1 ana kurnugi qaqqari l[ā târi] 2 ištar mārat sîn uzunša [iškun] To the netherworld, land of n[o return], Ištar, daughter of Sîn, [set] her mind.

3 iškun-ma mārat sîn uzu[nša] 4 ana bīti eṭê šubat ir[kalla] 5 ana bīti ša ēribūšu lā aṣû 6 ana harrāni ša alaktaša lā tayyā[rat] 7 ana bīti ša āšibūšu zummû nū[ra] The daughter of Sîn did set [her] mind to the gloomy house, the seat of the ne[therworld] to the house that none leaves who enters, to the road whose journey has no return, to the house whose entrants are bereft of light,

8 ašar epru bubūssunu akalšunu ṭi[ṭṭu] 9 nūra ul immarū ina eṭûti aš[bū] 10 labšū-ma kīma iṣṣūri ṣubāt gap[pi] 11 eli dalti u sikkūri šabuh epru where dust is their sustenance, and clay their food. They see no light and dwell in darkness, they are clothed like birds in wings for garments, and dust has gathered on the door and the bolt.

12 ištar ana bāb kurnugi ina kašādīša 13 ana atu bābi amātum izzakkar When Ištar reached the gate of the netherworld, the said (these) words to the gatekeeper:

14 atû mê petâ bābka 15 petâ bābka-ma lūruba anāku "O gatekeeper! Open your gate for me, open your gate, that I may enter!

16 šumma lā tapattâ bābu lā erruba anāku 17 amahhaṣ daltum sikkūru ašabbir 18 amahhaṣ sippū-ma ušbalakkat dalāti 19 ašabbir gišrinam-ma aša[hhaṭ k]arra "If you do not open the gate, that I may enter, I will break down the door, I will smash the bolt, I will break down the frame, I will topple the doors. I will break the ..., I will te[ar off the kn]ob.

19 ušellâ mītūti ikkalū balṭūti 20 eli balṭūti ima’’idū mītūti "I will raise up the dead so that they devour the living, and the dead will outnumber the living."

21 atû pâšu īpuš-ma iqabbi 22 izzakkara ana rabīti ištar The gatekeeper made ready to speak, saying to Ištar the great:

23 izizzī bēltī lā ta-na-da-aš-ši 24 lullik zikirki lušanni ana šarrati e[reški]gal "Stay, my lady, do not knock it down (?), let me go and repeat what you said to Queen Ereškigal.

25 ērum-ma atû izzakkara [ana ereškigal] The gatekeeper went in and said [to Ereškigal]:

26 annītu mê ahātaki ištar [izzaz ina bābi] 27 m[u]kiltu ša keppê rabûti dā[lihat apsî mahar ea šarri] "Here is your sister Ištar at [your gate], she who holds the great play-ropes, who roils up the deep before Ea the king".

28 ereški[ga]l annī[t]a in[a] šemîša 29 kīma nikis bīni ēriqū pānūša 30 kīma šapat kunīni iṣlimā šabātūša When Ereškigal heard this, her face went pale as a freshly cut tamarisk, her lips went dark as the rim of a vat.

31 miná libbaša ublanni miná kabt[assa] ušperdânni 32 annītu mê itti anunnakī mê ašatti 33 kīma aklī akal ṭiṭṭa kīma šikāri ašattâ mê dalhūti "Why did she set her heart on me? Why would her mood lighten mine? Here now, shall I drink water with the Anunnaki-gods, Shall I eat a loaf of clay for bread, shall I drink dirty water for beer?

34 lubki ana eṭlūti ša ēzibū hīrēti 35 lubki ana ardāti ša ultu sūn hāirišina [šallupāni] 36 ana šerri lakê lubki ša ina lā ūmīšu ṭardu "Shall I weep for the young men who have left (their) helpmeets? Shall I weep for the young women who are wrenched from their lovers' loins? Shall I weep for the helpless infant who was taken before his time?

37 alik atû pitâšši bāb[ka] 38 uppissi-ma kīma parṣī labirūti "Go, gatekeeper, open [your] gate for her, treat her according to the age-old rules."

39 illik atû iptâšši bāb[šu] Off went the gatekeeper and opened [his] gate for her:

40 erbī bēltī kutâ lirīški 41 ekal kurnugi lihdu ina pānīki "Come in, my lady, so that Kutha rejoice over you, that the palace of the netherworld be glad at your presence."

