pay the
physicians.
{^paragraph 180}
207.
If the man die of his wound, he shall swear similarly, and
if he (the deceased) was a free-born man, he shall pay half a mina
in money.
208.
If he was a freed man, he shall pay one-third of a mina.
209.
If a man strike a free-born woman so that she lose her
unborn child, he shall pay ten shekels for her loss.
210.
If the woman die, his daughter shall be put to death.
211.
If a woman of the free class lose her child by a blow, he
shall pay five shekels in money.
{^paragraph 185}
212.
If this woman die, he shall pay half a mina.
213.
If he strike the maid-servant of a man, and she lose her
child, he shall pay two shekels in money.
214.
If this maid-servant die, he shall pay one-third of a mina.
215.
If a physician make a large incision with an operating knife
and cure it, or if he open a tumor (over the eye) with an operating
knife, and saves the eye, he shall receive ten shekels in money.
216.
If the patient be a freed man, he receives five shekels.
{^paragraph 190}
217.
If he be the slave of some one, his owner shall give the
physician two shekels.
218.
If a physician make a large incision with the operating knife,
and kill him, or open a tumor with the operating knife, and cut out
the eye, his hands shall be cut off.
219.
If a physician make a large incision in the slave of a freed
man, and kill him, he shall replace the slave with another slave.
220.
If he had opened a tumor with the operating knife, and put out
his eye, he shall pay half his value.
221.
If a physician heal the broken bone or diseased soft part of a
man, the patient shall pay the physician five shekels in money.
{^paragraph 195}
222.
If he were a freed man he shall pay three shekels.
223.
If he were a slave his owner shall pay the physician two
shekels.
224.
If a veterinary surgeon perform a serious operation on an
ass or an ox, and cure it, the owner shall pay the surgeon one-sixth
of a shekel as a fee.
225.
If he perform a serious operation on an ass or ox, and kill
it, he shall pay the owner one-fourth of its value.
226.
If a barber, without the knowledge of his master, cut the sign
of a slave on a slave not to be sold, the hands of this barber shall
be cut off.
{^paragraph 200}
227.
If any one deceive a barber, and have him mark a slave not for
sale with the sign of a slave, he shall be put to death, and buried in
his house. The barber shall swear: "I did not mark him wittingly," and
shall be guiltless.
228.
If a builder build a house for some one and complete it, he
shall give him a fee of two shekels in money for each sar of surface.
229 If a builder build a house for some one, and does not
construct it properly, and the house which he built fall in and kill
its owner, then that builder shall be put to death.
230.
If it kill the son of the owner the son of that builder
shall be put to death.
231.
If it kill a slave of the owner, then he shall pay slave for
slave to the owner of the house.
{^paragraph 205}
232.
If it ruin goods, he shall make compensation for all that
has been ruined, and inasmuch as he did not construct properly this
house which he built and it fell, he shall re-erect the house from his
own means.
233.
If a builder build a house for some one, even though he has
not yet completed it; if then the walls seem toppling, the builder
must make the walls solid from his own means.
234.
If a shipbuilder build a boat of sixty gur for a man, he shall
pay him a fee of two shekels in money.
235.
If a shipbuilder build a boat for some one, and do not make it
tight, if during that same year that boat is sent away and suffers
injury, the shipbuilder shall take the boat apart and put it
together tight at his own expense. The tight boat he shall give to the
boat owner.
236.
If a man rent his boat to a sailor, and the sailor is
careless, and the boat is wrecked or goes aground, the sailor shall
give the owner of the boat another boat as compensation.
{^paragraph 210}
237.
If a man hire a sailor and his boat, and provide it with corn,
clothing, oil and dates, and other things of the kind needed for
fitting it: if the sailor is careless, the boat is wrecked, and its
contents ruined, then the sailor shall compensate for the boat which
was wrecked and all in it that he ruined.
238.
If a sailor wreck any one's ship, but saves it, he shall pay
the half of its value in money.
239.
If a man hire a sailor, he shall pay him six gur of corn per
year.
240.
If a merchantman run against a ferryboat, and wreck it, the
master of the ship that was wrecked shall seek justice before God; the
master of the merchantman, which wrecked the ferryboat, must
compensate the owner for the boat and all that he ruined.
241.
If any one impresses an ox for forced labor, he shall pay
one-third of a mina in money.
{^paragraph 215}
242.
