Ashurbanipal 219

(1') [...] ... [...] ... [...] ... the stars (lit. “writing”) of the firmament ... [...] I clad its (the canopy’s) perimeter with [thirty-four ta]lents (and) twenty mi[nas of] reddish [g]old (and thereby) reinforced [its] b[onds. (5´) Through the cr]aft of the god Kusiba[n]d[a], I made their [ap]pearance shine. Like the structure of heaven, I [...] (and) I stretched out its covering over the dwelling of the god [Marduk], the great lord, and (thus) secured [its] ro[of].

(7') [(As for) the throne]-dais, the inner sanctum of his (Marduk’s) exalted divinity, which is placed over the massive body of the sea (Tiāmat), [...] I cast fifty talents of shiny zaḫalû-silver into bricks and (thereby) enlarged i[t]. I adorned it with an awe-inspiring aura and radiance, arrayed it in splen[dor], (10´) made all of its workmanship resplendent, skillfully m[ade] its feature(s), (and) made (it) more [...] than previously. The išippu-priests (and) pašīšu-priests cleansed all of Es[agil] with their purification c[erem]onies.

(13') Month of Nisan (I).

(r 1) Like the god Enlil, who establishes my reign, [...] ..., [may] the god [Mardu]k, the great lord, [...] the statue of [my] royal maje[sty ...] ..., may he constantly listen to me [...] ... May he alway[s ...] my troops at (sun)rise and (sun)set. (rev. 5) May he answer me with a firm “yes” [in] divination (and) keep [me] in good health. Like the finest oil, may my [she]pherdship be pleasing to the people [... (so that) whe]rever his radiance goes forth, they may respect [my] na[me] by his command. May he make [the] four [quarters (of the world)] submit to me (so that) they may pull [my] yo[ke]. [...] sunrise (to) sunset ... [... (rev. 10) ...] (so that) I may expand the territory of Assyria ... [... wi]de [...] (and) tall mountains ... [... tr]uth, justice, my reign ... [...].

(r 13) [In the futur]e, [may] one of the kings, [my] descendants, [...] ... [...]