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 the people, (and) leader of a widespread population, I:

The goddess Bēlet-ilī, the lady of creation, looked steadfastly upon me and created my features (while I was still) in the womb of the mother who gave birth to me. Moreover, the god Ninšiku gave me wide understanding equal to (that of) the sage Adapa (and) endowed me with broad knowledge.

The god Aššur, father of the gods, made all of the black-headed (people) bow down at my feet (and) elevated me for shepherding the land and people. He gave me a just scepter that widens the land (and) he put in my hand a merciless weapon to fell enemies.

At that time, I made the enemy people whom I had captured carry baskets (of earth) and they made bricks.

The palace in the citadel of Nineveh, whose extent was 360 cubits on (its) longer side (and) 95 cubits on (its) shorter side, and whose site was too small; (and) which earlier kings, my ancestors, had had constructed for their lordly dwelling, but whose construction they had carried out inexpertly:

They quarried mountain sheep colossi of white limestone in the city Tastiate to be their (the palatial halls’) gatekeepers. Throughout all of their lands they depleted forests of large trees to have boats built. In the month Ayyāru (II), the time of spring floods, they brought (the colossi) across to this side (of the river) with difficulty in magnificent boats. They sank large boats at the quay dock (and then) made their crews struggle (and) strain. With might and main, they struggled to transport (the colossi) and install (them) in their gates.

The Tebilti River, a tempestuous flood (of water) which had flowed from distant days by the side of the palace (and) had shaken its base when its flood was in full spate:

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

In its subterranean waters I very firmly bonded reeds below (and) bitumen above with large (blocks of) limestone. I raised a plot of land that was 554 cubits long (and) 289 cubits wide out of the water and converted (it) to dry land. I made the area larger than before, added (it) to the former dimensions of the palace, and raised its superstructure 190 courses of brick high.

In order to prevent its foundation from being weakened over the passage of time by cresting flood(s), I surrounded its base with large limestone (slabs and thereby) reinforced its base. I enlarged the structure of the palace to 914 large cubits along (its) longer side and 440 large cubits along (its) shorter side and (thus) I made its site bigger.

I built a palace of breccia, alabaster, elephant ivory, ebony, boxwood, musukkannu-wood, cedar, cypress, juniper, (and) elammaku-wood, for my lordly 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, whose scent is sweet, product(s) of Mount Amanus and Mount Sirāra, the holy mountains. I fastened bands of silver (and) copper on doors of cedar, cypress, (and) juniper and I installed (them) in their gates.

In the corridors that are within the papāḫu-chambers, I made openings for latticed windows. At their gates, I stationed apotropaic figures of alabaster (and) elephant ivory, whose folded hands hold poppies, who are laden with pride (and) allure, (and) who are filled with exuberance, and (thus) I made (them) an object of wonder.

The covering of the roof that (hangs) over the corridors — I made their somber atmosphere cheerful, making (them) as bright as day. I decorated them with silver and copper knobbed nails. I adorned the arches, friezes, and all of their 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 and that my handiwork be completed, at that time, the god Aššur and the goddess Ištar, who love my priestly service (and) who selected me (lit. “who called my name”), revealed to me a source of trunks of cedar, which since distant days grew tall and very thick as they stood in seclusion 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 kings, 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”), which is on the border of the city Tīl-Barsip.

Near Nineveh, in the territory of the city Balāṭāya, by divine will, white limestone was discovered in abundance, and (then) I created bull colossi and (other) statues with limbs of alabas[ter that] are sculpted from a single stone, (whose) proportions [are perfect], (and) who stand high on the[ir] own pedestals; sphinxes of alabaster whose features are exquisite (and) whose bo[dies] sh[in]e like a brilliant day; (and) 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.

I had large bull colossi and sphinxes of white limestone created in the territory of the city Balāṭāya and their forms perfected through the craft of the deity Ninkura.

Since time immemorial, the kings, my ancestors, created copper statues, replicas of their (own) forms, to be erected in temples, and through their manufacture they had exhausted all of the craftsmen. Through ignorance (and) failure to give thought on the matter, they depleted the oil, wax, (and) wool in their lands for the work they desired.

(But) as for me, Sennacherib, the foremost of all rulers, expert in every type of work, regarding large columns of copper (and) striding lion colossi, which none of the kings of the past (who came) before me had cast: [With] the ingenious mind that the prince, the god Ninšiku, had granted to me (and) taking counsel with myself, I intensively pondered how to perform this work. Then, with my (own) ideas and knowledge, I created a cast work of copper and expertly carried out its artful execution.

By divine will, I created clay mold(s) of tree trunks and date [pal]m(s), the tree of abundance, (of) twelve raging lions, as well as (of) twelve magnificent bull colossi with perfect features (and) twenty-two sphinxes that are coated in allure and charm (and) that have pride (and) exuberance heaped upon them, and I poured copper into it. Just like the cast work of (an object weighing only) a half shekel, I perfected their form(s).

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

I fastened bands of copper on magnificent copper columns, as well as on large cedar columns, which are the product of Mount Amanus, and (then) I installed (them) upon lion colossi and positioned cross-beams (upon them) as a cornice for their gates.

Sphinxes of alabaster, as well as sphinxes of cast urudû-copper that were overlaid with zaḫalû-silver, and sphinxes of cast ...-metal, whose features were brilliant: I erected over them columns of ebony, cypress, cedar, daprānu-juniper, juniper, and tatīdu-wood, with pašallu-gold and silver inlays, and (then) I positioned the architraves of the inner rooms of my lordly residence (on those columns).

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

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

I made those palatial halls beautiful. To 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 Rival.”

I planted alongside it (the palace) a botanical garden, a replica of Mount Amanus, which has all kinds of aromatic plants (and) fruit trees, trees that are the mainstay of the mountains and Chaldea, collected inside it.

To make (those) planted areas luxuriant, I cut with iron picks a canal straight through a mountain, from the border of the city Kisiru to the plain of Nineveh. I caused an inexhaustible supply of water to flow there for a distance of one and a half leagues from the Ḫusur River (and) made (it) gush through feeder canals into those planted areas.

I created a marsh to moderate the flow of water for (those) gardens and planted a canebrake in it. I let loose in it herons, wild boars (lit. “pigs of the reeds”), (and) roe deer. By divine will, vines and all kinds of fruit trees, olive trees, (and) aromatic trees flourished greatly in (those) gardens. Cypress trees, musukkannu-trees, (and) all kinds of trees grew tall and sent out shoots. The marshes thrived greatly. Birds of the heavens, heron(s), made nest(s) and wild boars (and) roe deer gave birth in abundance.

I cut down musukkannu-trees (and) cypress trees grown in the orchards (and) marsh reeds from the swamps and I used (them) in the work required (to build) my lordly palatial halls.

After I had finished the work on my palace, I invited inside it the god Aššur, the great lord, (and) the gods and goddesses living in Assyria, and (then) I made splendid offerings and presented my gift(s). I made fine oil from olives and aromatics. At the inauguration of the palace, I had the heads of the subjects of my land drenched (and) I watered their insides with swe[e]t [wine].

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