1^daš-šur ù DINGIR.[MEŠ] ⸢GAL⸣.MEŠ ⸢ša⸣ i-di LUGAL mi-[ig]-ri-šú-un [i]-⸢za⸣-zu-ma [ú]-šam-⸢qa^?⸣-tu [(kul-lat^?) na]-ki-ri-⸢šú⸣ “The god Aššur and the [grea]t gods [w]ho [sta]nd at the side of the king, their fav[or]ite, and [who] cut down [(all of)] his [en]emies”: Compare Grayson and Novotny, RINAP 3/2 p. 308 Sennacherib 222 (Judi Dagh Inscription) lines 1–5: ^daš-šur ^d30 ^dUTU ^dIŠKUR ^dMAŠ ù ^dINANNA DINGIR.MEŠ GAL.MEŠ ša i-di LUGAL mì-ig-ri-šú-un i-za-zu-ma UGU kul-lat na-ki-ri ú-šam-ra-ru GIŠ.TUKUL.MEŠ-šú “The deities Aššur, Sîn, Šamaš, Adad, Ninurta, and Ištar, the great gods who stand at the side of the king, their favorite, and make his weapons prevail over all enemies.” [(kul-lat^?) na]-ki-ri-⸢šú⸣ “[(all of)] his [en]emies”: Compare Grayson and Levine, IrAnt 11 (1975) p. 36–37, where this passage is read as [KUR na]-ki-ri-⸢šú⸣ “[the land of] his [en]emies.” māt nakirī is not commonly attested in late Neo-Assyrian inscriptions, whereas kullat nakirī is. Moreover, one does not expect the verb maqātu (“to fall”; Š stem “to cut down”) with the phrase māt nakirīšu.

2Based on the position of the title ⸢MAN^?⸣ ŠÚ^?, “king of the world” within the frame of the stele-shaped monument, that title appears to have immediately followed the name of the king in whose name the text was written. This sequence is not presently attested in the known and published Neo-Assyrian rock relief inscriptions. Compare Frame, RINAP 2 p. 440 Sargon II 116 (Tang-i Var Inscription) line 11a: ^mMAN-GIN MAN GAL MAN dan-nu MAN ŠÚ “Sargon (II), great king, strong king, king of the world”; and Grayson and Novotny, RINAP 3/2 p. 308 Sennacherib 222 (Judi Dagh Inscription) lines 6–7a and p. 313 Sennacherib 223 (Bavian Inscription) line 3a ^md30-PAP.MEŠ-SU MAN / LUGAL GAL MAN / LUGAL dan-nu MAN / LUGAL ŠÚ “Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world.” Note that the title šar kiššati is not used in Tadmor and Yamada, RINAP 1 p. 91 Tiglath-pileser III 37 (Mila Mergi Inscription) line 12 and Leichty, RINAP 4 p. 192 Esarhaddon 103 (Monument C / Nahr el-Kalb Inscription) lines 4–6a.

3⸢DUMU^?⸣ “son of”: If the reading of the sign is correct, and it is not RA^? (as alternatively suggested by Grayson and Levine, IrAnt 11 [1975] p. 36 in addition to DUMU), then the most likely candidates for royal author of the Shakaft-i Gulgul rock relief inscription is Esarhaddon or Ashurbanipal since both of these kings generally refer to their fathers and grandfathers in their inscriptions. In the extant late Neo-Assyrian text corpus, Tiglath-pileser III, Sargon II, and Sennacherib very rarely mention their fathers. For the handful of instances where they do, see Tadmor and Yamada, RINAP 1 p. 148 Tiglath-pileser III 58 line 2; Frame, RINAP 2 p. 308 Sargon II 66 line 1; and Grayson and Novotny, RINAP 3/2 p. 170 Sennacherib 135 obv. 2 (name restored) and p. 232 Senacherib 163 obv. 5´.

