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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 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.
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).
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 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.
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, 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 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.
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.
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.
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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 —
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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(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.
(The inhabitants of) the cities Bīt-Ṣupūri, Sikkû, Giʾ, Inimme, Ḫildūa, Qartimme, Biʾrû, Kilmê, Bitirume, Sagû, Ampa, (iii 5) Bīt-Gisimeya, Birgiʾ, Gambūlu, Dalaimme, (and) Isiḫimme, cities in the environs of Sidon, places of pasturing and watering for his stronghold, which I captured with the help of the god Aššur, my lord, I settled in it (iii 10) (together with) the people plundered by my bow from the eastern mountains and sea and I restored (the city) to Assyrian territory. I reorganized that province, placed my official as a governor over them, and increased and imposed upon it tribute and payment greater than before. (iii 15b) From among those cities of his I handed over the cities Maʾrubbu (and) Ṣarepta to Baʾalu, king of Tyre. I increased my lordly tribute beyond his earlier, annual giving and imposed (it) on him.
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Moreover, Sanda-uarri, king of the cities Kundi and Sissû, a dangerous enemy, who did not fear my lordship (and) abandoned the gods, trusted in the impregnable mountains. He (and) Abdi-Milkūti, king of Sidon, (iii 25) agreed to help one another, swore an oath by their gods with one another, and trusted in their own strength. I trusted in the gods Aššur, Sîn, Šamaš, Bēl, and Nabû, the great gods, my lords, (iii 30) besieged him, caught him like a bird from the midst of the mountains, and cut off his head. “In Tašrītu (VII) — the head of Abdi-Milkūti! In Addaru (XII) — the head of Sanda-uarri!” I beheaded (both) in the same year: (iii 35) With the former I did not delay, with the latter I was quick. To show the people the might of the god Aššur, my lord, I hung (the heads) around the necks of their nobles and I paraded in the squares of Nineveh with singer(s) and lyre(s).
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I plundered the city Arzâ, which is in the district of the Brook of Egypt, and threw Asuḫīli, its king, into fetters and brought (him) to Assyria. I seated him (text: “them”), bound, near the citadel gate of (the city of) Nineveh along with bear(s), dog(s), and pig(s).
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Moreover, I struck with the sword Teušpa, a Cimmerian, a barbarian whose home is remote, together with his entire army, in the territory of the land Ḫubušna.
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I trod on the necks of the people of Cilicia, mountain dwellers who live in inaccessible mountains in the neighborhood of the land Tabal, evil Hittites, (iii 50) who trusted in their mighty mountains and who from earliest days had not been submissive to the yoke. I surrounded, conquered, plundered, demolished, destroyed, (and) burned with fire twenty-one of their fortified cities and small cities in their environs. (As for) the rest of them, who were not guilty of (any) sin or crime, I imposed the heavy yoke of my lordship upon them.
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I crushed the wicked Barnaki, who live in the land Tīl-Ašurri, which is called Pitānu in the language of the people of the land Miḫrānu.
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I scattered the Mannean people, undisciplined Gutians, and its army; I put to the sword Išpakāia, a Scythian, an ally who could not save himself.
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I plundered the land Bīt-Dakkūri, which is in Chaldea, an enemy of Babylon. I captured Šamaš-ibni, its king, a rogue (and) outlaw, who did not respect the oath of the lord of lords (and) who took away fields of the citizens of Babylon (iii 65) and Borsippa by force and turned (them) over to himself. Because I know the fear of the gods Bēl and Nabû, I returned those fields and entrusted (them) to the citizens of Babylon and Borsippa. I placed Nabû-šallim, the son of Balāssu, on his throne and he (now) pulls my yoke.
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(As for) Bēl-iqīša, son of Bunnannū, a Gambulian whose residence is located twelve leagues distance in water and canebrakes, by the command of the god Aššur, my lord, unprovoked fear fell upon him and (iii 75) of his own free will he took tribute and payment, uncastrated bulls, (and) teams of white mules from the land Elam and came to Nineveh, before me, and he kissed my feet. I had pity on him and encouraged him. (iii 80) I strengthened the city Ša-pī-Bēl, the city (which is) his strong fortress, and I put him together with his archers therein as a garrison and (thus) locked it (the fortress) up like a door against the land Elam.
