Genesis, chapter 1

1) ud ul diŋir-re-e-ne an ki im-ma-an-du3-ba ri-a
In those distant days when God (lit.=gods) created the heavens and the earth.

[A multi-page philological notation of this verse is forthcoming by the translator.]

The biblical Hebrew אֱלֹהִים is the plural form of el ‘god,’ but it takes singular verbal agreement in this verse. The Sumerian, here, is attempting to adapt the same syntactic principle by marking the N as plural, but the VP as singular.

For a discussion of prologues of Sumerian literary texts and a brief comparison with Akkadian ones, see Streck, Michael P. “Die Prologe der sumerischen Epen.” In Orentalia 71, no. 1 (2002): 189-266. Also consider the opening of “Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld” (GEN). For an updated collation and translation of GEN, see H.M. Marshall, ORACC (Forthcoming). Lastly, for the generation of a when-clause in Sumerian, see Gragg, Gene. “A Class of ‘When’ Clauses in Sumerian.” Journal of Near Eastern Studies 32, no. 1/2 (1973): 124–34. Gragg’s article, along with his monograph entitled Sumerian Dimensional Infixes, remains one of the most influential pieces of research concerning Sumerian grammar.

2) ki nu-ba-ab-du3 a-ab-ba-a ŋi6-am3 a-a lil2 diŋir-re-na-am3
The earth was not created, and there was darkness among the sea, and there was the Ghost of God among the waters.
3) diŋir-re-e-ne ud he2-eb-ŋal2 bi2-in-dug4 ud-am3
God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
4) diŋir-re-ne ud dug3-ga-am3 igi mu-un-bar-ra
diŋir-re-ne ud ŋi6-ta mu-un-ta-bad-ra2
God saw that the light was good. God opened the light from the darkness.

See GEN preamble.

