Sennacherib 002

(1) [Sennacherib, great king], strong king, king of Assyria, unrivalled king, pious shepherd who reveres the [great] god[s, guardian of truth who loves justi]ce, renders assistance, goes to the aid of the weak, (and) strives after good [deeds, perfect man, virile warrior], foremost of all rulers, the bridle that controls the insubmissive, (and) the one who strikes [enemies] with lightning:

(4) [The god Aššur, the great mountain], granted to me [unrivalled sovereignty] and made [my weapons] greater than (those of) all who sit on (royal) [da]ises.

(5) [At the beginning of my kingship], I brought about [the defeat of Marduk-apla-iddi]na (II) (Merodach-baladan), king of Karduniaš (Babylonia), together with the troops of (the land) Elam, [his] al[lies, i]n the plain of Kish. [In the midst of that battle he abandoned his camp]. He fled alone and escaped to the land Guzummānu, (where) [he entered] the swamps and marshes [and (thereby) saved his life. I seized the chariots, wagons, horse]s, mules, donkeys, camels, and Bactrian camels that [he had abandoned] in the thick of bat[tle].

(8) I [joyful]ly entered [his palace, which is in Babylon], then I opened his treasury and [brought out] go[ld, silver], gold (and) silver [uten]sils, pr[ecious] stones, [all kinds of possessions (and) property, a substantial treasure, (together with) his wife, his palace women, cour]tiers, attendants, all of the crafts[men, as many as there were, (and) his palace attendants, and I counted (them) as booty].

(10) [I pursued him to the land Guzummānu and ordered] my warriors into the midst of swamps and [marshes. For five days they searched (for him), but his (hiding) place could not be found].

(11) [With the strength of the god Aššur, my lord, I surrounded, conquered, (and) plundered 89 fortified cities, fortresses] of Chal[dea, and 820 small(er) settlements in their environs. I brought out the auxiliary forces of the Arameans and Chaldeans who were in] Uruk, Nip[pur, Kish, Ḫursagkalamma, (and) Cutha, together with the guilty citizens, and] I counted (them) [as booty].

(13) [I appointed] over them [Bēl-ibni, a son of a rab banî (and) a scion of Šuanna (Babylon) who had grown up like a young p]uppy [in my palace, as king of the land of Sumer and Akkad].

(14) [On my return march], I defeated all together [the Tuʾmūna, Riḫiḫu, Yadaqqu, Ubudu, Gibrê, Maliḫu (Malaḫu), Gurumu, Ubulu], Damunu, (15) [Gambulu, Ḫindaru, Ruʾuʾa, Puqudu, Ḫamrānu, Ḫagarānu, Nabatu, (and) Liʾtaʾu, insubmis]sive [Arameans]. I carried off into Assyria [a sub]stanial [booty (consisting of) 208,000 people, male and female, 7,200 horses (and) mules, 11,073 donkeys, 5,230 camels, 80,100 oxen, (and) 800,600 sheep and goats].

(17) [In the course of my campaign], I received [a] substantial [aud]ience gift [from Nabû-bēl-šumāti, the official in charge of the city Ḫararatu (Ḫarutu): gold, silver, large musukkannu-trees, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats].

(18) [I put to the sword the population of the city Ḫirimmu, a dangerous enemy who since time immemorial had not submitted to my yoke, and] I did not leave one [alive. I reorganized that district] (and) imposed for eternity [one ox, ten sheep, ten homers of wine, (and) twenty homers of dates as his first-fruits offerings to the gods of Assyria, my lords].

(20) [On my second campaign, the god Aššur, my lord, encouraged me and] I marched [to the land of the Kassites and the land of the Yasubigallians, a dangerous enemy who since time immemorial] had not submitted [to the kings], my [ancestor]s. [In the high mountains, difficult terrain, I rode on horseback and had my personal chariot carried on (men’s) necks. In very rugged terrain] I roamed about [on foot] like a wild bull.

(22) [I surrounded (and) conquered the city Bīt-Kilamzaḫ, their fortified city. I] brought out of it [people, young (and) old, horses, mules, donkeys, oxen, and sheep and goats], and I counted (them) as booty. [I destroyed, devastated, (and) turned into ruins their small(er) settlements, which were without number. I burned with fire the pavilions (and) tents that they relied upon, and] reduced (them) to [as]hes.

(24) [I made that city Bīt-Kilamzaḫ a fortress again (and) strengthened its enceinte more than before]. I settled [therein the people of the lands that I had conquered. (25) I brought down from the mountains the people of the land of the Kassites and the land of the Yasubigallians who had fled from my weapons and] I made (them) dwe[ll in the cities Ḫardišpu] (and) Bīt-Kubatti. [I placed them under the authority of a eunuch of mine, the governor of the city Arrapḫa. I had a stele made, had all the victorious conquests that I achieved over them] written [o]n it, and I erected (it) in (that) city.

(27) [I turned around (lit. “I turned the front of my yoke”) and took the road to the land Ellipi. Before my arrival, Ispabāra, their king, abandoned his fortified cities (and) his treasury] and fled far away. [I overwhelmed all of his wide land like a fog. I destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire the cities Marubištu (and) Akkuddu, cities of his royal house, together with thirty-four fortified cities and small(er) settlements in] their [en]virons, which were without number, [then I cut down their orchards (and) poured deathly quiet over their fertile fields]. (In this manner) I reduced to desolation [the land Ellipi to] its full [extent].

