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I have not withdrawn myself from the men, whom Bel gave to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, 8 with the

keen vision with which Ea endowed me, 9 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 declare

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.

The king who rules among the kings of the cities am I. My

words are well considered; there is no wisdom like 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

have 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; 10 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 evil-doers and criminals from this land, and grant prosperity

to his subjects.

Hammurabi, the king of righteousness, on whom Shamash

has conferred the 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 does not esteem my words, which I have written in

my inscription, if he despises my curses, and fears not the

curse of God, if he destroys the law which I have given, corrupts

my words, changes my monument, effaces my name, writes

his name there, or on account of the curses commissions

another to do so, that man, whether king or ruler, patesi, 11 or

commoner, no matter what he be, may the great God (Anu), the

Father of the gods, 1 who has ordered my rule, withdraw from

him the glory of royalty, break his scepter, curse his destiny.

May Bel, 2 the lord, who fixes 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, 12 the great Mother, whose command is potent in

E-Kur, 13 the Mistress, who harkens graciously to my petitions,

in the seat of judgment and decision, 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, 4 the great ruler, whose fated decrees come to pass,

the thinker of the gods, the omniscient, who makes 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, 6 the great Judge of heaven and earth, who supports 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; may

he be deprived of water above among the living, and his spirit below in the

earth.

May Sin, 14 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, 15 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, 16 the great warrior, the first-born son of E-Kur, who goes 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, 17 the goddess of fighting and war, who unfetters my weapons,

my gracious protecting spirit, who loves 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, 18 the might among the gods, whose contest is irresistible, May Nergal, 18 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, 19 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, 20 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.

May he lament the loss of his life-power, and may the great gods of heaven

and earth, the Anunaki, 21 altogether inflict a curse and evil upon the confines

of the temple, the walls of this E-barra (the Sun temple of Sippara), 22 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.

Translated by L.W. King (1910)

Edited and footnotes by Richard Hoo