5) diŋir-re-e-ne ud ud-am3 mu-un-pad-ra2
mu ŋi6-ga ŋi6-ga-am3 mu-un-pad-ra2
ŋi6-am3 ud-am3 ud diš-am3
God named the light “day,” and he named the darkness “night.” There was night. There was day. Being one day.
6) diŋir-re-e-ne ŋeš-he2 he2-eb-ŋal2
ŋeš-he2-e a a-ta a šag4 ba-ab-bad-ra2 bi2-in-dug4
God said, “Let there be a firmament, the firmament that will separate water from water, in the midst of the waters.”
7) diŋir-re-e-ne ŋeš-he2 a an-ta a-ta ba-ab-bad-ra2 im-ma-an-du3
ud-bi-ta ŋeš-he2 nu-ub-ba-ra-ŋal2 i3-ne-eš2 ŋeš-he2-ta ne-a ri-a ur5 he2-en-nam-ma-am3.
God made the firmament, one that separated the upper water from the water. Before, the firmament had not yet been. Now, under that firmament and on that day, it was indeed so.
8) diŋir-re-e-ne ŋeš-he2 an-am3 Vmma-an-pad-ra2 ŋi6-am3 ud-am3 ud min-am3
God called the firmament the “Heavens.” There was night, there was day, being the second day.
9) diŋir-re-e-ne a-a ki-a gu2 he2-be2-eb-ŋar-ra ki he2-be2-eb-pad-ra2 bi2-in-dug4
ud-bi-ta a ki nu-ub-ba-ra-ŋal2 i3-ne-eš2 an-ta ne-a ri-a ur5 he2-en-nam-ma-am3
God said, “Let the water be gathered in a place. Let land appear.” Before, water and land had not yet been. Now, under the Heavens and on that day, it was indeed so.
10) diŋir-re-e-ne ki ki im-ma-an-pad-ra2 a-a ba-ab-ŋar-ra a-ab-ba im-ma-an-pad-ra2 ud-bi-ta ki a-ab-ba nu-ub-ba-ra-ŋal2 i3-ne-eš an-ta ne-a ud-ri-a ur5 he2-en-nam-ma-am3 dug3-am3 igi im-ma-ab-bar
God called the land “Earth,” and he called the waters that were gathered “Sea.” Before, Earth and Sea had not yet been. Now, under the heavens and on that day, they were indeed so. God saw it was good.
11) diŋir-re-e-ne u2 ki-a he2-eb-ŋal2 bi2-ib-dug4
God said, “Let there be plants on the earth.”
12) ki-e u2-u2 im-tum2-tum2-tum2-tum2 ud-bi-ta u2 nu-ub-ŋal2 i3-ne-eš2 an-ta ud-ri-a ur5 he2-en-nam-ma-am3 dug3-am3 igi im-ma-ab-bar
The earth brought forth plants. Before, plants had not yet been. Now, under the Heavens and on that day, it was indeed so. God saw it was good.
13) ŋi6-am3 ud-am3 ud eš5-am3
There was night. There was day. The third day.
14) diŋir-re-e-ne mul ŋeš-he2 an-na-ka ud ŋi6-ta kud-re6-de3 he2-eb-ŋal2 ŋeškim ud itud mu-ka he2-eb-ŋal2 bi2-ib-dug4
God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the Heavens in order to separate day from night, and let them be a sign of day, month, and year.”
15) diŋir-re-e-ne mul ŋeš-he2 an-na-ka ki-a zalag-ge-de3 he2-eb-ŋal2 bi2-ib-dug4 ud-bi-ta mul nu-ub-ŋal2 i3-ne-eš2 mul-ta ud-ri-a ur5 he2-nam-ma-am3
God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the Heavens in order to shed light upon the Earth.” Before, the stars had not yet been. Now, under the stars and on that day, it was indeed so.
16) diŋir-re-e-ne mul gal-gal min-am3 im-ma-an-du3 mul gal-gal-gal-le ud bala-a mul gal-gal-le ŋi6 bala-a
God made two great stars: The greater star to rule the day and the lesser star to rule the night.
17) diŋir-re-e-ne mul-mul ŋeš-he2 an-na-ka ki-a zalag-ge-de3 im-ma-an-ŋar
God set the stars in the firmament of the Heavens in order to shed light upon the earth.
18) ud bal-le-de3 ŋi6 bal-le-de3 ud ŋi6-ta bad-re2-de3 ud-bi-ta mul mul gal-gal-gal mul gal-gal nu-ub-ŋal2-ŋal2 i3-ne-eš2 ud ne-a ud-ri-a ur5 he2-nam-ma-am3 dug3-am3 igi im-ma-ab-bar
in order to reign over the day and to reign over the night, in order to separate the light from the darkness. Before the stars, the greater star, and the lesser star had not yet been. Now, under the sun and on that day, it was indeed so. God saw that it was good.
19) ŋi6-am3 ud-am3 ud limmu-am3
There was night. There was day. The fourth day.
20) diŋir-re-e-ne zizna a-ab-ba-a mušen dal-a an-ta ŋeš-he2-eb-ŋal2 bi2-ib-dug4
God said, “Let there be a swarm in the Sea, and flying birds below heaven and among the firmament.”

Observe the sandhi writing of this ms., where the sign he2 is not only used for the subjunctive-optative MP. See Civil, M. “Modal Prefixes.” In Acta Sumerologica Japan 22 (2000).

21) diŋir-re-e-ne ta-an-ni-i-in zizna a-ab-ba-ab-du-a mušen-mušen im-ma-an-du3
“God created sea-dragons and swarms that move in the Sea and birds.”

Observe the sandhi writing of this ms., here, too.

22) diŋir-re-e-ne e-ne igi nam-til3-a-ni um-mi-ši-in-bar-ra-a enedi dug-ga gal-la ki-e bi2-ib-dug4 ud-bi-ta zizna mušen nu-ub-ŋal2 i3-ne-eš2
After God looked at them with his life-giving-look and said, “Have sex and multiply on the Earth.” Before, swarms and birds had not yet been. Now, under the sun and on that day, it was indeed so.

