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:

The god Aššur, father of the gods, looked steadfastly upon me among all of the rulers and he made my weapons greater than (those of) all who sit on (royal) daises.

At that [time], the palace in the citadel of Nineveh, which the kings, my ancestors, had had constructed and whose site was too small; alongside of which the Tebilti River had flowed and which had shaken its base when its flood was in full spate:

I tore down that palace in its entirety, (and then) [I improved] the course of the Tebilti River [and] directed its outflow.

In [its] subterranean wat[ers] I [very firmly] bonded reeds below (and) bi[tum]en above with large (blocks of) limestone. I raised a plot of land that was 340 cubits lo[ng] (and) 289 cubits wide out of the water and converted (it) into an empty lot. I added (it) to the dimensions of the former terrace (and) thereby enlarged the entire terrace to 700 large cubits along (its) longer side and 440 cubits along (its) shorter side. I raised its superstructure 190 courses of brick high.

I built a palace of breccia, alabaster, elephant ivory, ebony, boxwood, musukkannu-wood, cedar, cypress, juniper, (and) elammaku-wood thereon as my royal residence; (then) I had a portico, a replica of a Hittite palace, constructed opposite (its) gates.

I roofed them (the palatial halls) with beams of cedar (and) cypress. I fastened bands of silver and copper on doors of white cedar (and) cypress and I installed (them) in their gates.

In the corridors, I made openings for latticed windows. At their gates, I stationed apotropaic figures of alabaster (and) elephant ivory. I decorated them with silver and copper knobbed nails. I adorned [the ar]ches, friezes, and all of the copings with baked bricks (glazed in the color of) obsidian (and) lapis lazuli.

So that the construction of my palace might be carried out correctly, at that time, the god Aššur and the goddess Ištar, who love my priestly service, revealed to me a source of long trunks of cedar, which since distant days grew thick as they [st]ood in the Sirāra mountain range

In the uplands of Mount Ammanāna (northern Anti-Lebanon), they (Aššur and Ištar) disclosed to me the location of alabaster, which in the time of [the king]s, my ancestors, was too expensive (even) for the pommel of a sword.

Moreover, breccia, as much as is needed (for making) burzigallu-bowls, (a stone) that had never been seen before, revealed itself at Kapridargilâ (“Dargilâ Village”).

In the territory of the city Balāṭāya, white limestone was discovered in abundance, and (then) I created bull colossi (and) sphinxes of alabaster, and slabs of alabaster, as well as magnificent slabs of breccia. I cut (them) free on both sides from their mountains, and (then), for the construction of my palace, I had (them) dragged into Nineveh.

(As for) the white limestone that was discovered in the territory of the city Balāṭāya, I had (it) made into bull coloss[i] and sphinxes.

By divine will, I created [cl]ay mold(s) of tree trun[ks] and date palm(s), (of) twelve raging lions, as well as (of) [twelve] magnificent bull colossi (and) twenty-two sphinxes, and I pour[ed] copper into it. I perfected their form(s).

I made bull colossi of alabaster and copper, two of which were overlaid with zaḫalû-silver, (together with) bull colossi and sphinxes of white limestone, hold the door bolts of my palatial halls.

Sphinxes of alabaster and cast urudû-copper with inlays of shining silver, sphinxes of cast ...-metal, as well as twelve raging bronze lions: I erected over them magnificent copper columns (and) large cedar columns, as well as columns of ebony, cypress, daprānu-juniper, (and) tatīdu-wood, with pašallu-gold, silver, and copper inlays, and (then) I positioned cross-beams (upon them) as a cornice for their gates.

I surrounded their (the palace rooms’) lower courses with slabs of breccia (and) alabaster, and large limestone slabs.

In order to be able to draw water by bucket every day, I had bronze wire chains and bronze cables made and, instead of poles, I had tree trunks (and) date palm(s) placed over wells.

I made those palatial halls beautiful. T[o be] an object of wonder for all of the people, I raised the superstructure of the entire palace. I called it the “Palace Without a R[ival].”

By the command of the god Aššur, father of the god[s], and the goddess Ištar, the queen, may the good šēdu (and) the go[od] lamassu last forever and ever in it (that palace). May they never leave i[t].