Shalmaneser IV 2

(1) The god Marduk, the great lord, the king of the gods who holds the circumference of heaven and netherworld, populates cities, establishes sanctuaries, (and) supervises all of the shrines of the gods; the god Nabû, the scribe of the gods who grasps the holy tablet stylus, carries the tablet of the destinies of the gods, provides for the Igīgū and Anunnakū gods, (and) continually gives food rations (and) thereby grants life; (5) the god Šamaš, the light of the lands, the judge of all of the cities, protector of the (four) quarters (of the world); the god Sîn, the luminary of heaven and netherworld who is endowed with lofty horns and clothed in brilliance; (and) the bright goddess Ištar-kakkabī, the goddess Inanna (Inninna), whose forgiveness is good (and) who receives prayers; all of the great gods who heed his petitions, his supporters, his lords:

(9) Bēl-Ḫarrān-bēlu-uṣur, the palace herald of Tiglath-pileser (III), king of Assyria, the worshipper of the great gods: these mighty lords gave me instructions and, at their exalted command and with their firm assent, I set out to build a city in the desert, in the wasteland. I completed (it) from its foundations to its crenellations. I constructed a temple and founded therein a shrine for the great gods. I laid its foundation as firm as the base of a mountain (and) established its base for eternity. I made it known among the people that its name was (lit. “I named it in the mouth of the people”) Dūr-Bēl-Ḫarrān-bēlu-uṣur and made a good road to it.

(15) I wrote my commemorative inscription, engraved thereon images of the gods, and erected (it) in th(at) divine abode. I established forever income, food offerings, (and) incense offerings for these gods.

(17) (As for) whichever later one whom the gods Aššur, Šamaš, Marduk, and Adad name to be in charge of the land for (its) benefit, repair the dilapidated section(s) of that city and temple! Do not put a stop to the income (and) food offerings of those gods. I established freedom from taxation for that city: grain (and) straw taxes will not be collected; (20) no one will divert its water into another channel, change its boundaries, (or) charge a tax on herds or flocks. (State) service (and) corvée duty will not be imposed upon the people who live there. No one else will impose upon them deprivation, nor will they do servitude.

(23b) As for my commemorative inscription, you (the later one) must not remove it from its place (and) put it somewhere else. You must not put it in a Taboo House, you must not smash it, (25) you must not cover it with earth, you must not throw it into water, you must not splash bitumen on it, you must not burn it, (and) you must not erase my inscription. (If you obey these injunctions,) the gods whose names are written in this commemorative inscription will (then) listen to your prayers (and) go to your aid, whenever you pray in strife, conflict, battle, disease, plague, the affliction of Erra, (and) pestilence.

(29) As for the one who alters my inscription or name, may the gods Aššur, Šamaš, Marduk, (and) Adad, the great gods, not have mercy upon him, to his utter destruction.