If any one hire oxen for a year, he shall pay four gur of corn
for plow-oxen.
243. As rent of herd cattle he shall pay three gur of corn to the
owner.
244.
If any one hire an ox or an ass, and a lion kill it in the
field, the loss is upon its owner.
245.
If any one hire oxen, and kill them by bad treatment or blows,
he shall compensate the owner, oxen for oxen.
246.
If a man hire an ox, and he break its leg or cut the
ligament of its neck, he shall compensate the owner with ox for ox.
{^paragraph 220}
247.
If any one hire an ox, and put out its eye, he shall pay the
owner one-half of its value.
248.
If any one hire an ox, and break off a horn, or cut off its
tail, or hurt its muzzle, he shall pay one-fourth of its value in
money.
249.
If any one hire an ox, and God strike it that it die, the
man
- who hired it shall swear by God and be considered guiltless.
250.
If while an ox is passing on the street (market) some one push
it, and kill it, the owner can set up no claim in the suit (against
the hirer).
251.
If an ox be a goring ox, and it shown that he is a gorer,
and he do not bind his horns, or fasten the ox up, and the ox gore a
free-born man and kill him, the owner shall pay one-half a mina in
money.
{^paragraph 225}
252.
If he kill a man's slave, he shall pay one-third of a mina.
253.
If any one agree with another to tend his field, give him
seed, entrust a yoke of oxen to him, and bind him to cultivate the
field, if he steal the corn or plants, and take them for himself,
his hands shall be hewn off.
254.
If he take the seed-corn for himself, and do not use the
yoke of oxen, he shall compensate him for the amount of the seed-corn.
255.
If he sublet the man's yoke of oxen or steal the seed-corn,
planting nothing in the field, he shall be convicted, and for each one
hundred gan he shall pay sixty gur of corn.
256.
If his community will not pay for him, then he shall be placed
in that field with the cattle (at work).
{^paragraph 230}
257.
If any one hire a field laborer, he shall pay him eight gur of
corn per year.
258.
If any one hire an ox-driver, he shall pay him six gur of corn
per year.
259.
If any one steal a water-wheel from the field, he shall pay
five shekels in money to its owner.
260.
If any one steal a shadduf (used to draw water from the
river or canal) or a plow, he shall pay three shekels in money.
261.
If any one hire a herdsman for cattle or sheep, he shall pay
him eight gur of corn per annum.
{^paragraph 235}
262.
If any one, a cow or a sheep . . .
263.
If he kill the cattle or sheep that were given to him, he
shall compensate the owner with cattle for cattle and sheep for sheep.
264.
If a herdsman, to
whom cattle or sheep have been entrusted for
watching over, and
- who has received his wages as agreed upon, and is
satisfied, diminish the number of the cattle or sheep, or make the
increase by birth less, he shall make good the increase or profit
which was lost in the terms of settlement.
265.
If a herdsman, to
whose care cattle or sheep have been
entrusted, be guilty of fraud and make false returns of the natural
increase, or sell them for money, then shall he be convicted and pay
the owner ten times the loss.
266.
If the animal be killed in the stable by God ( an accident),
or if a lion kill it, the herdsman shall declare his innocence
before God, and the owner bears the accident in the stable.
{^paragraph 240}
267.
If the herdsman overlook something, and an accident happen
in the stable, then the herdsman is at fault for the accident which he
has caused in the stable, and he must compensate the owner for the
cattle or sheep.
268.
If any one hire an ox for threshing, the amount of the hire is
twenty ka of corn.
269.
If he hire an ass for threshing, the hire is twenty ka of
corn.
270.
If he hire a young animal for threshing, the hire is ten ka of
corn.
271.
If any one hire oxen, cart and driver, he shall pay one
hundred and eighty ka of corn per day.
{^paragraph 245}
272.
If any one hire a cart alone, he shall pay forty ka of corn
per day.
273.
If any one hire a day laborer, he shall pay him from the New
Year until the fifth month (April to August, when days are long and
the work hard) six gerahs in money per day; from the sixth month to
the end of the year he shall give him five gerahs per day.
274.
If any one hire a skilled artizan, he shall pay as wages of
the . . . five gerahs, as wages of the potter five gerahs, of a tailor
five gerahs, of . . . gerahs, . . . of a ropemaker four gerahs, of . .
. gerahs, of a mason . . . gerahs per day.
275.
