(i 1) Nabopolassar, king of justice, shepherd chosen by the god Marduk, creation of the goddess Ninmenna — the exalted princess, the queen of queens — protégé of the god Nabû and the goddess Tašmētu, beloved prince of the god Ninšiku.

(i 7) When, during my childhood, (although) I was a son of a nobody, I constantly sought out the shrines of the gods Nabû and Marduk, my lords; (my) mind pondered making their rites secure and properly administering their kidudû-rites; (and) my attention was set on truth and justice.

(i 15) The god Šazu, the lord who knows the hearts of the gods of heaven and earth, the one who constantly observes the inner mind of the people, as for me — the child who could not be found among the people — he observed my intention(s) and made me pre-eminent in the land where I was created.

(i 21) He called (my) name for dominion over the land and people, made a good lamassu walk beside me, (and) allowed (me) to successfully undertake (every) task in everything that I did. He made the god Nergal, the almighty one of the gods, march at my side; he killed my enemies (and) cut down my opponents.

(i 28) (With regard to) the Assyrians, who, on account of the hatred of the gods, had ruled over the land of Akkad and who had made the people of the land suffer under their (text: “his”) heavy yoke, I, the weak (and) powerless one who constantly seeks out the lord of lords (Marduk), with the powerful strength of the gods Nabû and Marduk — my lords — I barred them (lit: “their feet”) from the land of Akkad and had (the Babylonians) cast off their yoke.

(ii 6) At that time, Nabopolassar, king of Babylon, the one who pleases the heart(s) of the gods Nabû and Marduk, am I: (With regard to) Imgur-Enlil — the great wall of Babylon, the original boundary marker which has been manifest since the distant past, the firmly-founded ground plan that has endured for all eternity, the high mountain that rivals the heavens, the strong shield that bolts the entrance to the land of enemies, the wide courtyard of the Igīgū gods, the broad forecourt of the Anunnakū gods, the stairway to the heavens, the ladder to the netherworld, the station(s) of the gods Lugal-girra and Meslamtaʾe(a), the cult niche of the goddess Ištar — the great queen — the site of the bow of the god Dagān — the warrior — the camp enclosure of the warrior — the god Ninurta —

(ii 20) the area protected by the gods Anu and Enlil, the place of sophisticated designs of the god Ea — the lord of Eridu — the secluded ground of the great gods, whose foundation(s) the Igīgū (and) Anunnakū gods firmly established in the jubilation of their heart(s), (whose construction) they had skillfully executed according to plan, (and) whose superstructure they had raised — a long time ago it became weak, collapsed, and, on account of heavy rains and downpours, its wall(s) were carried away (and) its foundation(s) had become a heap of ruins and was piled up like a ruin mound.

(ii 31) I mustered the workmen of the gods Enlil, Šamaš, and Marduk and I made (them) carry hoe(s and) imposed (on them the carrying of) basket(s). From the bank of the Araḫtu River on the upper side, at the gate of the goddess Ištar, to the bank of the Araḫtu <River> on the lower side, at the gate of the gate of the god Uraš, I removed its heaped-up earth. I examined (and) inspected its old foundation and (then) laid its brickwork on its original place. I firmly secured its foundation on the surface (lit. “breast”) of the netherworld. I surrounded the east bank with a strong lining.

(iii 1) Nabopolassar, the humble (and) submissive one who reveres the gods Nabû and Marduk, the shepherd who pleases the heart of the goddess Pa(p)nun-anki (Zarpanītu), the one who examines the old foundation of Babylon, the one who discovers brick(s) of the past, the one who executes according to plan (work) on the original socle — (which has existed) for all eternity — the one who grasps the hoe of the Igīgū gods, the one who carries the basket of the Anunnakū gods, the one who built Imgur-Enlil for the god Marduk — my lord — am I.

(iii 11) (So that) any future king does not have my carefully selected words removed (and) that no word(s) come in existence that surpass my (own) command, I swore an oath bound by the god Marduk, my lord, and the god Šamaš, my god: “My words are not lies, but are reliable statement(s)!”

(iii 16) At that time, I found a statue of a king who came before me who had built that wall, (and) I firmly placed (it) in a secure place, (in) the great foundation(s), with my (own) statue, for eternity.

(iii 22) Any king in the future, either (my) son or grandson who comes after me, whom the god Marduk names for dominion over the land: Do not set your heart on feats of might and power, (but rather) constantly seek out the shrines of the gods Nabû and Marduk so that they may kill your opponent(s). The god Marduk, the lord, examines the mouth (and) observes the heart (so) whoever is true to the god Bēl (Marduk) his foundations will endure (and) whoever is true to the god Son-of-Bēl (Nabû) will live forever.

(iii 30) When that wall becomes dilapidated and you repair its dilapidated section(s), exactly like when I found an inscription of a king who came before me and did not change its location, find an inscription (written) in my name (and) place (it) with your inscribed objects so that, by the command of the god Marduk, the great lord whose command cannot be changed, the mention of your name will be established forever.