42 ištēn bāba ušēribši-ma umtaṣṣi ittabal agâ rabâ ša qaqqadīša 43 ammīni atû tatbal agâ rabâ ša qaqqadīya 44 erbī bēltī ša bēlet erṣetim kī’am parṣūša He brought her in through the first gate, he loosened and removed the great tiara on her head. "Why, gatekeeper, did you remove the great tiara on my head?" "Come in, my lady. Thus are the rules of the lady of the netherworld."

45 šanâ bāba ušēribši-ma umtaṣi ittabal inṣabāte ša uznīša 46 ammīni atû tatbal inṣabāte ša uznīya 47 erbī bēltī ša bēlet erṣetim kī’am parṣūša He brought her in through the second gate, he loosened and removed the earrings on her ears. "Why, gatekeeper, did you remove the earrings on my ears?" "Come in, my lady. Thus are the rules of the lady of the netherworld."

48 šalšu bāba ušēribši-ma umtaṣi ittabal erimmāti ša kišādīša 49 ammīni atû tatbal erimmāti ša kišādiya 50 erbī bēltī ša bēlet erṣetim kī’am parṣūša He brought her in through the third gate, he loosened and removed the beads on her neck. "Why, gatekeeper, did you remove the the beads around my neck?" "Come in, my lady. Thus are the rules of the lady of the netherworld."

51 rebû bāba ušēribši-ma umtaṣi ittabal dudinnāte ša irtīša 52 ammīni atû tatbal dudinnāte ša irtīya 53 erbī bēltī ša bēlet erṣetim kī’am parṣūša He brought her in through the fourth gate, he loosened and removed her breast pins. "Why, gatekeeper, did you remove the pins on my breast?" "Come in, my lady. Thus are the rules of the lady of the netherworld."

54 hamšu bāba ušēribši-ma umtaṣi ittabal šibbu aban alādi ša qablīša 55 ammīni atû tatbal šibbu aban alādi ša qablīya 56 erbī bēltī ša bēlet erṣetim kī’am parṣūša He brought her in through the fifth gate, he loosened and removed the girdle of birth stones around her waist. "Why, gatekeeper, did you remove the girdle of birth stones around my waist?" "Come in, my lady. Thus are the rules of the lady of the netherworld."

57 šeššu bāba ušēribši-ma umtaṣi ittabal šemerī qātīša u šēpīša 58 ammīni atû tatbal šemerī qātīya u šēpīya 59 erbī bēltī ša bēlet erṣetim kī’am parṣūša He brought her in through the sixth gate, he loosened and removed her bracelets and ankles. "Why, gatekeeper, did you remove my bracelets and ankles?" "Come in, my lady. Thus are the rules of the lady of the netherworld."

60 sebû bāba ušēribši-ma umtaṣi ittabal ṣubāt balti ša zumrīša 61 ammīni atû tatbal ṣubāt balti ša zumrīya 62 erbī bēltī ša bēlet erṣetim kī’am parṣūša He brought her in through the seventh gate, he loosened and removed the loincloth on her body. "Why, gatekeeper, did you remove the loincloth on my body?" "Come in, my lady. Thus are the rules of the lady of the netherworld."

63 ištu ullânum-ma ištar ana kurnugi ūridu 64 ereškigal īmurši-ma ina pānīša ir’ub 65 ištar ul immalik elênušša ušbi As soon as Ištar had gone down into the netherworld, Ereškigal saw her and trembled in fury at her. Ištar, without thinking, sat(?) above her.

66 ereškigal pâša īpuš-ma iqabbi 67 ana namtar [sukkallīša amātum izzakkar] Ereškigal made ready to speak, and said [these words] to Namtar [her vizier]:

68-69 alik namtar [...] / šūṣâšši šūši m[urṣī ana rabīti] ištar "Come, Namtar [...], let loose sixty diseases against Ištar the great:

70 muruṣ īni ana īnīša 71 muruṣ ahi a[na ahī]ša 72 muruṣ šēpī a[na šēpī]ša 73 muruṣ libbi a[na libbīša] 74 muruṣ qaqqadi [ana qaqqadīša] "Eye disease against her eyes, arm disease ag[ainst] her [arms], foot disease ag[ainst] her [feet], heart disease ag[ainst her heart] head disease [against her head],

75 ana šâša gabbīša-ma [šūṣâšši murṣī] "Let loose diseases against all of her!"

76 arki ištar bēltī [ana kurnugi ūridu] 77 ana būrti alpu ul išahhi[ṭ imēru atānu ul ušarra] 78 ardatum ina sūqi [ul ušarra eṭlu] After the lady Ištar went down into the netherworld, the bull would not mount the cow, [the ass would not impregnate the jenny], the young man [would not impregnate] the girl in the thoroughfare.