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(As for) the city Adumutu, the fortress of the Arabs, which Sennacherib, king of Assyria, (my) father, who engendered me, conquered and whose goods, possessions, (and) gods, together with Apkallatu, the queen of the Arabs, (iv 5) he plundered and brought to Assyria — Hazael, the king of the Arabs, came to Nineveh, my capital city, with his heavy audience gift and kissed my feet. He implored me to give (back) his gods, and I had pity on him. (iv 10) I refurbished the gods Atar-samayin, Dāya, Nuḫāya, Ruldāwu, Abirillu, (and) Atar-qurumâ, the gods of the Arabs, and I inscribed the might of the god Aššur, my lord, and (an inscription) written in my name on them and gave (them) back to him. (iv 15) I placed the lady Tabūa, who was raised in the palace of my father, as ruler over them and returned her to her land with her gods.
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I added sixty-five camels (and) ten donkeys to the previous tribute and imposed (it) on him. Hazael died and I placed Iataʾ, his son, (iv 20) on his throne. I added ten minas of gold, one thousand choice stones, fifty camels, (and) one hundred bags of aromatics to the tribute of his father and imposed (it) on him. Later, Uabu, to exercise kingship, incited all of the Arabs to rebel against Iataʾ.
I, Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, king of the four quarters, who loves loyalty and abhors treachery, sent my battle troops to the aid of Iataʾ, and they trampled all of the Arabs, threw Uabu, together with the soldiers who were with him, into fetters, and brought (them) to me. I placed them in neck stocks and tied them to the side of my gate.
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(As for) Uppis, chieftain of the city Partakka, Zanasana, chieftain of the city Partukka, (and) Ramateia, chieftain of the city Urakazabarna, (iv 35) Medes whose country is remote (and) who had not crossed the boundary of Assyria nor trodden on its soil in (the time of) the kings, my ancestors — the awesome fear of the god Aššur, my lord, overwhelmed them (and) they brought to Nineveh, my capital city, large thoroughbreds (and) blocks of lapis lazuli, hewn from its mountain, and they kissed my feet. (iv 40) Because of the chieftains who had threatened them, they implored my lordship and begged me for help. I sent my officials, the governors of the boundary areas of their land, with them and they trampled the people living in those cities and made (them) bow down at their feet. I imposed the tribute (and) payment of my lordship upon them.
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(As for) the land Patušarri, a district in the area of the salt desert, which is in the midst of the land of the distant Medes, borders Mount Bikni, the lapis lazuli mountain, (and) upon the soil of whose land none of the kings, my ancestors, had walked — I carried off to Assyria Šidir-parna (and) E-parna, mighty chieftains, (iv 50) who were not submissive to (my) yoke, together with their people, their riding horses, oxen, sheep and goats, (and) Bactrian camels, their heavy plunder.
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(As for) the land Bāzu, a district in a remote place, a forgotten place of dry land, saline ground, a place of thirst, (iv 55) one hundred and twenty leagues of desert, thistles, and gazelle-tooth stones, where snakes and scorpions fill the plain like ants — I left Mount Ḫazû, the mountain of saggilmud-stone, twenty leagues behind me and crossed over to that district to which (iv 60) no king before me had gone since earliest days. By the command of the god Aššur, my lord, I marched triumphantly in its midst. I defeated Kīsu, king of the city Ḫaldisu, Akbaru, king of the city Ilpiatu, Mansāku, king of the city Magalani, Iapaʾ, queen of the city Diḫrāni, (iv 65) Ḫabīsu, king of the city Qadabaʾ, Niḫaru, king of the city Gaʾuani, Baslu, queen of the city Iḫilum, (and) Ḫabaziru, king of the city Pudaʾ, eight kings from that district (iv 70) (and) laid out the bodies of their warriors like (drying) malt. I carried off their gods, their goods, their possessions, and their people to Assyria. (As for) Laialê, king of the city Iadiʾ, who had fled before my weapons, unprovoked fear fell upon him, and he came to Nineveh, before me, and kissed my feet. I had pity on him and put that province of Bāzu under him.
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Through the strength of the gods Aššur, Sîn, Šamaš, Nabû, Marduk, Ištar of Nineveh, (and) Ištar of Arbela, I conquered all of (my) arrogant enemies. (iv 80) At the words of their divinity the rulers, my enemies, trembled like reeds in a storm. The kings who live in the sea, whose (inner) walls are the sea and whose outer walls are the waves, who ride in boats instead of chariots, (and) who harness rowers instead of horses, were seized by fear; their hearts were pounding and (v 1) they were vomiting gall. There was no rival that my weapons could not face and there was no one among the rulers who came before me who could equal me. Those who used to ignore the kings, my ancestors, or answer (them) constantly with hostility, by the command of the god Aššur, my lord, were delivered into my hands. (v 5) I smashed their hard stone walls like a potter’s vessel (and) let the vultures eat the unburied bodies of their warriors. I carried off their heaped-up possessions to Assyria (and) counted the gods, their helpers, as booty. I led their prosperous people away like sheep and goats.
