Page:Laws of Hammurabi, King of Babylonia.djvu/31

Rh My words are well considered, my wisdom has not its equal; upon the laws of Shamash, the great judge of heaven and earth, righteousness is to rise up in the land; upon the word of Marduk, my master, to my monument destruction is not to happen. In the Sagila that I love, shall my name be for ever, the avenging one, who has judicial matters [not litigation], shall come for the picture of the king of righteousness, shall read the inscription and understand my valuable words, the inscription shall show him [shall explain him its affairs], his justice he shall see [find], his heart shall become joyous [so that he shall say], "Hammurabi is a sovereign, he is a father to his subjects; to the world of Marduk he has furnished a representative for the word of Marduk; he is known above and below [north and south]; the heart of Marduk, his master, he has given joy, for ever has supplied well-being to his subjects; he has brought the land into order." When he has read the record, he is to pray before Marduk, my sovereign, and Zarpanit, my sovereigness, pray with a full heart, then will the protecting deities of the gods who walk in the Sagila thoughts daily speak graciously before Marduk, daily before Marduk, my master, and Zarpanit, my mistress.

If later, perpetually and for ever, the king, who is in the country, shall the words of righteousness which upon my monument I have written, observe, the law of the country that I have given, the decisions that I have ordered, he shall not change, my memorial not injure. If this prince has wisdom and is able to keep his country in order he shall observe the words that I have written in the inscription; standards of conduct and statutes and the law of the land that I have given, the decisions which I have rendered shall the inscriptions show him; his subjects he shall rule according to them [by them], he shall speak justice for them, shall render decisions, he shall weed out of the country wicked and mischievous ones, he shall furnish to his subjects well-being, Hammurabi, the king of righteousness, Shamash presented with the right, am I. My words are well [weighed], my deeds have not their equal to subjugate [reduce] the high one, to humble the proud one, to drive out the haughty. If that prince heeds my words which I have written in my inscription and does not injure my law, and does not misunderstand my words, does not injure my memorial, so may to that prince as to me, the king of righteousness, Shamash, make his rule long, his subjects he shall rule in justice. If that prince does not heed my words which I have written in my inscription he shall have my curse and contempt; does not fear the curse of the gods, defaces the law that I have given, falsifies my words, changes my memorial, extinguishes my name, writes down his name, or on account of those curses despises anyone, that person, with a king or master, Patesi (?) or citizen, whatever his name, great god-father of the gods, who has ordained by sovereignty, let him withdraw the splendor of the kingdom from him, break his scepter, curse his aptness; Bêl, the master, who determines the aptness [suitability] whose order is not changed, who makes my kingdom large, the insurrection which his hand does not control, the wind of his downfall shall he let blow against his towns, years of governmental oppression, short duration of life, years of famine, a darkness without light, a death with seeing eyes, he is to determine for him his fate, the downfall of his city, the insurrection of his subjects, the abolition of his sovereignty, the oblivion of his name and memory, may decree with his weighty mouth. Beltis, the great mother, whose orders are weighty in the E-kur, the mistress who pays good