79 ittīl eṭ[lu ina kummīšu] 80 [it]tīl a[rdatum ina ahītīša] The young [man] slept [in his bedroom], the g[irl sl[ept by herself].

81 papsukkal sukkal il[ī] rabûti quddud appašu pānūšu [arpū] 82 karru labiš malê na[škun] Papsukkal, vizier of the gods, was downcast, and his features [were gloomy]. He was dressed in mourning garments and wo[re] his hair unkempt.

83 illik anhiš ina pān sîn abīšu iba[kki] 84 ina pān ea šarri illakā dimāšu Exhaustedly he went and cried before his father Sîn, his tears coursed down before Ea the king.

85 ištar ana erṣetim ūrid ul īlâ 86 ultu ullânum-ma ištar ana kurnugi ūridu 87 ana būrti alpu ul išahhi[ṭ imēru atānu ul ušarra] 88 ardatum ina sūqi [ul ušarra eṭlu] "Ištar has gone down to the netherworld, she has not come up. From the moment that Ištar went down to the netherworld,



the bull will not mount the cow, the ass will not impregnate the jenny, the young man will not impregnate the girl in the thoroughfare

89 ittīl eṭlu ina kum[m]īšu 90 ittīl ardatum ina ahī[tīša] The young man sleeps in his be[dr]oom, the young woman sleeps by [her] sel[f].

91 ea ina emqi libbīšu ibtani z[i]kru 92 ibnī-ma aṣûšu-namir assinnu Ea, in his wise heart, conceived a plan: he created Aṣûšu-namir, an assinnu. ((The word assinnu denotes a male cultic prostitute))

93 alka aṣûšu-namir ina bāb kurnugi šukun pānīka 94 sebet bābū kurnugi lippetû ina pānīka 95 ereškigal līmurka-ma in[a p]ānīka lihdu "Come, Aṣûšu-namir, make your way to the netherworld, may the seven gates of the Underworld be opened before you, may Ereškigal see you and rejoice over you.

96 ultu libbaša inuhhu kabtassa ippereddû 97 tummeši-ma nīš ilī rabûti 98 šuqqi rēšīka ana halziqqi uzna šukun When her heart has calmed and her mood is well disposed, get her to swear an oath on the life of the great gods, (then) look up and direct your attention to the waterskin.

99 ē bēltī halziqqu lid<di>nūni mê ina libbi luštatti "O my lady, let the waterskin be given to me, that I may drink water from it!"

100 ereškigal annīta ina šemîša 101 tamhaṣ pēmša taššuka ubānša When Ereškigal heard this, she struck her thigh and bit her finger.

102 tēteršanni erištum ša lā erēši 103 alka aṣûšu-namir lūzirka izra rabâ "You have made an unmakable request of me! Come, Aṣûšu-namir, I will curse you with a great curse,

104 aklī epinnēt āli lū akalka 105 habannāt āli lū maltītka 106 ṣillī dūri lū manzāzūka 107 askuppātu lū mušābūka 108 šakru u ṣamû limhaṣū lētka "May bread from city ploughs be your food, may the city sewer pipe be your drinking place, may the shadow of the city wall be your station, may the threshold be your dwelling, may drunk and sober slap your cheek!"

109 ereškigal pâša īpuš-ma iqabbi 110 ana namtar sukkallīša amāta izzakkar Ereškigal made ready to speak, saying these words to Namtar, her vizier.

111 alik namtar mahaṣ ēkalla kitta 112 askuppāti za’’ina ša ayyarāti 113 anunnakī šūṣâ ina kussi hurāṣi šūšib 114 ištar mê balāṭi suluhši-ma leqâšši ina mahrīya "Go, Namtar, knock at the true temple, decorate the thresholds with cowrie shells, bring out the Anunna-gods and seat them on thrones of gold, sprinkle Ištar with water of life and take her into(?) my presence".

115 illik namtar imhaṣ ēkalla kitta 116 askuppāti uza’’inā ša ayyarāti 117 anunnakī ušēṣâ ina kussi hurāṣi ušēšib 118 ištar mê balāṭi isluhši-ma ilqâšši ana mahrīša Namtar went and knocked at the true temple, he decorated the thresholds with cowrie shells, he brought out the Anunna-gods and sat them on thrones of gold, he sprinkled Ištar with water of life and took her into(?) her presence".