(i 1) God Aššur, great lord, king of all the great gods; god Anu, king of the Igīgū and Anunnakū gods, lord of the lands; god Enlil, father of the gods, who decrees destinies, who devises the designs of heaven (and) underworld; god Ea, wise one, king of the apsû, creator of clever devices; god Sîn, light of heaven (and) underworld, the noble one; god Šamaš, judge of the (four) quarters, who leads aright humankind; goddess Ištar, mistress of war and battle, whose game is fighting; the great gods, who love my sovereignty, who have made great my dominion, power, and leadership, (who) have richly established for me my honorable name (and) my lofty command over all lords;

(i 5) Shalmaneser, king of all people, prince, vice-regent of Aššur, strong king, king of Assyria, king of all the four quarters, sun(god) of all people, ruler of all lands, the king (who is the) desired object of the gods, chosen of the god Enlil, trustworthy appointee of Aššur, attentive prince, who has seen remote and rugged regions, who has trodden upon the mountain peaks in all the highlands, receiver of booty and tax from all the (four) quarters, who opens paths above and below, at whose strong attack for combat the (four) quarters are distressed (and at) whose warlike ferocity the lands are convulsed down to their foundations, strong male who acts with the support of Aššur (and) the god Šamaš, the gods his allies, and has no rival among the princes of the four quarters, magnificent king of lands, who has kept progressing by difficult ways through mountains and seas;

(i 11) son of Ashurnasirpal (II), appointee of the god Enlil, vice-regent of Aššur, whose priesthood was pleasing to the gods and (who) subdued all lands at his feet, pure offspring of Tukultī-Ninurta (II), who slew all his enemies and annihilated (them) like a flood:

(i 12b) When Aššur, the great lord, chose me in his steadfast heart (and) with his holy eyes and named me for the shepherdship of Assyria, he put in my grasp a strong weapon which fells the insubordinate, he crowned me with a lofty crown, (and) he sternly commanded me to exercise dominion over and to subdue all the lands insubmissive to Aššur.

(i 14b) At that time, in my accession year (and) in my first regnal year, after I nobly ascended the royal throne, I mustered my chariots and troops. I entered the pass of the land Simesi (and) approached the city Aridu, the fortified city of Ninnu. I besieged the city, captured (it), massacred many of his (people), (and) carried off booty from him. I erected a tower of heads in front of the city (and) burned their adolescent boys (and) girls. While I was residing in the same city, Aridu, I received tribute from the people of the lands/mountains Ḫargu, Harmasa, Simesi, Simerra, Sirišu, (and) Ulmānu: teams of horses, oxen, sheep, (and) wine.

(i 18b) Moving on from the city Aridu, I smashed out with copper picks rough paths in rugged mountains which rose perpendicularly to the sky like the points of daggers. I moved (my) chariots (and) troops over (these paths) (and) approached the city Ḫubuškia. I burned the city Ḫubuškia together with 100 cities in its environs. Kakia, king of the land Nairi, and the remainder of his troops became frightened in the face of the flash of my weapons and took to rugged mountains (for refuge). I climbed up the mountains after them. I waged mighty war in the mountains (and) defeated them. I brought back chariots, troops, (and) teams of horses from the mountains. Overwhelmed by fear of the radiance of Aššur, my lord, they came down (and) submitted to me. I imposed upon them tribute and tax.

(i 23b) Moving on from the city Ḫubuškia I approached the city Sugunia, the fortified city of Aramu the Urarṭian. I besieged the city, captured (it), massacred many of their (people), (and) carried off booty from them. I erected a tower of heads in front of his city. I burned fourteen cities in their environs.

(i 25b) Moving on from the city Sugunia, I went down to the sea of the land Nairi. I washed my weapons in the sea (and) made sacrifices to my gods. At that time, I made an image of myself (and) wrote thereon the praises of Aššur, the great lord, my lord, and the prowess of my power. I erected (it) by the sea. On my return from the sea I received tribute from Asû, the Gilzānean: horses oxen sheep, wine, (and) two camels with two 'humps: (and) brought (it) to my city Aššur.

(i 29b) On the thirteenth day of the month Ayyāru I moved out from Nineveh, crossed the Tigris, traversed Mounts Ḫasamu and Diḫnunu, (and) approached the city Laʾlaʾtu, which belonged to Aḫunu, the man of Bīt-Adini. Overwhelmed by fear of the radiance of Aššur, my lord, they fled upstream/higher to save their lives. I razed, destroyed, (and) burned the city. Moving on from the city Laʾlaʾtu I approached the city Tīl-Barsip, the fortified city of Aḫunu, the man of Bīt-Adini. Trusting in the strength of his troops Aḫunu, the man of Bīt-Adini, advanced aggressively to make war and battle. With the support of Aššur and the great gods, my lords, I fought with him (and) defeated him. I confined him to his city. Moving on from the city Tīl-Barsip I approached the city Burmarʾina, which belonged to Aḫunu, the man of Bīt-Adini. I besieged the city, captured (it), (and) felled 300 of their fighting men with the sword. I erected a tower of heads in front of his city. In the course of my progress I received tribute from Ḫapinu, the Tīl-abnīan, from Gaʾunu, the Sarugean, from Giri-Adad, the Immerinaean: silver, gold, oxen, sheep, (and) wine.