4^d[aš-šur^? AD^?] ⸢DINGIR^?⸣.MEŠ x x x [ina^?] ⸢lìb^?-bi^?⸣ [AMA-ia^? ši-mat^? LUGAL^?]-ti i-šim šim-ti “The god [Aššur, the father of the go]ds, ... determined [a roya]l destiny as my lot [(while I was) in my mother’s wo]m[b]”: The proposed restorations are based on Jeffers and Novotny, RINAP 5/2 p. 323 Asb. 220 (L4) i 5´ [AN.ŠÁR] AD DINGIR.MEŠ ina lìb-bi AMA-ia ši-mat LUGAL-⸢u-ti⸣ [i-šim^? šim-ti^?] “[(The god) Aššur], the father of the gods, [determined] a roya[l] destiny [as my lot] (while I was) in my mother’s womb.” The motif of the gods determining the king’s destiny or shaping him for kingship is known from the inscriptions of Sennacherib, Esarhaddon, and Ashurbanipal, but only one inscription of Ashurbanipal records that the god Aššur performed this task (see the commentary of this text); the goddess Bēlet-ilī is credited with creating Sennacherib’s kingly features while in the womb, and the goddess Ištar is said to have determined Esarhaddon’s royal lot before his birth. See Grayson and Novotny, RINAP 3/2 p. 57 Sennacherib 43 lines 3–4a; and Leichty, RINAP 4 p. 97 Esarhaddon 43 obv. 12b–14. Thus, if the restorations of these lines are correct, then Ashurbanipal might have been the king in whose name this inscription was written, especially since the language is a near parallel to Jeffers and Novotny, RINAP 5/2 p. 323 Asb. 220 (L4) i 5´.

5^dEN.LÍL a-na EN-ut KUR u UN.MEŠ [iz-kur^?] ni-bit-ti “the god Enlil [nominated] me for ruling over the land and people”: Compare Jeffers and Novotny, RINAP 5/2 p. 323 Asb. 220 (L4) i 6´ [^d]⸢NIN⸣.LÍL AMA GAL-tu a-na be-lut KALAM u UN.MEŠ taz-⸢ku-ra⸣ [šu-mì^?] “[the goddess Mul]lissu, the great mother, nominate[d me] for ruling over the land and people.” Based on this parallel, the verb zakāru (“to name”) is restored instead of nabû (“to name”; see Grayson and Levine, IrAnt 11 [1975] p. 36). Note that the orthography of nibītu (“name”) as ni-bit-ti is at present not otherwise attested in extant late Neo-Assyrian inscriptions.

6^d30 ^dUTU šá ku-un-ni ⸢BALA⸣-ia i-da-at SIG₅ e-tap-pa-lu a-ḫa-meš “the gods Sîn and Šamaš discussed with each other favorable omens concerning the stability of my r[eign]”: idāt dumqi “favorable omens” is presently attested only in the inscriptions of Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal. The closest parallel, with both the moon-god Sîn and the sun-god Šamaš sending good omens, is Jeffers and Novotny, RINAP 5/2 p. 228 Asb. 186 (“Large Hunting Inscription”) line 6: ^d30 ^dUTU ina an-ni-šú-nu ke-e-ni ITI-šam iš-⸢ta⸣-nap-pa-ru-u-ni i-da-at dum-qí “the gods Sîn (and) Šamaš regularly sent me auspicious signs every month through their firm ‘yes.’”

7^dAG ^dAMAR.UTU uz-nu ra-[pa-áš]-tu ḫa-si-⸢su⸣ pal-ku-u iš-ru-ku ši-rik-ti “the gods Nabû (and) Marduk granted me a broad mind (and) extensive knowledge as a gift”: Compare Novotny and Jeffers, RINAP 5/1 p. 281 Asb. 15 i 2´–3´ and Jeffers and Novotny, RINAP 5/2 p. 323 Asb. 220 (L4) i 10´; ^dAMAR.UTU ABGAL DINGIR.MEŠ uz-nu ra-pa-áš-tu ḫa-si-su pal-ku-u iš-ru-ka ši-rik-te “the god Marduk, the sage of the gods, granted me a broad mind (and) extensive knowledge as a gift” (conflated transliteration and translation). The phrase uznu rapaštu hasīsu palkû, “broad mind (and) extensive knowledge,” is also attested in inscriptions of Sargon II and Esarhaddon; see, for example, Frame, RINAP 2 p. 190 Sargon II 17 lines 6b–7a; and Leichty, RINAP 4 p. 107 Esarhaddon 48 (Aššur-Babylon A) lines 62b and p. 205 Esarhaddon 105 (Babylon C) iii 29b–30. Note that Ea, in his manifestations of Ninšiku and Nudimmud, grants wisdom and intelligence to Sargon II and Esarhaddon, while Marduk grants these gifts to Ashurbanipal.