See the Gudea Statue C for the phrase igi nam-til3-a-ni bar.

In Biblical Hebrew, the verb to multiply is רבה, here rendered with the verb gal, also in the imperative.

23) ŋi6-am3 ud-am3 ud ia2-am3
There was night. There was day. The fifth day.
24) diŋir-re-e-ne ki maš2-anše he2-eb-tum2-tum2-tum2-tum2 bi2-ib-dug4
God said, “Let the Earth bring forth animals.”
25) diŋir-re-e-ne anše maš sila4 u8 eh-eh ki-a um-ma-an-du3 e-ne dug3-am3 igi im-ma-an-bar ud-bi-ta maš2-anše ki-a nu-ub-ŋal2-ŋal2 i3-ne-eš2 ud-ta ud-ri-a he2-nam-ma-am3
After God created animals, he saw it was good. Before, animals of the Earth had not yet been. Now, under the sun and on that day, it was indeed so.
26) diŋir-re-e-ne lu2-lu7 alam-me-a ga-am-ma-du3-enden lu2-lu7 ku6 a-ab-ba-a mušen an-na maš2-anše eh-eh ki-ka im-bala-la
God said, “We are going to make mankind in our image, and mankind will reign over the fish of the Sea, the birds of the Heavens, livestock, and the insects of the Earth.”
27) diŋir-re-e-ne lu2-lu7 alan-na im-ma-an-du3 lu2-lu7 alan diŋir-re-e-ne-ka im-ma-an-du3 uš munus im-ma-an-du3
God created mankind,
He created mankind in his image,
in the image of God he created mankind,
Man and woman he created.

The scribe offers a coy, flirtatious rendition of this verse, rendering the Biblical Hebrew’s זכר and נקבה for “male” and “female,” respectively, in the cuneiform but uses the signs for penis and pudenda (uš and munus, respectively).

28) diŋir-re-e-ne e-ne igi nam-til3-a-ni um-mi-ši-in-bar-ra-a enedi dug-ga gal-la ki si-a bala-a ku6 a-ab-ba-a mušen an-na niŋ2 zi-zi ki-e du-a bala-a im-ma-an-ne-en-dug4
After God looked at them with his life-giving-gaze, God said, “Have sex, multiply, and fill and reign over the earth; have dominion over the fish of the Sea, the birds of the Heavens, and all living things on the Earth that move.”
29) diŋir-re-e-ne igi du8-a u2-u2 numun igi ki-ka utud-da ŋešnimbar-ne numun zu2-lum-ma-da e-ne im-ma-ra-šum-ma-ne-ne gu7-a
God said to them, “Observe! I have given to you both plants that bear seed on the face of all the earth, and date-palm trees with seeds in the dates. Eat them!
30) maš2-anše ki-ka-še3 mušen-mušen an-na-še3 eh-eh ki-ka-še3 niŋ2-niŋ2 lil2 zi-ka-ka u2-u2 gu7-e-de3 im-ma-ra-šum2-en im-ma-an-ne-dug4 ud-bi-ta lu-lu7 nu-ub-ŋal2 i3-ne-eš ud-ta ne-a ud-ri-a ur5 he2-nam-ma-am3
and to every animal of the earth, to every bird of the Heavens, to every insect of the earth, to every thing of the breath of life I have given to you both in order to eat.” Before, mankind had not yet been. Now, under that sun and on that day, it was indeed so.
31) diŋir-re-e-ne niŋ2-niŋ2-ŋa2 im-ma-an-du3-a igi im-ma-an-bar dug3-dug3-dug3-dug3-am3 ŋi6-am3 ud-am3 ud aš-am3
God saw everything that he made, and it was very good. There was night. There was day. The sixth day.