(i 1) (With regard to) Ebabbar, the temple of the god Šamaš of Sippar, which Nebuchadnezzar (II), king of Babylon, a king of the past, had removed and whose original foundation(s) he did not reach, he (re)built that Ebabbar (anyway) and gave (it) to the god Šamaš, his lord. In (only) fifty-two years, the walls of that temple buckled and became old.

(i 9) (As for) me, Nabonidus, the king of Babylon who provides for Esagil and Ezida, during my legitimate reign that the gods Sîn and Šamaš love, I removed that Ebabbar and dug pits in it. I found its original foundation(s) that Sargon (of Agade), a king of the past, had made, and I laid its foundations (precisely) on the foundation(s) that Sargon had made, not (even) a fingerbreadth outside or inside (of them), and (thereby) secured its brickwork.

(i 16) I had immense beams of cedar, (which were) grown on Mount Amanus, stretched out [for] its roof. I had [doors] of white cedar, whose scent is sweet, clad with pure silver and bright copper and installed at each of its gates.

(i 20b) I completed the construction of that Ebabbar and made (it) shine like daylight. For the preservation of my life (and) to overwhelm my enem(ies), I indeed gave (it) to the god Šamaš, my lord.

(i 23b) O Šamaš, great lord, may good things about Esagil, Ezida, Ekišnugal, Ebabbar, Eanna, (and) Eulmaš, the residence(s) of your great divinity, be placed on your lips daily (and) without ceasing in the presence of the god Sîn, the father who engendered you. May their foundations be as firm as (those of) the heavens. Moreover, have reverence for the god Sîn, lord of the gods and goddesses, placed from the heavens (in) the hearts of his (Nabonidus’) people so that they do not commit a(ny) sin. May their foundations be firm.

(i 32) (As for) me, Nabonidus, the king of Babylon who reveres your great divinity, may I be sated with happiness in life. Moreover, with regard to Belshazzar, (my) first-born son, my own offspring, prolong his days. May he not commit a(ny) sin.

(i 37) That which is (written) upon on a monument from Sippar.

(i 38) (With regard to) Ebabbar, the temple of the god Šamaš of Larsa — which in distant days the god Sîn, king of the gods, lord of the gods and goddess(es) who reside in heaven and on earth, had become angry with the city and that temple and over which massive sand dune(s) were heaped so that its cellas could not be seen — during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar (II), king of Babylon, a king of the past who came before me, son of Nabopolassar, king of Babylon, by the command of the gods Sîn and Šamaš, his lords, the four winds, the great storms, rose up (and) the sand dune(s) that were covering the city and that temple were removed.

(i 49b) He (Nebuchadnezzar) dug pits and saw the foundation(s) of Ebabbar that Burna-Buriaš, a former king who had come before him, had made and (then) he laid the (new) foundation(s) of that Ebabbar (precisely) on the foundation(s) of Burna-Buriaš, not (even) a fingerbreadth outside or inside (of them). For the residence of the god Šamaš, the great lord, and the goddess Aya, his beloved bride, he built the temple and completed its construction. He made the god Šamaš, the great lord, take up residence inside it.

(i 59) (As for) me, Nabonidus, the king of Babylon who provides for Esagil and Ezida — now, during the tenth year of my legitimate reign, which the gods Sîn and Šamaš love, the god Šamaš, the great lord, remembered his original residence.

(i 64) In dream(s) that I had seen and that the people had seen about me, with regard to the original foundation(s) of that Ebabbar, he (Šamaš) commissioned me to restore Ebabbar, the seat of his happiness, to its (original) place.

(i 67b) I discovered the upper facing of the ziggurat and (then) I had many people mustered. I dug up the environs of that ziggurat, on the right (and) left, before and behind (it), and I (eventually) found (the original) Ebabbar, as far as its perimeter. I discovered inside it an inscription of Ḫammu-rāpi, a king of the past who came before me, <who> for the god Šamaš had built Ebabbar and the ziggurat (precisely) on the original foundation(s) 700 years before Burna-Buriaš. Then, my heart was happy (and) my face beamed.

(ii 7) I laid the foundations of Ebabbar (precisely) on the foundation(s) of Ḫammu-rāpi, a king of the past, not (even) a fingerbreadth outside or inside (of them), and (thereby) secured its brickwork. I built Ebabbar anew and completed its construction.

(ii 11) I had immense beams of cedar, (which were) grown on Mount Amanus, stretched out for its roof. I had doors of white cedar, whose scent is sweet, installed at each of its gates.

(ii 14) I (re)built that temple and made (it) shine like daylight. For the preservation of my life (and) to overwhelm my enem(ies), I indeed built (it) for the god Šamaš, the great lord, my lord.

(ii 16b) O Šamaš, great lord, may good things about Esagil, Ezida, Ekišnugal, Ebabbar, Eanna, (and) Eulmaš, the residence(s) of your great divinity, be placed on your lips daily, at sunrise and sunset, (and) without ceasing, in the presence of the god Sîn, [the fath]er who engendered you. May their foundations be as firm as (those of) the heavens.

