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Glittering water, pure water, Holy water, resplendent water, The water twice seven times may he bring, May he make pure, may he make resplendent. May the evil rabisu depart, May he betake himself outside, May the protecting shedu, the protecting lamassu, Settle upon his body. Spirit of heaven, be thou invoked! Spirit of earth, be thou invoked!
The names of many of them, as utukku, shedu, alu, gallu, point to 'strength' and 'greatness' as their main attribute; other names, as lilu, 'night-spirit, and the feminine form lilitu, are indicative of the moment chosen by them for their work; while again, names like ekimmu, the 'seizer, akhkhazu, the 'capturer, rabisu, 'the one that lies in wait, labartu, 'the oppressor, and labasu, 'the overthrower, show the aim that the demons have in view.
Utukku becomes a general name for demon, and gallu, alu, and shedu are either used synonymously with utukku or thrown together with the latter in a manner that clearly shows the general identity of the conceptions ultimately connected with them. The same is the case with the rabisu and gallu, with the labartu, akhkhazu, and ekimmu.
And a faithful servant of the king am I. I look hither, and I look thither, but it is not light; then I look to the king my lord, then there is light. A brick may be removed from its firm bed, but I move not away from the king’s feet. Let my lord the king ask Yanhamu, his rabisu. And to-day, let my lord the king ask his rabisu, I guard the gates of Gaza and of Joppa.
Bad dreams came at the instigation of the demons, and such a demon as the rabisu or the labartu appears to have been especially associated with the horrible sensations aroused by a 'nightmare. Again the utukku is represented at times as attacking the neck of man; the gallu attacks the hand, the ekimmu the loins, the alu the breast. But these distinctions count for little in the texts.
Immediately following the incantation comes one directed against the demons: I raise the torch, their images I burn, Of the utukku, the shedu, the rabisu, the ekimmu, The labartu, the labasi, the akhkhasu, Of lilu and lilitu and ardat lili, And every evil that seizes hold of men. Tremble, melt away, and disappear! The witch who has caused the evil may be unknown.
Then follows the incantation which he is to recite: The evil ulukku, alu, ekimmu, The evil gallu, the evil god, rabisu, Labartu, labasu, akhkhazu, Lilu and lilit and ardat lili, Sorcery, charm, bewitchment, The sickness, the cruel artifice, Their head against his head, Their hand against his hand, Their foot against his foot, May they not place, May they never draw nigh.
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