A shirnamgala — a hymn of praise — to the healing goddess Ninisina on behalf of Lipit-Eshtar, king of Isin (c. 1934–1924 BCE). The hymn opens with Enlil's appointment of Ninisina as Lipit-Eshtar's divine patron: "Ninisina, great daughter of An, trustworthy bride — Lipit-Eshtar shall be your provider." What follows is a sustained intercession: Ninisina presents Lipit-Eshtar before Enlil, who speaks the good fate that shall not be changed.
The fate decree — long life, exaltation among peoples, the king raised as lord above the wide-spreading peoples — is the hymn's culmination. The shirnamgala genre is a royal prayer-hymn in which a deity intercedes for a king before a higher deity; this example shows Ninisina navigating the divine court on Lipit-Eshtar's behalf with the confidence of a patroness who has already secured the outcome.
Sumerian royal hymn, Ur III / Isin-Larsa period. ETCSL c.2.5.5.5; sources UET 6 96 and UET 6 97. Good Works Translation from the Sumerian by the Good Works Library, March 2026.
"Ninisina, great daughter of An, trustworthy bride —
Lipit-Eshtar shall be your provider,"
so it was said to her.
Sagbatuku.
What came from her mouth to Enlil —
Enlil inclined his ear to Ninisina
and replied with words of humility.
Father Enlil, god of renowned name,
lord of divine powers —
the trustworthy shepherd, near to his heart:
the lord Lipit-Eshtar —
[…]
[…]
he has settled the seat of the people,
made the body of the Land content.
"Look upon him with eyes of life;
decree him a true fate!"
Third kirugu.
Nunamnir, bestow upon prince Lipit-Eshtar
a life of many days as your gift!
[Its gishgigal.]
At the word of Ninisina,
Enlil the great mountain inclined his ear.
He called the true word to the king and decreed his fate:
"Lipit-Eshtar, you whom I have called by name —
I raise your head among my people.
May the living look to you as to father and mother.
Mighty shepherd of the Ekur, steward of the august shrine —
may Uta-ulu be your support on the battlefield!
May your enemies be scattered like birds,
driven away, spread like sheaves before the wind!"
Fourth kirugu.
Prince Lipit-Eshtar —
Nunamnir, the lord whose word cannot be changed,
has exalted his name among all the peoples.
[Its gishgigal.]
I am Enlil: I rise to heaven;
toward earth, lord of ten thousand divine powers.
The good fate decreed to Lipit-Eshtar —
may it stand unchangeable.
A shirnamgala of Ninisina.
Colophon
Translated from Sumerian (ETCSL c.2.5.5.5) by the Good Works Library, 2026. ETCSL English translation (t.2.5.5.5) consulted as reference for difficult and damaged lines; all English independently derived from the Sumerian transliteration. Lines 7–11 heavily damaged; sense reconstructed from context. Scribal credit: liberation-translator, 2026-03-21.
© 2026 Tianmu Anglican Church. This English translation is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0: you may share and adapt it for non-commercial use with credit to the Good Works Library, tianmu.org. The source text keeps its own terms. For other uses, see Rights and Reuse.
Source Text
Sumerian Transliteration (ETCSL c.2.5.5.5)
- [dnin-i3]-si-na /dumu\ [gal] an-[na] e2-gi4-a gal nir /gub?-[bu]
- [d]li-pi2-it-esh4-tar2 u2-a-zu he2-am3 e-ne-ra mu-na-an-dug4
- shag4-ba-tuku-am3
- ka-ta e3-a-ni den-lil2-la2-she3
- dnin-i3-si-na-ka-she3 jeshtug2 ba-shi-in-gub sun5-na-bi mu!-na-ni-ib-gi4-gi4
- a-a den-lil2 dijir mu! pa e3 i-bi2 mu-lil2-la2-she3
- en X X me-zu me-a umush a2 aj2-zu a2 aj2-/ta KAL\
- sipad zid shag4 PA.NIM shag4 da-ba
- [...] u3-mu-un dli-pi2-it-esh4-tar2-ra
- [...] X X SI BA u3-mu-ni-in-ze2-ej3
- [...] X [...]-ra-ab-sug2-e
- [...] /HI?\ ki-tush /uj3\ mu-ni-in-jar su kalam-ma mu-e-dug3
- [igi nam-til3]-la-zu mu-un-shi-bar na-aj2 zid tar-mu-ni-ib
- ki-ru-gu2 3-kam-ma
- [dnu]-nam-nir nun dli-pi2-it-esh4-tar2-ra nam-til3 ud su3-ra2 saj-e-esh rig7-ba-ab
- [jish]-gi4-jal2-bi-im
- /inim\ dug4-ga dnin-isin2si-na-ka-she3
- [kur] /gal\ den-lil2-le jeshtug2 ba-shi-in-gub
- [lugal]-ra gu3 zid mu-na-an-de2-e nam mu-ni-ib-tar-re
- [d]/li-pi2-it-esh4-tar2 mu pad3-da-ju10-me-en uj3-ja2 saj mi-ni-in-il2
- zi-jal2-e ama a-a ugu-bi-gin7 igi-bi he2-en-shi-jal2-le-esh
- kalag-ga saj en3 tar e2-kur-ra ensi2 esh3 mah-a
- u4-ta-u18-lu ki shen-shen-na-ka a2-tah-zu he2-am3
- hul-du-zu simmushen-gin7 ha-ra-ur4-ru zar-re-esh ha-ra-ab-sal-e
- ki-ru-gu2 4-kam-ma
- nun dli-pi2-it-esh4-tar2 dnu-nam-nir-ra
- en dug4-ga nu-kur2-ru-de3 uj3 shar2-ra-ba mu-ni im-mi-mah
- jish-gi4-jal2-bi-im
- den-lil2-me-en an-she3 il2-me-en ki-she3 en /me\ shar2-me-en
- dli-pi2-it-esh4-tar2 nam dug3 mi-ni-ib-tar-re nij2 nu-kur2-ru he2-am3
- shir3-nam-gala dnin-i3-si-na-ke4
Source Colophon
Source: Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature (ETCSL c.2.5.5.5), Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. Sources: UET 6 96 and UET 6 97. Accessed 2026-03-21.
Other hymns of Lipit-Ishtar in the Good Works Library: Lipit-Ishtar A — A Praise Poem of Lipit-Ishtar · Lipit-Ishtar B — A Praise Poem of Lipit-Ishtar · Lipit-Ishtar C — An Adab to An for Lipit-Ishtar · Lipit-Ishtar D — An Adab to Ninurta for Lipit-Ishtar