(ii 23) (As for) me, Nabonidus, the king of Babylon who reveres your great divinity, may I be sated with happiness in life. Moreover, with regard to Belshazzar, (my) first-born son, my own offspring, prolong his days. May he not commit a(ny) sin.

(ii 27) That which is (written) upon on a monument from Larsa.

(ii 28) (With regard to) the foundation(s) Eulmaš of Agade — which had not been seen from the time of Sargon, king of Babylon, and Narām-Sîn, his (grand)son, kings of the past, up to the reign of Nabonidus, king of Babylon — Kurigalzu, king of Babylon, a king of the past, had sought (them) out, but he did not reach the (original) foundation(s) of Eulmaš. Thus, he put down in writing, saying: “I searched day and night for the (original) foundation(s) of Eulmaš, but I did not reach (them).”

(ii 37) Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, and Ashurbanipal, his son, to whom the god Sîn, king of the gods, granted the totality of (all) lands, sought out the (original) foundation(s) of Eulmaš, but did not reach (them). They put down in writing, saying: “I sought out the (original) foundation(s) of that Eulmaš, but I did not reach (them). I cut down poplar(s) and maštû-tree(s) and (then) built a replacement Eulmaš and gave (it) to the goddess Ištar of Agade, great lady, my lady.”

(ii 45b) Nebuchadnezzar (II), king of Babylon, son of Nabopolassar, a king of the past, mustered his numerous workmen, sought out the (original) foundation(s) of that Eulmaš day and night, although he had dug deep, he (still) did not reach the (original) foundation(s) of Eulmaš.

(ii 50) (But as for) me, Nabonidus, the king of Babylon who provides for Esagil and Ezida, during my legitimate reign, out of reverence for the goddess Ištar of Agade, my lady, I performed extispicies and the gods Šamaš and Adad answered me with a firm ‘yes,’ with regard to reaching the (original) foundation(s) of that Eulmaš, they placed a favorable omen in my extispicy.

(ii 57) I instructed many of my people to search for the (original) foundation(s) of that Eulmaš. For three years, I dug out the pits of Nebuchadnezzar (II), king of Babylon, and I sought (them) out on the right (and) left, before and behind (them), but I did not reach (the original foundations).

(ii 62) Thus, they spoke to me, saying: “We sought out those foundation(s), but we did not find (them). There was a downpour of heavy rain and we saw the gully that it had made.” Then, I said to them, saying: “Dig a pit in that gully until you find the (original) foundation(s) <in> that gully.”

(ii 69) They dug (in) that gully and they reached the (original) foundation(s) of Eulmaš of Narām-Sîn — a king of the past — the residence of the goddesses Ištar of Agade, Nanāya, (and) Anunītu, and the gods of (that) Eulmaš and they told me (about it).

(ii 75) My heart was happy (and) my face beamed. I laid these (new) foundation(s of Eulmaš), (those of its) throne platform(s and) dais(es), together with (those of) its two ziggurats, (precisely) on the (original) foundation(s) of that Eulmaš, not (even) a fingerbreadth outside or inside (of them), and (thereby) secured its brickwork.

(iii 3) I filled it in with an infill and placed it (the new temple) at ground level so that the (original) foundation(s) of Eulmaš will never be forgotten. I (re)built Eulmaš and completed its construction.

(iii 7) I had immense beams of cedar, (which were) grown on Mount Amanus, stretched out for its roof. I indeed had doors of white cedar, whose scent is sweet, erected in its gates.

(iii 10b) I made that temple shine like daylight. For the preservation of my life (and) to overwhelm my enem(ies), I indeed built (it) for the goddess Ištar of Agade, the great lady, my lady.

(iii 14) O Ištar of Agade, great lady, my lady, may good things about Esagil, Ezida, Ekišnugal, Ebabbar, Eanna, (and) Eulmaš, the residence(s) of your great divinity, be placed on your lips in the presence of the god Sîn, the father who engendered you. May their foundations be as firm as (those of) the heavens.

(iii 20) (As for) me, Nabonidus, the king of Babylon who reveres your great divinity, may I be sated with happiness <in life>. With regard to Belshazzar, (my) first-born son, my own offspring, prolong his days. May he not commit a(ny) sin.

(iii 25) That which is (written) upon on a monument from Agade.

(iii 26) (With regard to) Eulmaš of Sippar-Anunītu — which the god Sîn, king of the gods, had become angry with the city and that temple and (then) he incited Sennacherib, king of Assyria, the bitter enemy, so that he (Sennacherib) turned the city and that temple into ruins —

(iii 30) Now, (as for) me, Nabonidus, the king of Babylon who provides for Esagil and Ezida — during my legitimate reign that gods Sîn and Šamaš love, the goddess Anunītu, the great lady, my lady, the one who resides in Eulmaš, by the command of the god Sîn, king of the gods, the father who engendered her, became reconciled with the city and that temple. In a dream during the night, she made me see a dream regarding the (re)building of Eulmaš.