Atraḫasis MB Flood (The Ark Tablet)

Obv.

Ark 1              “Wall, wall! Reed fence, reed fence!                         

Ark 2–3          Atra-ḫasīs, pay attention to my advice, so that you live forever!

Ark 4­–5          Depart from (your) house, build a boat! Spurn property [and] keep (your)              life intact!

Ark 6–7          The boat which you will build, I will draw it out (for you) – a circular plan:

Ark 8–9          Her length and breadth should be equal, her base should be one ikû; her                             hull (lit. walls) should be one nindanu (high).

Ark 10 [Let] the cords – each ašlu long – be woven [inside(?)] it.

Ark 11–12      Should you say: ‘(But) this will consume 14,430 (qû of fiber)!’ – Let my                           temple (personnel) twist the fibers into a rope for you”.

Ark 13–14      I put up thirty ribs which are one parsiktu-vessel thick, ten nindanu long.

Ark 15–16      I have installed 3,600 stanchions in it which are half (a parsiktu-vessel) thick,                    half a nindanu long.

Ark 17 I arranged her cabins above and below.

Ark 18–19      I allocated sixty (kors) of crude bitumen for her outsides, I allocated sixty              (kors) of crude bitumen for her interior.

Ark 20 I have poured sixty (kors) of crude bitumen onto her cabins.

Ark 21–22      I loaded my kilns with 28,800 (qû) of dry bitumen, I poured (additional) 3,600                  (qû) of crude bitumen within –

Ark 23–24      (yet) the bitumen did not reach (the required amount), (so) I set out 300 (qû) of                 lard.

Ark 25–26      I loaded [my] kilns evenly with tamarisk wood(?) and . . . a wood of (?).

Ark 27 … …

Lo. Ed.

Ark 28 … … …

Ark 29 They are going between …

Ark 30 … … …

Ark 31 […] my [kilns(?)] … dry(?) bitumen …

Rev.

Ark 32–33      [I applied(?)] on the outside the dry bitumen [from the k]ilns, apart from the                      120 kors which the workmen had cached.

Ark 34–35      Ordering [them] to go joyfully, (my) kith and kin [entered into] the boat . . .;

Ark 36–37      Happy . . . [. . .] . . . of my in-laws and the bearer(s) of [. . .] and the pregnant                     (women).

Ark 38 The one (who wanted) to eat was eating; [the one (who wanted) to drink]                           was drinking,

Ark 39–40      I, however, there was a (heavy) thought in my heart, and I have … the                                praises(?). . . [. . .] (my?) heart.

Ark 41–42      My li[p]s(?), the creation(?) . . . [. . .] of my eyes,

Ark 43 and I slaughter[ed (animals)] . . . of my lips.

Ark 44–45      [I was] greatly [worried as] the plan(?) was […]; I lied down. I went up on the                  roof and [prayed(?)] to Sîn, my lord:

Ark 46 “Remove(?) the… of my heart!”

Ark 47–48      . . . . . . . . . darkness(?) into my he[art].

Ark 49–40      Enlil, from [his thr]one, [took an oath (?)] regarding the annihilation and                            de[solation(?) on the] dimming [day].

Ark 51–52      And so, wild anima[ls from the s]teppe [(. . .)], two by two, [I] did [make enter]                 into the boat . . . [. . .].

Ark 53–54      I had . . . five (measures) of beer . . . [. . .]. They were transporting eleven or                      twelve [. . .].

Ark 55–56      Three (measures) of šiqbum-plant . . [. . .], one-third (measure) of fodder, . . .                     and kurdinnu-plant(?),

Ark 57–58      sixty (qû) of lard for the germadû-poles for the slipway – I meticulously                            commanded (to bring), apart from the thirty kors which the workmen had put                      aside.

Ark 59–60      When I have entered the boat, (I ordered:) “Caulk the frame of her door!”

See Wasserman 2020a 70–76.