(30) [I carried off people, young (and) old, male and female, horses, mules, donkeys, oxen, and sheep and goats without number and] brought them [to nought]. I detached [fr]om his land [the cities Ṣi(ṣ)ṣirtu (and) Kummaḫlum, fortified cities, together with the small(er) settlements in their environs (and) the district of the land Bīt-Barrû in its entirety], and I added (this area) to the territory of Assyria.

(32) [I took the city Elenzaš as a royal city and a fortress for that district, then I changed its former name and] called it [Kār-Sennacherib].

(33) [On my return march, I received a substantial payment from the distant Medes, of whose land none of the kings, my ancestors, had heard mention]. (Thus) I made them bow down [to the yoke of] my [lo]rd[ship].

(34) [At that time, Nineveh, the exalted cult center, the city loved by the goddess Ištar] in which [all of the rituals for gods and goddesses are prese]nt; (35) [the enduring foundation (and) eternal base] whose plan had been designed [by the st]ars (lit. “[writ]ing”) of the firmament and whose arrangement [was made man]ifest [since time immemorial; a sophisticated place (and) site of secret lore] in which [every kind of skilled craftsmanship, all of the ritual]s, (and) the secret(s) of the lalgar (cosmic subterranean water) are apprehended;

(37) [in which since time immemorial earlier kings, my ancestors, before] me exercised dominion over Assyria and ruled the subjects of the god Enlil, [and] wherein [annually, without interruption], they received [an income unsurpassed in amount, the tribute of the rulers of the] four [quarters (of the world)];

(39) [(but) not one among them had paid] heed [to (or) sho]wn interest [in the palace inside it, the seat of lordly dwelling] whose site had become too small; (40) nor had anyone (of them) [con]ceived of and put his [mind towards the straightening of the city’s street(s) and the widening of (its) squares, the dredging of the river, (and) the planting of orchards]:

(41) [(But) as for me, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, the performing of this work] came to my [attention by the will of the gods] and I put my mind to it. I forcibly removed [the people of Chaldea, Aramean (tribes), the land of the Manneans, (and) the lands Que and Ḫilakku, who had not submitted to my yoke, then I made them carry] baskets (of earth) [and they made bricks. I cut down canebrakes in Chaldea and I had their splendid reeds hauled (to Nineveh) for its (the palace’s) construction by enemy soldiers] whom I had defeated.

(44) [The former palace, which was 360 cubits long opposite the zamû-wall of the ziggurrat, 80 cubits wide opposite the tower of] the temple of the goddess Ištar, 134 cubits wide op[posite the tower of the Bīt-Kidmuri, (and) 95 cubits wide (on the other side); (45) which earlier kings, my ancestors, had had constructed for their lordly dwelling, but whose construction] they had [carried out] in[expertly — the Tebilti River, a tempestuous flood (of water) which when it rose had destroyed sacred buildings inside the city and exposed] the mou[nds of] their tombs (lit. “their moun[ded] tombs”) [to the sun, and which had flowed from distant days by the side of the palace and which (thereby) had caus]ed [erosion in its foundation when its flood was in full spate] (and) had [shaken its base]:

(48) [I tore down that small palace in its entirety, then I changed the course of the Tebilti River, repaired (the effects of) the erosion, and directed its outflow].

(49) [In the hidden depths of its subterranean waters I bonded together, with bitumen, reeds below (and) strong mountain stone above, then I raised (that) area out of the water and converted (it) to dry land. (50) I filled in and measured a terrace of 700 large aslu-cubits along (its) longer side, 162 large aslu-cubits along (its) upper, northern shorter side, 217 large aslu-cubits along the inner, shorter side, (and) 386 large aslu-cubits along the lower], southern [shorter side, (which is) beside the Tigris River]. In order to prevent its foundation [from being weakened over the passage of time by cresting flood(s), I surrounded its damp course with large limestone slabs (and thereby) reinforced its base].

(53) [I inscribed objects bearing my name 160] courses of brick wi[thin] the terrace, [and I deposited (them) deep down in its foundation for ever after].

(54) [Afterwards, I] decided [to increase the height of the terrace], then I added 20 courses of brick to the former (terrace) and (thus) I raised (it) to a (total) height of 180 courses of brick. (55) I made the area larg]er [than before, added] (it) to [the former] dimensions [of the palace, and (thus) enlarged its structure].

(56) [I had a palace of elephant ivory, ebony, boxwood, musuk]kannu-wood, cedar, cyp[ress, juniper, and terebinth, (a palace that I named) Egalzagdinutukua (“The Palace Without a Rival”), constructed thereon as my royal residence].

(57) [I roofed them (the rooms of the palace) with beams of cedar grown on Mount Amanus, which were brought with difficulty] from (that) [distant] mountain terr[ain. I fastened bands of shining bronze on magnificent doors of cypress, whose scent is sweet on] opening and clos[ing, and I installed (them) in their gates].