Information about the Hittites

Plague Prayer of Mursili II, 4th Version Plague Prayer of Muršili II, 4^th Version
CTH 378.4

Ed. Götze, Albrecht, "Die Pestgebete des Muršiliš", Kleinasiatische Forschungen, Band 1 (1930) 161-251

§1
Oh gods, my lords; the magnificent Storm God, the two^? lords of the town of Landa, divine Yarri, the gods of the town of Ḫatti, the gods of the town of Arinna, the gods of the town of Zippalanda, the gods of the town of Tuwanuwa, the gods of the town of Ḫupišna, the gods of the town of Durmitta, the gods of the town of Ankuwa, the gods of the town of Šamuḫa, the Storm God of the town of Šarišša, the gods of the town of Šarišša, the gods of the town of Ḫurma, the gods of the town of Ḫanḫana, the gods of the town of Karaḫna, the gods of the town of Ellaya, divine Kamrušepa of the town of Taniwanda, the gods of the town of Zarruiša, the Storm God of the town of Liḫzina, the tutelary deity of the camp of the father, My Sun, who is in the town of Maraššantiya, divine Uliliyašši of the town of Parmanna, the gods of the town of Kattila, the Storm God of the town of Ḫašuna, the gods of divine Muwa-[. . .], the gods of the town of Zazziša, the divine Telipinus, the antu-[. . .] houses in the midst of the land is held away, the gods of the town of Šalpa, the Storm God of the town of Arziya

§2
Oh gods, my lords, I, Muršili, [your servant], your priest, will now pray to you. For which matter I will pray to you, hold forth an ear to me, and hear me!

§3
Oh gods, my lords, from of old you were turned towards the people. You had [not] abandoned the people. You greatly [protected^?] the people. Your servants of the god were plentiful, and they [continually] completed the thick bread (offerings) and libations. [Later^?] you turned [from] the people, oh gods, [my] lords. The land of Ḫatti came to be injured in the time of my grandfather. [It] became^? [destroyed] by means of the enemy. The people became few from death. Your [servants] became few! [Oh gods], my lords, [of whom] your temple [did not exist], and of whom [the temple] was destroyed, who [. . .] to the god [. . .] was destroyed. [. . . was destroyed.] [No] one performed [it] for you.

§4
When my [father] became king, you [gods], my lords, stepped before him. He resettled the empty land for the second time. You gods, my lords, in whatever temple [. . .] had not existed. What god had disappeared, where my father conquered, he rebuilt it (i.e. the god's temple), and where he did not conquer, he did not rebuild it. You gods, [my] lords, did not hinder my father in any way, and you did not hinder me in any way. But now you have hindered me!

§5
When it came about that my father went into the land of Egypt, from the day of Egypt a plague became permanent in the midst of the land of Ḫatti. The population of the land of Ḫatti has been dying from it. My father kept inquiring by oracle, but he did not find you gods, my lords, by (any) oracle. I, too, kept inquiring by oracle to you, and I, too, did not find you gods, my lords, by (any) oracle.

§6
(Broken. Only isolated words remain of the following paragraphs.)

§18'
[. . .] I would have rebuilt it for [the gods], my lords, by means of either the land or the troops and chariotry, just as I again set in order (the cults of) the gods. But now because the house, the land, the troops, and the chariotry are dying, from what will I again set (the cults of) you gods in order?

(Break)

§19'
Because it is dying, from what will I again set you (gods) in order? Therefore, oh gods, take pity on me from this [plea]! Come to my aid! Moreover send the plague out of [the land] (and) whatever village the dying is occurring in! Bring wellbeing! And in whatever village is made well, may the plague not go back! Thus [I said] in my soul, "Just as is this matter of the god, my father [did not find it] by means of an oracle, and I did not find it [by means of an oracle]. The land of Ḫatti [inquired by oracle], and [now] he [found (it)] by means of an oracle! [I^? made] a prayer. [. . .]