The one who fled into the sea to save his (own) life did not escape my net and did not save himself. The swift (runner) who took to the stepped ridges of remote mountains, I caught him like a bird from the midst of the mountains and bound his arms. I made their blood flow like floodwater in mountain gullies. I ripped out the roots of the Sutû, who live in tents in a remote place, like the onslaught of a raging storm. Neither he who made the sea his fortress nor he who made the mountain his stronghold escaped my net (or) succeeded in escaping. (v 20) I ordered the (re)settling of those of the sea to the mountains (and) those of the mountains to the sea. At the command of the god Aššur, my lord, who can rival me in kingship? Moreover, who among the kings, my ancestors, was there whose dominion was as great as mine? From the midst of the sea, my enemies spoke thus: ‘Where can the fox go to get away from the sun?’
The Elamites (and) Gutians, obstinate rulers, who used to answer the kings, my ancestors, with hostility, heard of what the might of the god Aššur, my lord, had done among all of (my) enemies, and fear and terror poured over them. So that there would be no trespassing on the borders of their countries they sent their messengers (with messages) of friendship and peace to Nineveh, before me, and they swore an oath by the great gods.
After the gods Aššur, Šamaš, Bēl, Nabû, Ištar of Nineveh, and Ištar of Arbela made me stand victoriously over my enemies and I attained everything I wanted, with the booty of the vast enemies which my hands had captured through the help of the great gods, my lords, I had the shrines of cult centers built in Assyria and Akkad; I decorated (them) with silver (and) gold and made (them) shine like daylight.
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At that time, the armory of Nineveh which the kings who came before (me), my ancestors, had built to maintain the camp (and) to keep thoroughbreds, mules, chariots, military equipment, implements of war, and the plunder of enemies, everything (v 45) that the god Aššur, king of the gods, gave me as my royal share — that place had become too small for me to have horses show their mettle (and) to train with chariots. I made the people of the lands plundered by my bow take up hoe (and) basket, and they made bricks. I razed that small palace in its entirety, took a large area from the fields for an addition, and added (it) to it (the palace). I laid its foundations with limestone, strong stone from the mountains, and raised the terrace.
I summoned the kings of Ḫatti and Across the River (Syria-Palestine): (v 55) Baʾalu, king of Tyre, Manasseh, king of Judah, Qaʾuš-gabri, king of Edom, Muṣurī, king of Moab, Ṣil-Bēl, king of Gaza, Mitinti, king of Ashkelon, Ikausu, king of Ekron, Milki-ašapa, king of Byblos, (v 60) Mattan-Baʾal, king of Arvad, Abī-Baʾal, king of Samsimurruna, Būdi-il, king of Bīt-Ammon, Aḫī-Milki, king of Ashdod — twelve kings from the shore of the sea; Ekištūra, king of Idalion, Pilagurâ, king of Kitrusi, (v 65) Kīsu, king of Salamis, Itūandar, king of Paphos, Erēsu, king of Soloi, Damāsu, king of Curium, Admēsu, king of Tamassos, Damysos, king of Qarti-ḫadasti, (v 70) Unasagusu, king of Lidir, Buṣusu, king of Nuria — ten kings of Iadnana (Cyprus) in the midst of the sea; in total, twenty-two kings of Ḫatti (Syria-Palestine), the seacoast, and the midst of the sea.
I sent orders to all of them for large beams, tall columns, (and) very long planks (v 75) of cedar (and) cypress, grown on Mount Sirāra and Mount Lebanon, which from early days grew thick and tall, (and) they had bull colossi (made of) pendû-stone, lamassu-statues, zebus, paving stones, slabs of marble, pendû-stone, breccia, colored marble, brownish limestone, (and) girimḫilibû-stone, (everything that was) needed for my palace, dragged with much trouble (and) effort from the midst of the mountains, the place of their origin, to Nineveh, my capital city.
