Marduk-apla-iddina II 1

(1) For the goddess Ištar, mistress of the lands, supreme (among) the gods, valiant, the goddess Nineanna (‟Lady of Eanna”), who dwells in Uruk, who has gathered to herself all the divine offices:

(3) (With regard to) Eanna, which Šulgi, a previous king, had had built and which had become old, and (with regard to) the shrine of the god Ningizzida, which Anam, an earlier king, had had constructed inside it, (with regard to) this temple, whose walls had buckled and whose bondings had disintegrated, whose [para]pet had collapsed and which had become unrecognizable, (and) whose reconstruction had not [occ]urred to the kings, (his) predecessors,

(8) [At that] time, the great lord, the god Marduk, had turned away in divine wrath from the land of Akkad, and the evil enemy, the Subarian, exercised the rule over the land of Akkad for [seve]n [years, unt]il the days had elapsed, the appointed time had arrived, (and) the great [lord], the god Marduk, became reconciled with the land of Akkad, with which he had become angry.

(12) He (the god Marduk) looked (with favor) upon Marduk-apla-iddina (II), king of Babylon, prince who reveres him, to whom he (the god Marduk) stretched out his hand, legitimate eldest son of Erība-Marduk, king of Babylon, who has made firm the foundation(s) of the land. The king of the gods, the god Asari, duly named him [to] the shepherdship of the land of Sumer and Akkad (and) personally [sa]id: “This is indeed the shepherd who will gather the scattered (people).”

(16) [With] the power of the great lord, the god Marduk, and of the hero of the gods, the god Utulu, he defeated the widespread army of Subartu and shattered their weapons. He brought about their overthrow and prevented them from treading on the territory of the land of Akkad.

(19) With the excellent understanding which the god Ea, the creator, maker of all things, had bestowed upon him, (and with) the extensive knowledge which the god Ninši[ku] had granted him, he directed his attention to performing the rites, to administering correctly the rituals, and to renovating the cult centers and the sanctuaries of the divine residences of the great gods of the land of Akkad.

(23) He was assiduous toward the sanctuaries of Eanna, the abode of the goddess Ištar, mistress of the lands, his lady. (With regard to) the outer enclosure wall of Eanna in the lower courtyard and (with regard to) the temple of the god Ningizzida, which had been constructed inside it to one side, he tore down its parapet and laid bare [its] foundation.

(27) With fervent entreaties, prayers, and expression(s) of humility, he laid its foundations (anew) and made (them) as firm as a mountain. He raised its top with (ritually) pure bricks and made (it) as bright as daylight. He made (it) larger than before and fashioned (its) structure artfully.

(30) On account of this, when the goddess Ištar, mistress of the lands‬, looks upon this work with pleasure, may she bestow a (long) life on Marduk-apla-iddina (II), king of Babylon! May she increase his years and may he experience the fullness of old age! By her august command, which cannot be changed, may he subjugate at his feet all of his enemies and may the kings, his enemies, drag their weighty [trib]ute — the [abun]dance of the four quarters (of the world), the yield of mountain and sea — into Šuanna (Babylon)! May he receive their [pres]ent and may he bring (them) into Esagil, before the lord of lords! May his reign be established in Babylon for all time!

(37) I saw the royal inscription of a king who had preceded me (and) who had built that temple. I did not alter his royal inscription, but (rather) I placed (it) with my own royal inscription. Anyone in the future — whether king, or son of a king, or commissioner, or [govern]or, or chief administrator (of a temple), or mayor — who, appointed by the great lord, the god Marduk, decides to (re)build Eanna, let him see this royal inscription and let him place (it) with his own royal inscription for the future!