Esarhaddon 001

(i 1) The palace of Esarhaddon, great king, mighty king, king of the world, king of Assyria, governor of Babylon, king of Sumer and Akkad, king of the four quarters, true shepherd, favorite of the great gods, (i 5) whom from his childhood the gods Aššur, Šamaš, Bēl, and Nabû, Ištar of Nineveh, (and) Ištar of Arbela named for the kingship of Assyria —

(i 8) I am my older brothers’ youngest brother (and) by the command of the gods Aššur, Sîn, Šamaš, Bēl, and Nabû, Ištar of Nineveh, (and) Ištar of Arbela, (my) father, who engendered me, elevated me firmly in the assembly of my brothers, saying: ‘This is the son who will succeed me.’ He questioned the gods Šamaš and Adad by divination, and they answered him with a firm ‘yes,’ saying: ‘He is your replacement.’ (i 15) He heeded their important word(s) and gathered together the people of Assyria, young (and) old, (and) my brothers, the seed of the house of my father.

(i 17) Before the gods Aššur, Sîn, Šamaš, Nabû, (and) Marduk, the gods of Assyria, the gods who live in heaven and netherworld, he made them swear their solemn oath(s) concerning the safe-guarding of my succession. (i 20) In a favorable month, on a propitious day, in accordance with their sublime command, I joyfully entered the House of Succession, an awe-inspiring place within which the appointing to kingship (takes place).

(i 23) Persecution (and) jealousy fell over my brothers and they forsook (the will) of the gods. They trusted in their arrogant deeds, and they were plotting evil. They started evil rumors, calumnies, (and) slander about me against the will of the gods, and they were constantly telling insincere lies, hostile things, behind my back. They alienated the well-meaning heart of my father from me, against the will of the gods, (but) deep down he was compassionate and his eyes were permanently fixed on my exercising kingship.

(i 32) I pondered and thought thus: ‘Their deeds are arrogant and they trust (only) in their (own) counsel. What will they (not) do against the will of the gods?’ (i 35) I prayed to the god Aššur, king of the gods, (and) the merciful god Marduk, to whom treacherous talk is an abomination, with benedictions, supplications, and expressions of humility, and they accepted my words. By the command of the great gods, my lords, they (the gods) settled me in a secret place away from the evil deeds, (i 40) stretched out their pleasant protection over me, and kept me safe for (exercising) kingship. Afterwards, my brothers went out of their minds and did everything that is displeasing to the gods and mankind, and they plotted evil, girt (their) weapons, and in Nineveh, without the gods, they butted each other like kids for (the right to) exercise kingship.

(i 45) The gods Aššur, Sîn, Šamaš, Bēl, Nabû, Ištar of Nineveh, (and) Ištar of Arbela saw the deeds of the usurpers which had been done wrongly against the will of the gods and they did not support them. They changed their strength to weakness and forced them to bow down to me. (i 50) The people of Assyria, who swore by oil and water to the treaty, an oath bound by the great gods, to protect my (right to exercise) kingship, did not come to their aid.

(i 53) I, Esarhaddon, who with the help of the great gods, his lords, does not turn back in the heat of battle, quickly heard of their evil deeds. I said ‘Woe!’ and rent my princely garment. I cried out in mourning, I raged like a lion, and my mood became furious. In order to exercise kingship (over) the house of my father I beat my hands together. I prayed to the gods Aššur, Sîn, Šamaš, Bēl, Nabû, and Nergal, Ištar of Nineveh, (and) Ištar of Arbela (i 60) and they accepted my word(s). With their firm ‘yes,’ they were sending me reliable omen(s), (saying): ‘Go! Do not hold back! We will go and kill your enemies.’

(i 63) I did not hesitate one day (or) two days. I did not wait for my army. I did not look for my rear guard. I did not check the assignment of horses harnessed to the yoke (i 65) nor that of my battle equipment. I did not stock up travel provisions for my campaign. I was not afraid of the snow (and) cold of Šabāṭu (XI), the severest cold season. Like a flying eagle I spread my wings to drive back my enemies. With difficulty and haste, I followed the road to Nineveh and (i 70) before my (arrival) in the territory of the land Ḫanigalbat all of their crack troops blocked my advance; they were sharpening their weapons. Fear of the great gods, my lords, overwhelmed them, (and when) they saw my mighty battle array, they became like crazed women.

(i 74) The goddess Ištar, the lady of war and battle, who loves my priestly duties, stood at my side, broke their bows, (and) she split open their tight battle ranks. In their assembly, they said thus: ‘This is our king!’ Through her sublime command they began coming over to my side (and) marching behind me. They were gamboling like lambs (and) begging my sovereignty. (i 80) The people of Assyria, who had sworn by the treaty, an oath bound by the great gods, concerning me, came before me and kissed my feet. Moreover, those rebels, the ones engaged in revolt and rebellion, when they heard of the advance of my campaign, they deserted the army they relied on and fled to an unknown land. I reached the embankment of the Tigris River and (i 85) by the command of the gods Sîn (and) Šamaš, the divine lord(s) of the embankment, I made all of my troops hop over the wide Tigris River as if it were a small canal.