8⸢DINGIR⸣.MEŠ GAL.MEŠ ina UKKIN-šú-nu ṭa-biš ú-še-ši-[bu-in-ni ina GIŠ].GU.ZA AD-ia “The great gods in their assembly gladly made [me] si[t on the] throne of my father”: The theme of the gods peacefully placing the king on the throne of his father is presently attested only for Esarhaddon, Ashurbanipal, and Sîn-šarra-iškun. See, for example, Leichty, RINAP 4 p. 15 Esarhaddon 1 (Nineveh A) ii 45b–47a; Novotny and Jeffers, RINAP 5/1 p. 232 Asb. 11 (Prism A) i 41–44; Jeffers and Novotny, RINAP 5/2 p. 325 Asb. 220 (L4) ii 10´–11´; and, in the present volume, Ssi 10 (Cylinder A) lines 16b–19.

9[...]-x-ia [ab^?]-ta-ni ⸢ṣe^?⸣-ru-uš-šú “[(I ... and) I f]ashioned [...], my [..., up]on it”: Compare Grayson and Novotny, RINAP 3/2 p. 317 Sennacherib 223 (Bavian Inscription) line 55a: 6 NA₄.NA.RÚ-[e DÙ^?]-⸢uš^?⸣ ṣa-lam DINGIR.MEŠ GAL.MEŠ EN.MEŠ-ia ab-ta-ni qé-reb-šú-un “[I ma]de six stele[s] (and) I fashioned image(s) of the great gods, my lords, upon them.” Perhaps this passage in the Shakaft-i Gulgul inscription could be tentatively restored as follows: [NA₄.NA.RÚ.A^? DÙ-uš^? ṣa-lam^? DINGIR.MEŠ^? GAL.MEŠ^? EN].⸢MEŠ⸣-ia ab-ta-ni ⸢ṣe^?⸣-ru-uš-šú “[I made a stele (and) I f]ashioned image(s) of the great gods, my [lord]s [up]on it.” Alternatively, one could read [ṣa-lam^? LUGAL^?]-⸢ti^?⸣-ia, “[an image of] my [royal majest]y.” Compare, for example, Tadmor and Yamada, RINAP 1 p. 92 Tiglath-pileser III 37 (Mila Mergi Inscription) line 46a: ṣa-⸢lam⸣ MAN-ti-ia ina qer-bi-šá ab-ni-ma “I had an image of my royal majesty fashioned on it.”

10⸢a⸣-na ta-mar-ti LUGAL.MEŠ DUMU.MEŠ-[ia (...) ana ár]-kàt u₄-me e-zib “I left (it) [for the fu]ture, for the admiration of the kings, [my] descendants”: Compare Grayson and Novotny, RINAP 3/2 p. 317 Sennacherib 223 (Bavian Inscription) line 57a: a-na LUGAL.MEŠ-ni DUMU.MEŠ-ia e-zib ṣa-ti-iš ma-ti-ma “I left (them) for ever after for the kings, my descendants.”

11ina KI.TA LÚ^?.KÚR^?-[šú^? ka-mì]-⸢iš^?⸣ li-ir-du-šú “may they lead him [in bondag]e under [his] enemy”: For the reading tentatively proposed here, compare, for example, Frame, RINAP 2 p. 171 Sargon II 9 (Bull Colossi Inscription) line 106: i-na KI.TA LÚ.KÚR-šú li-še-ši-bu-uš ka-meš “may they make him live in bondage under his enemy”; Leichty, RINAP 4 p. 186 Esarhaddon 98 (Monument A / Zinçirli stele) rev. 5b6: ina KI.TA LÚ.KÚR-šú lu-še-šib-šú ka-meš; and, in this volume, Ssi 6 (Cylinder C) rev. 11´b ina KI.⸢TA⸣ LÚ.KÚR-šú li-⸢še-ši⸣-bu-uš ka-mì-iš.