(i 36b) Moving on from the city Burmarʾina I crossed the Euphrates in rafts (made of inflated) goatskins. I received tribute from Qatazilu, the Kummuḫite: silver, gold, oxen, sheep, (and) wine. I (then) approached the city Paqaraḫubunu, one of the cities belonging to Aḫunu, the man of Bīt-Adini, which is on the opposite bank of the Euphrates. I defeated his land (and) laid waste his cities. I filled the wide plain with the corpses (lit. “defeat”) of his warriors by felling I ,300 of his combat troops with the sword.

(i 40) Moving on from the city Paqaraḫubunu, I approached the cities of Mutallu, the Gurgumite. I received tribute from Mutallu, the Gurgumite: silver, gold, oxen, sheep, wine, (and) his daughter with her rich dowry.

(i 41b) Moving on from the city Gurgum I approached the city Lutibu, the fortified city of Hayyānu the Samʾalite. ljaiianu, the Samʾalite, Sapalulme, the Patinean, Aḫunu, the man of Bīt-Adini, (and) Sangara, the Carchemishite, put their trust in each other and prepared for war. They attacked me to do battle. With the exalted might of the divine standard which goes before me (and) with the fierce weapons which Aššur my lord gave to me, I fought (and) defeated them. I felled their fighting men with the sword, rained down upon them destruction (lit. “flood”) as the god Adad would, piled up their (bodies) in ditches, filled the extensive plain with the corpses of their warriors, (and) with their blood I dyed the mountain red like red wool. I took from them (lit. “him”) numerous chariots (and) teams of horses. I erected a tower of heads in front of his city (and) razed, destroyed, (and) burned his cities. At that time I praised the greatness of the great gods (and) made manifest the heroism of Aššur and the god Šamaš for posterity, by creating a colossal royal statue of myself (and) writing thereon about my heroic deeds and victorious actions. I erected (it) before the source of the River Saluara, at the foot of the Amanus range.

(i 51b) Moving on from the Amanus range I crossed the Orontes River (and) approached the city Aliṣir (or Alimuš), the fortified city of Sapalulme, the Patinean. To save his life Sapalulmu, the Patinean, received into his armed forces Aḫunu, the man of Bīt-Adini, Sangara, the Carchemishite, Hayyānu, the Samʾalite, Katê (Katea), the Quean, Piḫirim, the Ḫilukean, Bur-Anate, the Iasbuqean, (and) Adānu, the Iaḫanean. By the command of Aššur my lord (ii 1) I scattered their assembled forces. I besieged the city, captured (it), (and) carried off valuable booty from them, (namely) numerous chariots (and) teams of horses. I felled 700 of their fighting men with the sword. In the midst of this battle (ii 5) I captured Bur-Anate, the Iasbuqean. I captured the great cities of the Patinean. I overwhelmed [the cities on the shore of the] upper [sea] of the land Amurru, also called the western sea, (so that they looked) like ruin hills (created by) the deluge. I received tribute from the kings on the seashore. I marched about by right of victory in the extensive area of the seashore. I made an image of my lordship which establishes my fame (lit. “name”) for eternity (and) erected (it) by the sea. I ascended the Amanus range (and) cut down beams of cedar (and) juniper. I marched to Mount Atalur (= Mount Lallar), where the image of Anum-ḫirbe stands, (and) erected my image with his image.

(ii 10b) Moving away from the sea I captured the cities Taya, Ḫazazu, Nulia, (and) Butāmu, which belong to the Patinean. I massacred 2,800 of [their] fighting men (and) carried off 14,600 captives. I received tribute from Aramu, the man of Bīt-Agūsi: silver, gold, oxen, sheep, wine, (and) a gold (and) silver bed.

(ii 13b) On the thirteenth day of the month Ayyāru, in the eponymy of my own name, I moved out from [Nineveh], crossed the Tigris, traversed Mounts tiasamu (and) Diḫnunu, (and) approached the city Tīl-Barsip (Bursip), the fortified city of Aḫunu, the man of Bīt-Adini. Trusting in the strength of his troops Aḫunu, the man of Bli-Adini, attacked me. I defeated him (and) confined him to [his city].

(ii 16b) Moving on from Tīl-Barsip (Bursip) I crossed the Euphrates, which was in flood, in rafts (made of inflated) goatskins. I [besieged] the cities [...]gā, Tagi[...], Sūrunu, Paripa, Tīl-Bašerē, (and) Dabigu, six fortified cities belonging to Aḫunu, the man of Bīt-Adini, (and) captured (them). I massacred many of their (people) (and) carried off booty from them. I razed, destroyed, (and) burned 200 cities in their environs.

(ii 18b) Moving on from the city Dabigu I approached the city Sazabû, a fortified city of Sangara, the Carchemishite. I besieged the city, captured (it), massacred many of their (people), (and) carried off booty from them. I razed, destroyed, (and) burned cities in its environs. All of the kings of the land Ḫ[atti] became afraid in the face of the flash of my strong weapons and my stormy onslaught (and) submitted to me. I received from Qalparunda, the Patinean, three talents of gold, 100 talents of silver, 300 talents of bronze, 300 talents of iron, I ,000 bronze casseroles, 1,000 linen garments with multi-colored trim, his daughter with her rich dowry, twenty talents of red purple wool, 500 oxen, (and) 5,000 sheep. I imposed upon him as annual tribute one talent of silver, two talents of red purple wool, (and) 100 cedar beams, (and) I regularly receive (it) in my city, Aššur.