If any one hire a ferryboat, he shall pay three gerahs in
money per day.
276.
If he hire a freight-boat, he shall pay two and one-half
gerahs per day.
{^paragraph 250}
277.
If any one hire a ship of sixty gur, he shall pay one-sixth of
a shekel in money as its hire per day.
278.
If any one buy a male or female slave, and before a month
has elapsed the benu-disease be developed, he shall return the slave
to the seller, and receive the money which he had paid.
279.
If any one by a male or female slave, and a third party
claim it, the seller is liable for the claim.
280.
If while in a foreign country a man buy a male or female slave
belonging to another of his own country; if when he return home the
owner of the male or female slave recognize it: if the male or
female slave be a native of the country, he shall give them back
without any money.
281.
If they are from another country, the buyer shall declare
the amount of money paid therefor to the merchant, and keep the male
or female slave.
{^paragraph 255}
282.
If a slave say to his master: "You are not my master," if they
convict him his master shall cut off his ear.
-
THE EPILOGUE
-
LAWS of justice which Hammurabi, the wise king, established. A
righteous law, and pious statute did he teach the land. Hammurabi, the
protecting king am I. I have not withdrawn myself from the men,
whom
Bel gave to me, the rule over
whom Marduk gave to me, I was not
negligent, but I made them a peaceful abiding-place. I expounded all
great difficulties, I made the light shine upon them. With the
mighty weapons which Zamama and Ishtar entrusted to me, with the
keen vision with which Ea endowed me, with the wisdom that Marduk gave
me, I have uprooted the enemy above and below (in north and south),
subdued the earth, brought prosperity to the land, guaranteed security
to the inhabitants in their homes; a disturber was not permitted.
The great gods have called me, I am the salvation-bearing shepherd,
whose staff is straight, the good shadow that is spread over my
city; on my breast I cherish the inhabitants of the land of Sumer
and Akkad; in my shelter I have let them repose in peace; in my deep
wisdom have I enclosed them. That the strong might not injure the
weak, in order to protect the widows and orphans, I have in Babylon
the city where Anu and Bel raise high their head, in E-Sagil, the
Temple,
whose foundations stand firm as heaven and earth, in order
to bespeak justice in the land, to settle all disputes, and heal all
injuries, set up these my precious words, written upon my memorial
stone, before the image of me, as king of righteousness.
{^paragraph 260}
The king
- who ruleth among the kings of the cities am I. My words
are well considered; there is no wisdom like unto mine. By the command
of Shamash, the great judge of heaven and earth, let righteousness
go forth in the land: by the order of Marduk, my lord, let no
destruction befall my monument. In E-Sagil, which I love, let my
name be ever repeated; let the oppressed,
- who has a case at law,
come and stand before this my image as king of righteousness; let
him read the inscription, and understand my precious words: the
inscription will explain his case to him; he will find out what is
just, and his heart will be glad, so that he will say:
"Hammurabi is a ruler,
- who is as a father to his subjects,
who
holds the words of Marduk in reverence,
- who has achieved conquest
for Marduk over the north and south,
- who rejoices the heart of Marduk,
his lord,
- who has bestowed benefits for ever and ever on his subjects,
and has established order in the land."
When he reads the record, let him pray with full heart to Marduk,
my lord, and Zarpanit, my lady; and then shall the protecting
deities and the gods,
- who frequent E-Sagil, graciously grant the
desires daily presented before Marduk, my lord, and Zarpanit, my lady.
In future time, through all coming generations, let the king,
who
may be in the land, observe the words of righteousness which I have
written on my monument; let him not alter the law of the land which
I have given, the edicts which I have enacted; my monument let him not
mar.
If such a ruler have wisdom, and be able to keep his land in
order, he shall observe the words which I have written in this
inscription; the rule, statute, and law of the land which I have
given; the decisions which I have made will this inscription show him;
let him rule his subjects accordingly, speak justice to them, give
right decisions, root out the miscreants and criminals from this land,
and grant prosperity to his subjects.
Hammurabi, the king of righteousness, on
whom Shamash has conferred
right (or law) am I. My words are well considered; my deeds are not
equaled; to bring low those that were high; to humble the proud, to
expel insolence.
If a succeeding ruler considers my words, which I
have written in this my inscription, if he do not annul my law, nor
corrupt my words, nor change my monument, then may Shamash lengthen
that king's reign, as he has that of me, the king of righteousness,
that he may reign in righteousness over his subjects.
