The Šuilla (Hand-Lifting Prayer)

The shuilla — literally 'lifting of the hand' — is the classic Mesopotamian prayer of personal petition. The worshipper raises their hands and addresses a great god: first praising the god's power and mercy, then laying out their trouble, begging relief from sickness, sin, or the anger of a god, and promising future praise. These prayers were typically embedded in rituals conducted by the exorcist-priest (ashipu). Dignified, intimate, and formally structured, they are among the most moving texts of Mesopotamian piety — the voice of an individual reaching up to a god for help.