Ashurbanipal 006

(i 1') th[ey (the gods) allowed my mind to learn all of the scribal arts]. They glorified the men[tion of m]y [name] (and) made my lordship g[reater] t[han (those of all other) king]s who sit on (royal) da[ises].

(i 5') (As for) the sanctua[ries of A]ssyria (and) the land Akkad whose foundation(s) Esarh[addon], king of Assyria, the father who had engendered me, had laid, but whose construction he had not finished, I myself now completed their work by the command of the great gods, my lords.

(i 11') I completed Eḫursaggalkurkurra, the temple of (the god) Aššur, my lord, (and) I clad its walls with gold (and) silver. I fastened band(s) of silver on tall columns (and) I erected (them) at the Gate of the Abundance of the Lands. I made (the god) Aššur enter into Eḫursaggula and made (him) reside on (his) eternal dais.

(i 18') I (re)built Esagil, the palace of the gods, (and) completed its designs. I brought the deities Bēl (Marduk), Bēltīya (Zarpanītu), [the Lady of] Babylon, Ea, (and) Mandānu out of Ešarra (and) made (them) enter into Šuanna (Babylon).

(i 24') (As for) the throne-dais, the seat of his (Marduk’s) exalted divinity, I cast fifty talents of shiny zaḫalû-silver [into] bricks and (thereby) enlarged it.

(i 27') I had a canopy, which rivals the heavens, made from musukkannu-wood, a durable wood. I clad its [perimeter] with thirty-fo[ur talents (and) twenty m]inas of reddish gold (and thereby) reinforced its bonds. I stretched out its covering over the god Marduk, the great lord, and (thus) secured its roof.

(i 33') (As for) the exalted chariot, the vehicle of the god Marduk, the pre-eminent one among the gods, the lord of lords, I completed its feature(s) with gold, silver, (and) precious stones. I gave (it) as a gift to the god Marduk, the king of the totality of heaven and netherworld, the one who overwhelms my enemies.

(i 38') I skillfully made a bed of musukkannu-wood, a durable wood, that is clad with pašallu-gold (and) studded with precious stones, a[s a] pleasure [be]d for the god Bēl (Marduk) and the goddess Bēltīya (Zarpanītu) [to carry out the wedding (and) to m]ake love. I placed (it) [in Kaḫilis]u, the bed chamber of the goddess Zarpanītu, [which] is laden with [sexual char]m.

(i 44') I stationed [four] fierce [wild bulls of] silver, [prote]ctors of my royal path, in the Gate of the Rising Sun and (in) the Gate of Lamma-RA.BI, in gateway(s) of Ezida, which is inside Borsippa.

(i 48') I decorated Emašmaš (and) Egašankalama with silver (and) gold, (and) filled (them) with splendor.

(i 50') The goddess Šarrat-Kidmuri, who in her anger had abandoned her inner sanctum (and) had taken up residence in a place not befitting her, relented during the [favorable] reign (lit. “my [favorable] reign”) that (the god) Aššur had granted me. To complete (the emblem of) her exalted divinity (i 55´) (and) to glorify her precious cultic rites, she constantly kept sending me (instructions) [through] dream(s and) message(s) from [ecstati]cs.

(i 57') [I asked the gods Šamaš (and) Adad and] they [an]swered me with a firm “yes.” I refurbished [the emblem of her grea]t [divinity (and) made her sit upon a throne-dais] as (her) eternal [abod]e. I firmly (re)-established [her precious cultic ordinances] and [properly carried out] her [cultic rit]es.

(i 62') [For the preservation of] my [life, I se]t up [lion-headed eagles (and) divine embl]ems [in the gateway(s) of Egallammes, the temple of the god Nergal of the city Tarbiṣu].

(i 65') [Before my father was bor]n (and) [my birth-mother was created in her mother’s womb], the god [Sîn, who created me to be king, named me] t[o (re)build Eḫulḫul], saying: [“Ashurbanipal will (re)build that temple and (i 70´) make me dwell] the[rein upon an eternal dais].” The word of the god [Sîn, which he had spoken in distant days, he] no[w revealed to the people of a later generation]. He allowed the temple of the god [Sîn — which Shalmaneser (III), son of Ashurnasirpal (II)], a king of [the past (who had come) be]fore me, [had built] — to become old and he entru[sted (its renovation) to me].

(i 76') (As for) that te[mple], which had b[ecome] old, I removed its dilapidated section(s) [by the comman]d of the gods Sîn (and) Nusku. I made its structure larger [th]an the one in the days of the past. I built (and) completed (it) [fr]om its foundation(s) to its crenellations. (i 80´) Inside it, [I bu]ilt [Em]elamana, the temple of the god Nusku, the exalted vizier, [which] a king of the past (who had come) before me had built. I roofed them with long [bea]ms of cedar. I fastened band(s) of silver on [d]oors of white cedar (and) I fixed (them) in their gateways.

(i 86') In the inner sanctum of the god Sîn, my lord, I stationed two wild bulls of silver, which gore my foes (to death). In a gateway of Eḫulḫul, I (also) sta[tioned] two long-haired heroes of ešmarû-metal, which grasp divine emblems, keep safe my royal path, (and) bring in the yield of mountain and sea.

(i 92') I took the gods Sîn (and) Nusku by the hand, made (them) enter into (their respective temples), (and) made (them) sit on (their) eternal dais(es).

