Long before the great philosophies of Greece, the temples of Babylon sang a story of a god whose anger threatened to undo creation. Erra, lord of plague and scorching heat, is restless; the Seven Warrior Gods urge him to arms; and one small voice — Ishum the counselor — counsels mercy as the world topples around them. The Erra Epic is one of the oldest spiritual poems in human memory, written down around the eighth century BCE and recited in the temples of Babylon to soothe the fury of the gods. Strikingly modern in its questions, it asks how divine violence can be checked, why cities fall, and what mercy looks like in a ruined landscape. This edition brings its five ancient tablets into clear, present-day English, honoring the old words without losing the living drama. Open it, and hear the oldest story of destruction and deliverance. Part of The World Scriptures Library.