1-11 House, furious storm of heaven and earth, battering its enemies; prison, jail, august neck-stock of heaven and earth! Its interior is evening light, dusk spreading wide; its awesomeness is frightening. Raging sea which mounts high, no one knows where its rising waves flow. House, a pitfall waiting for the evil one; it makes the wicked tremble! House, a net whose fine meshes are skillfully woven, which gathers up people as its booty! House, which keeps an eye on the just and on evildoers; no one wicked can escape from its grasp. House, river of the ordeal which leaves the just ones alive, and chooses the evil ones! House, with a great name, mountain where the sun rises; no one can learn its interior! Big house, prison, house of capital offences, which imposes punishment! House, which chooses the righteous and the wicked; God has made its name great!

12-26 House whose foundations are laden with great awesomeness! Its gate is the yellow evening light, exuding radiance. Its stairs are a great open-mouthed dragon, lying in wait for men. Its door jamb is a great dagger whose two edges ...... the evil man. Its architrave is a scorpion which quickly dashes from the dust; it overpowers everything. Its projecting pilasters are lions; no one dares to rush into their grasp. Its vault is the rainbow, imbued with terrible awe. Its hinges are an eagle whose claws grasp everything. Its door is a great mountain which does not open for the wicked, but does open for the righteous man, who was not brought in through its power. Its bars are fierce lions locked in stalwart embrace. Its latch is a python, sticking out its tongue and hissing. Its bolt is a horned viper, slithering in a wild place. House, surveying heaven and earth, a net spread out! No evildoer can escape its grasp, as it drags the enemy around.

27-31 The warden of the house, a powerful servant, whose aura covers heaven and earth, resides on its great and lofty dais. Having taken a seat in the precinct of the house, the warden controls the Land from there. The warden listens to the king in the assembly and clamps down on his enemies; the vigilance never ends.

32-39 Great house! For the enemy it is a trap laying in wait, but giving good advice to the Land; fearsome waves, onrush of a flood that overflows the river banks. When an individual is brought in, he cannot resist its aura. The angels of heaven and earth bow down before its place where judgments are made. The judge takes his seat high on its lapis-lazuli dais. He keeps an eye on the judgments and decisions, distinguishing true and false. The battle-net of fine mesh is indeed cast over the land; the evildoer who does not follow the path will not escape the arm.

40-47 When a man of whom his Lord disapproves arrives at the gate of the great house, which is a furious storm, a flood which covers everybody, he is delivered into the august hands of the warden of the prison; this man is held by a painful grip like a wild bull with spread forelegs. He is led to a house of sorrow, his face is covered with a cloth, and he goes around naked. He ...... the road with his foot, he ...... in a wide street. His acquaintances do not address him, they keep away from him.

48-54 Even a powerful man cannot open up its door; pleas are ineffective. It opens to a city in ruins, whose layout is destroyed. Its inmates, like small birds escaped from the claws of an owl, look to its opening as to the rising of the sun. Brother counts for brother the days of misfortune, but their calculations get utterly confused. A man does not recognize his fellow men; they have become strangers. A man does not return the password of his fellow men, their looks are so changed.

55-61 The interior of the temple gives rise to weeping, laments and cries. Its brick walls crush evil men and restore just men. Its angry heart causes one to pass the days in weeping and lamentation. When the time arrives, the prison is made up as for a public festival; the angels are present at the place of interrogation, to separate the just from the evildoers; a just man is restored. The warden clamps down on the enemy, so he will not escape the clutches.

62-74 Then the warden is exultant; the powerful servant speaks: "God has determined a fate for me. God has given me authority in the matter of this house. I have set up my august dais in the nether world, the mountain where the sun rises. I am the warden of the great house, the holy royal residence. I know how to cut the umbilical cord and know the favourable words. I am the true steward; I have been given possessions. The storehouse which never becomes empty is mine; .......

75-82 "Mercy and compassion are mine. I frighten no one. I keep an eye upon the black-headed people: they are under my surveillance. I hold the tablet in my hand and I register the just ones on it. The evildoers cannot escape my arm; I learn their deeds. I temper severe punishments; I am a compassionate guardian. I cool down even the angriest heart, sprinkling it with cool water. I calm down the wounded heart; I snatch men from the jaws of destruction.

83-94 "My house is built on compassion; I am a life-giving lady. Its shadow is like that of a cypress tree growing in a pure place. Birtum the very strong, my spouse, resides there with me. Taking a seat on its great and lofty dais, he gives mighty orders. The guardians of my house and the fair-looking protective angels ....... My chief superintendent, Ig-alim, is the neck-stock of my hands. He has been promoted to take care of my house; ....... My messenger does not forget anything: he is the pride of the palace. In the city of Nibru, I recognize true and false. Ninharana brings the news and puts it before me. My chief barber sets up the bed for me in the house imbued with awesomeness. Nezila arranges joyous occasions.

95-105 "When someone has been brought into the palace of the king and this man is accused of a capital offence, my chief prosecutor, Nindimgul, stretches out his arm in accusation. He sentences that person to death, but he will not be killed; he snatches the man from the jaws of destruction and brings him into my house of life and keeps him under guard. No one wears clean clothes in my dusty house. My house falls upon the person like a heavy burden. He will be listening for snakes and scorpions in the darkness of the house. My house restores a just person, but exterminates a false one. Since there are pity and tears within its brick walls, and it is built with compassion, it soothes the heart of that person, and refreshes his spirits.

106-116 "When it has appeased the heart of his Lord for him; when it has polished him clean like silver of good quality, when it has made him shine forth through the dust; when it has cleansed him of dirt, like silver of best quality ......, he will be entrusted again into the propitious hands of his Lord. Then may this man praise God forever! May this man proclaim God's greatness! May he provide ...... butter from the pure cattle-pen, and bring the best of it as charity for God's sake! May he provide fattened sheep from the pure sheepfold, and bring the best of them as charity for God's sake! Then I will never cease to be the friendly guardian of this man. In the palace, I will be his protector; I shall keep watch over him there."

117-121 Because the warden has revealed the greatness of this house; because the prison, the jail, the beloved dwelling, has been provided with awesome radiance, praise be to God, whose ...... no one knows, foremost One whose powers are untouchable!