(Break)

§20'
38'    Oh gods, my lords [. . .]
39'    this [. . .]
40'    [. . .]
41'    from the land [may you] send^? [. . .]
42'    the plague

					Why?
	Plague Prayer of Mursili II, 4th Version Plague Prayer of Muršili II, 4^th Version CTH 378.4 Ed. Götze, Albrecht, "Die Pestgebete des Muršiliš", Kleinasiatische Forschungen, Band 1 (1930) 161-251 §1 Oh gods, my lords; the magnificent Storm God, the two^? lords of the town of Landa, divine Yarri, the gods of the town of Ḫatti, the gods of the town of Arinna, the gods of the town of Zippalanda, the gods of the town of Tuwanuwa, the gods of the town of Ḫupišna, the gods of the town of Durmitta, the gods of the town of Ankuwa, the gods of the town of Šamuḫa, the Storm God of the town of Šarišša, the gods of the town of Šarišša, the gods of the town of Ḫurma, the gods of the town of Ḫanḫana, the gods of the town of Karaḫna, the gods of the town of Ellaya, divine Kamrušepa of the town of Taniwanda, the gods of the town of Zarruiša, the Storm God of the town of Liḫzina, the tutelary deity of the camp of the father, My Sun, who is in the town of Maraššantiya, divine Uliliyašši of the town of Parmanna, the gods of the town of Kattila, the Storm God of the town of Ḫašuna, the gods of divine Muwa-[. . .], the gods of the town of Zazziša, the divine Telipinus, the antu-[. . .] houses in the midst of the land is held away, the gods of the town of Šalpa, the Storm God of the town of Arziya §2 Oh gods, my lords, I, Muršili, [your servant], your priest, will now pray to you. For which matter I will pray to you, hold forth an ear to me, and hear me! §3 Oh gods, my lords, from of old you were turned towards the people. You had [not] abandoned the people. You greatly [protected^?] the people. Your servants of the god were plentiful, and they [continually] completed the thick bread (offerings) and libations. [Later^?] you turned [from] the people, oh gods, [my] lords. The land of Ḫatti came to be injured in the time of my grandfather. [It] became^? [destroyed] by means of the enemy. The people became few from death. Your [servants] became few! [Oh gods], my lords, [of whom] your temple [did not exist], and of whom [the temple] was destroyed, who [. . .] to the god [. . .] was destroyed. [. . . was destroyed.] [No] one performed [it] for you. §4 When my [father] became king, you [gods], my lords, stepped before him. He resettled the empty land for the second time. You gods, my lords, in whatever temple [. . .] had not existed. What god had disappeared, where my father conquered, he rebuilt it (i.e. the god's temple), and where he did not conquer, he did not rebuild it. You gods, [my] lords, did not hinder my father in any way, and you did not hinder me in any way. But now you have hindered me! §5 When it came about that my father went into the land of Egypt, from the day of Egypt a plague became permanent in the midst of the land of Ḫatti. The population of the land of Ḫatti has been dying from it. My father kept inquiring by oracle, but he did not find you gods, my lords, by (any) oracle. I, too, kept inquiring by oracle to you, and I, too, did not find you gods, my lords, by (any) oracle. §6 (Broken. Only isolated words remain of the following paragraphs.) §18' [. . .] I would have rebuilt it for [the gods], my lords, by means of either the land or the troops and chariotry, just as I again set in order (the cults of) the gods. But now because the house, the land, the troops, and the chariotry are dying, from what will I again set (the cults of) you gods in order? (Break) §19' Because it is dying, from what will I again set you (gods) in order? Therefore, oh gods, take pity on me from this [plea]! Come to my aid! Moreover send the plague out of [the land] (and) whatever village the dying is occurring in! Bring wellbeing! And in whatever village is made well, may the plague not go back! Thus [I said] in my soul, "Just as is this matter of the god, my father [did not find it] by means of an oracle, and I did not find it [by means of an oracle]. The land of Ḫatti [inquired by oracle], and [now] he [found (it)] by means of an oracle! [I^? made] a prayer. [. . .] (Break) §20' 38' Oh gods, my lords [. . .] 39' this [. . .] 40' [. . .] 41' from the land [may you] send^? [. . .] 42' the plague