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In a favorable month, on a propitious day, I built great palatial halls upon that terrace for my lordly residence. (vi 5) I built a royal house ninety-five large cubits long (and) thirty-one large cubits wide, something none of the kings, my ancestors, had done. I had its lower courses surrounded with limestone paving stones and I roofed it with magnificent cedar beams.
I had a room of white alabaster and palatial halls of ivory, ebony, boxwood, musukkannu-wood, cedar, (and) cypress skillfully built for my royal residence and my lordly leisure. I roofed it with magnificent cedar beams. I fastened bands of silver and copper on doors of cypress, whose fragrance is sweet, and installed (them) in their gates. (vi 15) I had placed to the right and left of their gate(s) bull colossi (and) zebus (made) of pendû-stone (and) whose appearance repels evil, large stone bull colossi, lions that are facing one another, (and) zebus that are facing one another, (and) twin lamassu-statues, that I cast in shining copper, and bull colossi (made) of white limestone.
I placed crossbeams on large copper columns (and) tall cedar columns, (thus forming) a cornice in their gates. I had the frieze(s) (and) coping(s) of the whole of that palace made of black and blue (glazed bricks) and I put (them) around (it) like a wreath. I surrounded all of the gates with an arch and a vault like a rainbow. I embedded nails of silver, gold, and shining copper in them. Through the craft of the sculptor, I depicted on it (the frieze of the palace) the might of the god Aššur, my lord, (and) the deeds that I had accomplished in enemy lands.
I planted alongside it (the palace) a botanical garden, a replica of Mount Amanus, with all kinds of aromatic plants and fruit trees. I greatly enlarged its courtyard and made its approach much wider. I led a canal into it (the park) as a watering place for horses and I made (it) murmur (with running water) like an irrigation ditch.
After I built (and) completed that palace from its foundations to its parapets (and) filled (it) with splendor, its mortar was mixed with fine beer, its kalakku-clay was mixed with wine. The bearers of the spade, the hoe, (and) the basket, the workers who carry baskets of brick(s), passed their time in joyous song, in rejoicing, with pleasure, (and) with radiant mien. I finished its work with rejoicing, jubilation, (and) melodious songs, and I named it Ešgalšiddudua, ‘The palace that administers everything.’
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I invited the gods Aššur, Bēl, Nabû, Ištar of Nineveh, (and) Ištar of Arbela, (vi 45) the gods of Assyria, all of them, into it. I made sumptuous pure offerings before them and presented (them) with my gifts. Those gods, in their steadfast hearts, blessed my kingship. I seated all of the officials and people of my country in it (vi 50) at festive tables, ceremonial meals, and banquets, and I made their mood jubilant. I watered their insides with wine and kurunnu-wine. I had (my servants) drench their (the guests’) heads with fine oil (and) perfumed oil.
By the command of the god Aššur, the king of the gods, and the gods of Assyria, all of them, (vi 55) let me dwell in it forever in good health, happiness, bright spirit(s), (and) with the satisfaction of growing old, and let me be sated with its splendor. At new year, in the first month, yearly, without ceasing, let me inspect in it all of the thoroughbreds, mules, camels, military equipment, implements of war, (and) (vi 60) all of the captured enemy soldiers. Let the good šēdu (and) the good lamassu, who guard my royal path (and) who make me happy, last forever and ever in that palace. May they never leave it.
In the future, may one of the kings, my descendants, whom the god Aššur and the goddess Ištar name to rule the land and people, renovate the dilapidated section(s) of that palace when it becomes old and dilapidated. Just as I placed an inscription written in the name of the king, (my) father, who engendered me, (vi 70) beside an inscription written in my name, so you (too) should be like me (and) read an inscription written in my name, anoint (it) with oil, make an offering, and place (it) beside an inscription written in your name. The god Aššur and the goddess Ištar will (then) hear your prayers.
Addaru (XII), eponymy of Atar-ili, governor of the land Laḫīru (673 BC).
Month “Opening of the Door,” eponymy of Atar-ili, governor of the land Laḫīru (673 BC).
Month “Opening of the Door,” eponymy of Atar-ili, governor of the land Laḫīru (673 BC).
Month of the goddess Bēlet-ilī, epo[nymy of ...], in the year when [...] its booty.
Addaru (XII), eponymy of Idri (Atar-ili) governor of the land Laḫīru (673 BC).
Addaru (XII), eponymy of Atar-ili, gover[nor of the land Laḫīru (673 BC)].
Nisannu (I), eponymy of Nabû-bēlī-uṣur, [governor of Dūr-Šarrukku (672 BC)].