Esarhaddon, great king, mighty king, king of the world, king of Assyria, governor of Babylon, king of Sumer and Akkad, the true shepherd who reorganized the confused people (and) made light shine forth for them; to whom the great gods gave as a gift (the ability) to create, build, (and) renew; (5) the one who (re)constructed the temple of the god Aššur, (re)built Esagil and Babylon, completed all of the cult centers, renewed the statues of the great gods, (and) who returned the plundered gods of the lands to their (proper) place from Assyria; who plated Egašankalama, the temple of the goddess Ištar of Arbela, his lady, with silver (zaḫalû) and made (it) shine like daylight — I had lions, screaming anzû-birds, laḫmu-monsters, (and) kurību-genii fashioned from silver and copper and set (them) up in its entry doors.

The king, who with the help of the gods Aššur, Sîn, Šamaš, Nabû, Marduk, Ištar of Nineveh, (and) Ištar of Arbela, marched freely from the Upper Sea to the Lower Sea and made all of his enemies [and the] rulers who were unsubmissive to him bow down at his feet; (15) the one who conquered the city Sidon, which is in [the midst of] the sea, (and) the one who leveled all of its dwellings; the one who plundered the city Arzâ, which is in the neighborhood of the Brook of Egypt, (and) who threw Asuḫīli, its king, into fetters along with his counselors (and) brought (them) to Assyria; moreover, (I am) the one who struck with the sword Teušpa, a Cimmerian, together with his entire army, in the territory of the land Ḫubušna; the one who treads on the unsubmissive people of Cilicia;

the one who drove out Nabû-zēr-kitti-līšir, son of Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan); [the one who sack]ed Bīt-Dakkūri, which is in Chaldea, an enemy of Babylon; [the one who captu]red Šamaš-ibni, its king, a rogue (and) outlaw — I surrounded, captured, plundered, destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire the cities [Ḫa]ndasu, Magalani, Alpiana, Diḫrāni, (25) Qatabuʾ, Padê, (and) Udēru, fortified cities in the district of the land Bāzu, together with small cities in its environs.

The one who crushed the Barnaki, a dangerous enemy, who live in the city Tīl-Ašurri, which is called Pitānu in the language of the people of the land Miḫrānu; (30) the one who scattered the Mannean people, undisciplined Gutians — (as for) the land Patušarri, a district in the area of the salt desert, which is in the midst of the land of the distant Medes, borders Mount Bikni, (and) upon the soil of whose land none of the kings, my ancestors, had walked, I carried off to Assyria Šidir-parna (and) E-parna, mighty chieftains, who were not submissive to (my) yoke, together with their people (and) their heavy plunder.

Son of Sennacherib, king of the world (and) king of Assyria, descendant of Sargon (II), king of the world, king of Assyria, governor of Babylon, king of Sumer and Akkad —

At that time, by means of the prisoners from the lands that I had conquered with the help of the god Aššur, my lord, the arsenal, which was in Kalḫu, that Shalmaneser (III), king of Assyria, son of Ashurnasirpal (II), a ruler who came before me, had built, had no terrace and its site had become too small.

As for me, Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, pious prince, to whom the prince, the god Ninšiku (Ea), gave (wisdom) equal to that of the sage Adapa, that terrace was on my mind and I (text: “he”) thought about it. I incorporated unused land as an addition (and) raised the terrace with massive stone blocks from the mountains. (50) I raised its walls by 120 brick courses, built palatial halls for my royal residence upon it, (and) built (and) completed (it) from its foundations to its parapets. I roofed them with magnificent cedar beams, grown on Mount Amanus, (and) installed doors of cypress, whose fragrance is sweet, in their gates. I filled (it) with splendor (making it) an object of wonder for all of the people.

I made foundation inscriptions, had the might of the god Aššur, my lord, (and) the deeds that I had done written on them, and placed (these inscriptions) in them (the foundations).

In the future, in far-off days, may a future ruler, one of the kings, my descendants, renovate its dilapidated section(s). (60) May he read a foundation inscription written in my name, make an offering, anoint (it) with oil, write my name with his name, (and) return (it) to its place. The god Ninurta, son of the god Enlil, will (then) hear his prayers.

ruling

Abu (V), fifth day, eponymy of Nabû-bēlī-uṣur, governor of the city Dūr-Šarrukku (672 BC).

Ayyāru (II), eighteenth day, eponymy of Nabû-bēlī-uṣur, governor of the city Dūr-Šarrukku (672 BC), when the treaty concerning Ashurbanipal, the senior son of the king, who (resides in) the House of Succession, was made.