Esarhaddon, king of the world, king of Assyria, governor of Babylon, king of Sumer and Akkad, pious prince, who reveres the gods Nabû and Marduk —

Before my time, in the reign of a previous king, bad omens occurred in Sumer and Akkad. (i 10) The people living there were answering each other yes (for) no (and) were telling lies. They put the[ir] hands on the possessions of Esagil, (i 15) the palace of the gods, and they sold the gold, sil[ver], (and) precious stones at market value to the land Elam.

The Enlil of the gods, the god Marduk, became angry and plotted evilly to level the land (and) to destroy [its] people. The river Araḫ[tu, (ii 1) (normally) a river of abun]dance, [turned into] a hu[ge] flood like the deluge, (and) [swept (its) waters] destructively across the city, its dwellings, [(...)], (and) its shrines, (ii 5) and turned (them) into ruins. The gods and goddesses dwelling in it went up to the heavens; the people living in it were distributed among the (foreign) riffraff (and) became slaves.

The merciful god Marduk wrote that the calculated time of its abandonment (should last) 70 years, (but) his heart was quickly soothed, and he reversed the numbers and (thus) ordered its (re)occupation to be (after) 11 years.

You [truly] selected me, Esarhaddon, in the assembly of my older brothers, to put these matters right, and (iii 1) you (are the one) who placed your sweet [protec]tion over me, swept away all of my enemies like [a flood], killed all of my [foes] and (iii 5) [made] me attain my wish, (and), to appease the heart of your great divinity (and) to please your spirit, you entrusted (me) with shepherding Assyria.

At the beginning of my kingship, in my first year, when I sat in greatness on (my) royal throne, [good] signs were [est]ablished for me; in heaven (and) on earth, [he (the god Marduk) constantly se]nt me his omen(s).

[I was afraid] (and) worried [to] preform that work (and) I knelt before the gods Šamaš, [Adad], (and) Marduk, the great judge(s), the god[s], my lords. In the diviner’s bowl, (iii 20) trustworthy oracles were established for me, and they had (their response) concerning the (re)building of Babylon (and) the renovation of Esagil written on a liver.

I trusted in their fi[rm] ‘yes’ and I mustered all of my craftsmen and the people of Karduniaš (Babylonia) (iv 5) to its full extent. I had them wield hoes and I imposed baskets (on them). I mixed (the mud for) its revetment with fine oil, honey, ghee, kurunnu-wine, (and) pure mountain beer. (iv 10) I raised a basket onto my head and carried (it) myself. I had its bricks made for one year in brickmolds of ivory, ebony, boxwood, (and) musukkannu-wood.

I had Esagil, the palace of the gods, and its shrines, Babylon, the privileged city, Imgur-Enlil, its wall, (iv 20) (and) Nēmetti-Enlil, its outer wall, built anew from their foundations to their parapets. I made (them) greater (than before), raised (them) up, (and) glorified (them).

I refurbished the statues of the great gods (and) I had (them) dwell on their daises as an eternal dwelling. I (re)confirmed their interrupted sattukku offerings.

I gathered the citizens of Babylon who had become slaves (and) who had been distributed among the (foreign) riffraff and I counted (them once again) as Babylonians. I established anew their privileged status.