(i 87) In Addaru (XII), a favorable month, on the eighth day, the eššēšu-festival of the god Nabû, I joyfully entered Nineveh, my capital city, and I sat happily on the throne of my father. The south wind, the breeze of the god Ea, the wind whose blowing is favorable for exercising kingship, blew upon me. (ii 5) Favorable signs came in good time to me in heaven and on earth. They (the gods) continually and regularly encouraged me with oracles through ecstatics, the message(s) of the gods and goddess(es). I sought out every one of the guilty soldiers, who wrongly incited my brothers to exercise kingship over Assyria, and imposed a grievous punishment on them: I exterminated their offspring.

(ii 12) I am Esarhaddon, king of the world, king of Assyria, valiant warrior, foremost of all rulers, son of Sennacherib, king of the world (and) king of Assyria, (ii 15) descendant of Sargon (II), king of the world (and) king of Assyria, creation of the god Aššur (and) the goddess Mullissu, beloved of the gods Sîn and Šamaš, chosen by the gods Nabû (and) Marduk, favorite of the goddess Ištar — the queen — desired by the great gods, capable, able, intelligent, learned, the one whom the great gods (ii 20) raised to be king in order to restore the great gods and to complete the shrines of all of the cult centers of the great gods; the one who (re)constructed the temple of the god Aššur, (re)built Esagil and Babylon, (and) restored the gods and goddess(es) who (live) in it; the one who returned the plundered gods of the lands from the city Aššur to their (proper) place and let (them) dwell in security —

(ii 25) As soon as I had completed the temples (and) had installed (them) on their daises as (their) eternal dwelling(s), with their great help I marched triumphantly from the rising sun to the setting sun and I had no rival (therein). I made the rulers of the four quarters bow down at my feet (and) they (the gods) entrusted to me (any) land that had sinned against the god Aššur.

(ii 30) The god Aššur, the father of the gods, gave me (the power) to let (cities) fall into ruins and to (re)populate (them, and) to enlarge Assyrian territory; the god Sîn, lord of the crown, decreed heroic strength (and) robust force as my fate; the god Šamaš, the light of the gods, elevated my important name to the highest rank; the god Marduk, king of the gods, made the fear of my kingship (ii 35) sweep over the mountain regions like a dense fog; the god Nergal, mightiest of the gods, gave me fierceness, splendor, and terror as a gift; (and) the goddess Ištar, the lady of battle and war, gave me a mighty bow (and) a fierce arrow as a present.

(ii 40) At that time, Nabû-zēr-kitti-līšir, son of Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), governor of the Sealand, who did not keep his treaty nor remember the agreement of Assyria, forgot the good relations of my father. During the disturbance(s) in Assyria, he mustered his army and his camp, besieged Ningal-iddin, the governor of Ur, a servant who was loyal to me, and (ii 45) cut off his escape route. After the gods Aššur, Šamaš, Bēl and Nabû, Ištar of Nineveh, (and) Ištar of Arbela joyously seated me, Esarhaddon, on the throne of my father and handed over to me the lordship of the lands, he was not respectful, did not stop (his evil deeds), and would not leave my servant alone. Moreover, he did not send his messenger before me and did not ask after the well-being of my kingship.

(ii 50b) I heard of his evil deeds (while) in Nineveh; my heart became angry and my liver was inflamed. I sent my officials, the governors on the border of his land, against him. Furthermore, he, Nabû-zēr-kitti-līšir, the rebel, the traitor, heard of the approach of my army and (ii 55) fled like a fox to the land Elam. Because of the oath of the great gods which he had transgressed, the gods Aššur, Sîn, Šamaš, Bēl, and Nabû imposed a grievous punishment on him and they killed him with the sword in the midst of the land Elam. Naʾid-Marduk, his brother, saw the deeds that they had done to his brother in Elam, fled from the land Elam, (ii 60) came to Assyria to serve me, and beseeched my lordship. I made the entire Sealand, the domain of his brother, subject to him. (Now) he comes yearly, without ceasing, to Nineveh with his heavy audience gift and kisses my feet.

(ii 65) (As for) Abdi-Milkūti, king of Sidon, (who) did not fear my lordship (and) did not listen to the words of my lips, who trusted in the rolling sea and threw off the yoke of the god Aššur — I leveled Sidon, his stronghold, which is situated in the midst of the sea, like a flood, tore out its wall(s) and its dwelling(s), and (ii 70) threw (them) into the sea; and I (even) made the site where it stood disappear. Abdi-Milkūti, its king, in the face of my weapons, fled into the midst of the sea. By the command of the god Aššur, my lord, I caught him like a fish from the midst of the sea and cut off his head. I carried off his wife, his sons, his daughters, (ii 75) his palace retainers, gold, silver, goods, property, precious stones, garments with trimming and linen(s), elephant hide(s), ivory, ebony, boxwood, everything of value from his palace in huge quantities, (and) took away his far-flung people who were beyond counting, oxen, sheep and goats, and donkeys in huge numbers (ii 80) to Assyria. I gathered the kings of Ḫatti (Syria-Palestine) and the seacoast, all of them, and had (them) build a city in another place, and I named it Kār-Esarhaddon.