(i 94') I completed the sanctuaries of Assyria and the land Akkad in their entirety. I made [every type of] temple [app]urtenance there is from silver (and) gold, (and) I added (them) [to] those of the kings, my ancestors. [I made the great gods] who support me [reside in their exalted inner sanctums].

(i 1'') Successful harvest(s and) [an abundance of grain enabled pasture land to] continual[ly flourish], fruit orchards to be v[ery lush with fruit, (and) cattle to successfully give birth to (their) young]. During my reign, there was plenitu[de (and) abundance; during my years, bountiful produce was accumulated].

(i 5'') [Throughout] my entire land, (on account of) [abundant] tra[de, for one shekel of silver one could purchase twe]lve donkey-loads of grain, three [homers of wine, two seahs of oil, (and one) talent of wool. Year aft]er year, [I sheph]erded the subj[ects of the god Enlil in prosperity and with justice].

(i 9'') [The gre]at [gods, whose divinity I constantly revered]

(ii 1') k[iss my feet (and) great] ruler[s from (both) east and west are anxious for me] to be [their] ally.

(ii 4') On my fir[st campaign, I marched] to Makan (Egypt) [and Meluḫḫa (Ethiopia)]. Taharqa, the king of Eg[ypt and Kush], whose defeat Esarhaddon — king of As[syria, the father who had engendered me] — had brought about (and) [whose land] he [ruled over, forgot] the might of (the god) Aššur and the goddess [Ištar, the great gods], my lords, [and] (ii 10´) trusted in [his] o[wn] strength. He marched against the kings (and) off[icials], whom the father who had en[gendered me] had appointed inside Egypt, to kill (and) rob (them) and to take away Eg[ypt (from them)]. (ii 15´) He entered and resided in the city Mem[phis], a city that the father who had engendered me had conquer[ed] (and) made part of the territory of his land. A fast messenger came to Nineveh and reported (this) to me. (ii 20´) My [h]eart became enraged about these deeds and my temper turned hot. I mustered my elite forces that (the god) Aššur and the goddess Ištar had placed in my hands and I made (them) take the direct road to Egypt and Kush.

(ii 25') In the course of my campaign, Baʾalu, king of the land Tyre, Manasseh, king of the land Judah, Qaʾuš-gabri, king of the land Edom, Muṣurī, king of the land Moab, (ii 30´) Ṣil-Bēl, king of the land Gaza, Mitinti, king of the land Ashkelon, Ikausu, king of the land Ekron, Milki-ašapa, king of the land Byblos, Yakīn-Lû, king of the land Arwad, (ii 35´) Abī-Baʾal, king of the land Samsimurruna, Ammi-nadbi, king of the land Bīt-Ammon, Aḫī-Milki, king of the land Ashdod, Ekištūra, king of the land Idalion, Pilagurâ, king of the land Kitrusi, (ii 40´) Kīsu, king of the land Salamis, Itūandar, king of the land Paphos, Erēsu, king of the land Soloi, Damāsu, king of the land Curium, Admēsu, king of the land Tamassos, (ii 45´) Damysos, king of the land Qartiḫadasti, Unasagusu, king of the land Lidir, Buṣusu, king of the land Nūria — in total, twenty-two kings of the seacoast, the midst of the sea, and dry land, (ii 50´) [serva]nts who belonged to me, carried their substantial [audience] gift(s) [before me] and kissed my feet.

(ii 53') I [made th]ose [kings], together with their forces (and) their [boat]s, [take] the road (and) path [with] my [tro]ops by se[a and dry land].

(ii 56') I [quickl]y adv[anc]ed [to sup]port (and) aid the kings (and) officials [who were in] Egypt, servants who belonged to me, and I marched as far as the city Kār-Bānīte. (ii 60´) [Ta]harqa, the king of Egypt and Kush, heard about the advance of my expeditionary force (while he was) [in]side the city Memphis, and m[ustere]d his battle troops before me to wage armed battle and war. [With the su]pport of the gods Aššur, Bēl (Marduk), and Na[bû, the] great [god]s, my lords [who ma]rch at my [si]de, [I brought about] the defeat of his troops [in a] widespr[ead pitch]ed [battle].

(ii 67') [Taharqa heard about the defeat of] his [tro]ops [while (he was) inside] the city Memphis. [The awe-inspiring radiance of (the god) Aššur and] the goddess Ištar (ii 70´) [overwhelmed him and he wen]t into a frenzy. [The brilliance of my royal majesty, with which the gods o]f heaven (and) netherworld [had endowed me, cove]red him; he [abandoned the city Memphis] and, in order to save his (own) life, he fled inside the city Thebes. I seized th[a]t city (Memphis) (and then) made my troops enter (and) reside there.

(ii 76') (As for) Necho, king of the cities Memphis and Sais, Šar[r]u-lū-dāri, king of the city Pelusium, Pi-[š]an-Ḫuru, king of the city Natho, P[a]-qruru, king of the city (Pi)šaptu, (ii 80´) I[na]ros (N[iḫe]rau), king of the city Athribis, (and) N[aḫk]ê, king of the city Heracleopolis, [thos]e ki[ngs], governors, (and) officials wh[om] the father who had engendered me had appointed [in Egypt], w[ho had abando]ned [their post(s) in the face of] Taharqa’s [tactical adv]ance, (and) had go[ne to (lit. “fil[led]”) the countrys]ide,