Palace of Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, king of the four quarters (of the world), favorite of the great gods, wise prince, circumspect ruler, shepherd of people, (and) leader of a widespread population, I:

The god Aššur, father of the gods, looked steadfastly upon me among all of the rulers and made my weapons greater than (those of) all who sit on (royal) daises. He gave me a just scepter that widens borders (and) he put in my hand a merciless rod to fell enemies.

In a pitched battle, I overwhelmed like the Deluge Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), the king of Karduniaš (Babylonia), Chaldeans and Arameans, together with the troops of the land Elam, his allies. He (Marduk-apla-iddina II) fled alone to the Sealand, then he collected the gods of the (full) extent of his land, together with the bones of his forefathers from (their) tomb(s), (10) loaded (them and) his people onto boats, and crossed over to the city Nagītu, which is on the other side of the Bitter Sea. In that place, he disappeared.

I conquered his entire land and I counted (his people) as booty. I destroyed, devastated, burned with fire, (and) conquered his cities.

I ruined the city Ḫirimmu and the land of the Yasubigallians, (and) the land Ellipi, and I destroyed its settlements.

I took away the kingship of Lulî, the king of the city Sidon. I placed Tu-Baʾlu on his throne and imposed upon him payment (in recognition) of my overlordship.

I ruined the wide district of the land Judah (and) imposed my yoke on Hezekiah, its king.

I put to the sword the people of the city Tumurrum, who live on a rugged mountain (Mount Nipur). I destroyed the city Ukku, together with every one of its settlements, (so that they looked) like a ruin hill (created by) the Deluge.

I struck down with the sword the people of the land Ḫilakku, who live in the mountains. I destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire their cities.

I conquered the city Tīl-Garimme, which is on the border of the land Tabal, and turned (it) into ruins.

The cities Nagītu (and) Nagītu-diʾbina, the lands Ḫilmu, Pillatu, (and) Ḫupapanu, districts of the king of the land Elam that are situated on the other shore of the sea, in which the people of the land Bīt-Yakīn — who because of my mighty weapons had dislodged the gods of their land from their abodes (and) had crossed over the sea — had taken up residence inside: I crossed over the sea in boats of the land Ḫatti, which I had built in Nineveh and the city Tīl-Barsip. (25) I conquered and burned with fire the cities in those districts. I carried off the people of the land Bīt-Yakīn and their gods, together with soldiers of the king of the land Elam, and I brought (them) to Assyria.

Afterwards, the Babylonians, who had gone forth with Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan) (and) had fled to (the land) Elam, brought the king of the land Elam to Babylon and he (the king of Elam) placed Šūzubu (Nergal-ušēzib), son of Gaḫul (Gaḫal), on the royal throne over them.

I ordered archers, chariots, (and) horses of my royal contingent to confront (30) the king of the land Elam. They killed many troops, including his son, and he (the king of Elam) retreated. They marched to Uruk (and) carried off the deities Šamaš of Larsa, the Lady of the Rēš-Temple, the Lady of Uruk, Nanāya, Uṣur-amāssa, Bēlet-balāṭi, Kurunam, Kaššītu, (and) Palil, the gods who live in Uruk, together with their property (and) possessions, which are without number.

On their return march, in a pitched battle, they captured Šūzubu (Nergal-ušēzib), the king of Babylon, alive. (35) They threw him into a neck-stock (and) fetters and brought him before me. At the Citadel Gate of Nineveh, I bound him with a bear.

(As for) the king of the land Elam, who had come to the aid of the Babylonians, I marched to his land. I surrounded, conquered, plundered, destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire his fortified cities, his treasury, and the small(er) settlements in their environs, as far as the pass of the land Bīt-Bunaki.

The king of the land Elam heard about the conquest of his cities and fear fell upon him. (40) He made the rest of the people of his land go up into fortresses. He abandoned the city Madaktu, his royal city, and set out for the city Ḫaydala, which is in the mountains.

I ordered the march to the city Madaktu, his royal city. In the month Ṭebētu (X), bitter cold set in and continuous rain fell, and I was afraid of the snow in the gorges, the outflows of the mountains, (so) I turned around and took the road to Assyria.

