Adapa tablets

Translation by Robert W. Rogers (1912), Cuneiform Parallels to the Old Testament:

First tablet

 * He [Adapa] possessed intelligence . ..
 * His command like the command of Anu ...
 * He [the god Ea] granted him a wide ear to reveal the destiny of the land,
 * He granted him wisdom, but he did not grant him eternal life.
 * In those davs, in those years the wise man of Eridu,
 * Ea had created him as chief among men,
 * A wise man whose command none should oppose,
 * The prudent, the most wise among the Anunnaki was he,
 * Blameless, of clean hands, anointed, observer of the divine statutes,
 * With the bakers he made bread
 * With the bakers of Eridu, he made bread,
 * The food and the water for Eridu he made daily,
 * With his clean hands he prepared the table,
 * And without him the table was not cleared.
 * The ship he steered, fishing and hunting for Eridu he did.
 * Then Adapa of Eridu
 * While Ea, ... in the chamber, upon the bed.
 * Daily the closing of Eridu he attended to.
 * Upon the pure dam, the new moon dam) he embarked upon the ship,
 * The wind blew and his ship departed, With the oar, be steered his ship Upon the :broad sea . ..

Second tablet

 * The south wind ... when
 * He had driven me to the house of my lord, I said,
 * O South Wind, on the way I shall to thee ... everything that,
 * Thy wing, will I break." As he spoke with his mouth,
 * The wing of the South Wind was broken, seven davs
 * The South Wind blew not upon the land. Anu
 * Called to his messenger Ilabrat:
 * Why has the South Wind not blown upon the land for seven davs?
 * His messenger Ilabrat answered him: "My lord,
 * Adapa, the son of Ea, the wing of the South Wind
 * Has broken."
 * When Anu heard these words
 * He cried,"Help!" He ascended his throne,
 * "Let some one bring him,"
 * Likewise Ea, who knows the heaven. He roused him
 * ... he caused him to wear. With a mourning garment
 * He garbed him, and gave him counsel
 * Saying: " Adapa, before the face of Anu the King thou art to go
 * ... to heaven
 * When thou comest up, and when thou approachest the door of Anu,
 * At the door of Anu, Tammuz and Gishzida are standing,
 * they will see thee, they will ask thee; 'Sir,'
 * For whose sake dost thou so appear, Adapa? For whom
 * Art thou clad in a mourning garment?' 'In our country two gods have vanished, :therefore
 * Am I so.' 'Who are the two gods, who in the land
 * Have vanished?' 'Tammuz and Gishzida.' They will look at one another and
 * Be astonished. Good words
 * They will speak to Anu. A good countenance of Anu
 * They will show thee. When thou standest before Anu
 * Food of death they will set before thee,
 * Eat not. Water of death they will set before thee,
 * Drink not. Garments they will set before thee,
 * Put them on. Oil they will set before thee, anoint thyself.
 * The counsel that I have given thee, forget not. The words
 * Which I have spoken, hold fast." The messenger
 * Of Anu came: "Adapa has broken
 * The wing of the South Wind. Bring him before me."
 * The road to Heaven he made him take, and to Heaven he ascended.
 * When he came to Heaven, when he approached the door of Anu,
 * At the door of Anu, Tammuz and Gishida are standing.
 * When they saw him, Adapa, they cried: "Help,
 * Sir, for whom dost thou so appear? Adapa,
 * For whom art thou clad in a mourning garment?"
 * "In the country two gods have vanished; therefore am I clad
 * In mourning garments." "Who are the two gods, who
 * have vanished from the land?"
 * "Tammuz and Gishzida." They looked at one another and
 * Were astonished. When Adapa before Anu, the King,
 * Drew near, and Anu saw him, he cried:
 * " Come hither, Adapa. Why hast thou broken the wings
 * Of the South Wind? " Adapa answered Anu: " My lord,
 * For the house of my lord in the midst of the sea,
 * I was catching fish. The sea was like a mirror,
 * The South Wind blew, and capsized me.
 * To the house of my lord was I driven. In the anger of my heart,
 * I took heed." Tammuz and Gishzida
 * Answered ... "art thou." To Anu
 * They speak. He calmed himself, his heart was . ..
 * "Why has Ea revealed to impure mankind
 * The heart of heaven and earth? A heart
 * ... has created within him, has made him a name?
 * What can we do with him? Food of life
 * Bring him, that he may eat." Food of life
 * They brought him, but he ate not. Water of life
 * They brought him, but he drank not. Garments
 * They brought him. He clothed himself. Oil
 * They brought him. He anointed himself.
 * Anu looked at him; he wondered at him.
 * " Come, Adapa, why hast thou not eaten, not drunken?
 * Now thou shalt not live." ... men ...Ea, my lord
 * Said: "Eat not, drink not."
 * Take him and bring him back to his earth.
 * ... looked upon him.

Third tablet

 * When [Anu] heard that
 * In the anger of his heart
 * His messenger he sent.
 * He who knows the heart of the great gods
 * To King Ea to come,
 * To him, he caused words to be borne.
 * ... to him, to King Ea.
 * He sent a messenger
 * With a wide ear, knowing the heart of the great gods,
 * ... of the heavens be fixed.
 * A soiled garment he made him wear,
 * With a mourning garment he clad him,
 * A word he spoke to him.
 * "Adapa, before the King Anu thou shalt go
 * Fail not the order, keep my word
 * When thou comest up to heaven, and approachest the door of Anu,
 * Tammuz and Gishzida at the door of Anu are standing.
 * Tammuz and Gishzida at the door of Anu are standing.