If this ruler do
not esteem my words, which I have written in my inscription, if he
despise my curses, and fear not the curse of God, if he destroy the
law which I have given, corrupt my words, change my monument, efface
my name, write his name there, or on account of the curses
commission another so to do, that man, whether king or ruler,
patesi, or commoner, no matter what he be, may the great God (Anu),
the Father of the gods,
- who has ordered my rule, withdraw from him the
glory of royalty, break his scepter, curse his destiny. May Bel, the
lord,
- who fixeth destiny,
whose command can not be altered,
- who has
made my kingdom great, order a rebellion which his hand can not
control; may he let the wind of the overthrow of his habitation
blow, may he ordain the years of his rule in groaning, years of
scarcity, years of famine, darkness without light, death with seeing
eyes be fated to him; may he (Bel) order with his potent mouth the
destruction of his city, the dispersion of his subjects, the cutting
off of his rule, the removal of his name and memory from the land. May
Belit, the great Mother,
whose command is potent in E-Kur (the
Babylonian Olympus), the Mistress,
- who harkens graciously to my
petitions, in the seat of judgment and decision (where Bel fixes
destiny), turn his affairs evil before Bel, and put the devastation of
his land, the destruction of his subjects, the pouring out of his life
like water into the mouth of King Bel. May Ea, the great ruler,
whose fated decrees come to pass, the thinker of the gods, the
omniscient,
- who maketh long the days of my life, withdraw
understanding and wisdom from him, lead him to forgetfulness, shut
up his rivers at their sources, and not allow corn or sustenance for
man to grow in his land. May Shamash, the great Judge of heaven and
earth,
- who supporteth all means of livelihood, Lord of life-courage,
shatter his dominion, annul his law, destroy his way, make vain the
march of his troops, send him in his visions forecasts of the
uprooting of the foundations of his throne and of the destruction of
his land. May the condemnation of Shamash overtake him forthwith;
may he be deprived of water above among the living, and his spirit
below in the earth. May Sin (the Moon-god), the Lord of Heaven, the
divine father,
whose crescent gives light among the gods, take away
the crown and regal throne from him; may he put upon him heavy
guilt, great decay, that nothing may be lower than he. May he
destine him as fated, days, months and years of dominion filled with
sighing and tears, increase of the burden of dominion, a life that
is like unto death. May Adad, the lord of fruitfulness, ruler of
heaven and earth, my helper, withhold from him rain from heaven, and
the flood of water from the springs, destroying his land by famine and
want; may he rage mightily over his city, and make his land into
flood-hills (heaps of ruined cities). May Zamama, the great warrior,
the first-born son of E-Kur,
- who goeth at my right hand, shatter his
weapons on the field of battle, turn day into night for him, and let
his foe triumph over him. May Ishtar, the goddess of fighting and war,
- who unfetters my weapons, my gracious protecting spirit,
- who loveth my
dominion, curse his kingdom in her angry heart; in her great wrath,
change his grace into evil, and shatter his weapons on the place of
fighting and war. May she create disorder and sedition for him, strike
down his warriors, that the earth may drink their blood, and throw
down the piles of corpses of his warriors on the field; may she not
grant him a life of mercy, deliver him into the hands of his
enemies, and imprison him in the land of his enemies. May Nergal,
the might among the gods,
whose contest is irresistible,
- who grants me
victory, in his great might burn up his subjects like a slender
reedstalk, cut off his limbs with his mighty weapons, and shatter
him like an earthen image. May Nin-tu, the sublime mistress of the
lands, the fruitful mother, deny him a son, vouchsafe him no name,
give him no successor among men. May Nin-karak, the daughter of Anu,
- who adjudges grace to me, cause to come upon his members in E-kur high
fever, severe wounds, that can not be healed,
whose nature the
physician does not understand, which he can not treat with dressing,
which, like the bite of death, can not be removed, until they have
sapped away his life.
{^paragraph 265}
May he lament the loss of his life-power, and may the great gods of
heaven and earth, the Anunaki, altogether inflict a curse and evil
upon the confines of the temple, the walls of this E-barra (the Sun
temple of Sippara), upon his dominion, his land, his warriors, his
subjects, and his troops. May Bel curse him with the potent curses
of his mouth that can not be altered, and may they come upon him
forthwith.
THE END OF THE CODE OF HAMMURABI