Afterwards, the king of the land Elam, the lands Parsuaš, Anzan, (45) Pašeru, (and) Ellipi, the entirety of Chaldea, (and) all of the Arameans, a large host, formed a confederation with him. They met up with the king of Babylon and marched towards me to do battle.

With the strength of the god Aššur, my lord, I fought with them on the plain of the city Ḫalulê (and) defeated them. I put to the sword 150,000 of their combat troops. I took away from them chariots, wagons, (and) their royal tents.

I captured alive in the midst of (that) battle their magnates, including Nabû-šuma-iškun, a son of Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan), who were standing in silver (decorated) chariots, bedecked with gold ..., wear gold (decorated) belt-daggers, and have gold rings fastened to their forearms.

Terror of doing battle with me overwhelmed the king of Babylon and the king of the land Elam. They released their excrement inside their chariots, fled alone, and ran away to their (own) land(s).

At that time, the Rear Palace, which is inside Nineveh, that earlier kings, my ancestors, had had built for the proper running of the military camp, the care of horses, and the overseeing of everything — a terrace for that palace did not exist and its site had become too small, (and its) outer courtyard was not wide enough to have horses show (their) mettle. With the passage of time, its base had fallen into disrepair and its superstructure was tottering.

I tore down that palace in its entirety. (60) As an addition, I took much fallow land from the meadow (and) I added (it) to it. I abandoned the site of the former palace and filled in a terrace in the fallow land that I had taken from the meadow. I raised its superstructure 200 courses of brick high, measured by my large brick mold.

I laid the foundation of my palatial halls upon that terrace. I had a palatial hall of limestone (and) cedar, a replica of a palace of the land Ḫatti, (65) and a magnificent palatial hall of Assyrian workmanship, which greatly surpassed (the previous one) in size and splendor, built for my royal residence.

I greatly enlarged its outer courtyard for making my thoroughbred horses submissive to the yoke and for reviewing the substantial enemy booty that the god Aššur had given to me.

With the exalted strength of the gods, my lords, I sent orders to all the kings of the land Amurru whom they (the gods) had made bow down at my feet. (70) They cut down large beams of cedar on Mount Amanus. They dragged (them) to Nineveh and I roofed them (the palatial halls). I fastened bands of copper on doors of cypress (and) white cedar and I installed (them) in their gates.

I had pendû-stone — whose appearance is as finely granulated as cucumber seeds, considered valuable enough to be an amulet, a stone for speaking (and) being accepted, as well as making storms pass by, (and) keeping illness away from a man, (and) which was brought from the foot of Mount Nipur — and white limestone, which was discovered at the city Balāṭāya, (75) fashioned into bull colossi and I made (them) hold their door bolts.

I erected cedar columns over sphinxes of pendû-stone and I positioned the architraves of that palatial hall of limestone (on those columns).

With the ingenious mind that the lord of wisdom, the god Ninšiku, had granted to me, by divine will, I created clay molds for all of the bronze works that I intended to cast in Nineveh for the requirements of my palatial halls, then I poured copper into them (text “it”) and (80) my handiwork succeeded. Furthermore, I had twin lamassu-colossi of copper bear slabs of pendû-stone. I stationed (them) between the sphinxes, made (them) like battlements, and made (the façade) beautiful.

In the great courtyard below the palatial hall of limestone, I had a pedestal of pendû-stone, breccia, and sābu-stone made for my royal residence. I placed on it four bronze columns that were alloyed with one-sixth tin and I roofed it with cedar crossbeams that were plated with silver.

I made (that) armory extremely large, perfect, (and) splendid. I filled it with luxuriousness to be an object of wonder for all of the people. The surplus payment of all of the lands, (including) that of the distant Medes — from whom none of the kings, my ancestors, had received tribute — together with the wagons, chariots, vehicles of the king of the Elamites, the king of Babylon, and Chaldea that I had captured, along with the countless equipment (90) that I had accumulated: I had (all of these things) carried to the treasury of that palace and brought inside it.

By the command of the god Aššur, father of the gods, and the goddess Mullissu, the queen, may I spend a long time (and) attain very old age in that palace in good health, happiness, and contentment. May my descendants be established therein forever, into the distant future. May the šēdu-spirit(s) who protect life, the god(s) who preserve well-being day and night, never leave it.