Nebuchadnezzar II 014

(i 1) Nebuchadnezzar (II), king of Babylon, pious prince, the one who provides for Esagil and Ezida, the one who renovates the sanctuaries of the great god(s), the reverent servant who is very attentive to and mindful of the will of the gods, true heir of Nabopolassar, king of Babylon, am I.

(i 12) When Nabopolassar, my father who engendered me, built Imgur-Enlil, the great wall of Babylon, dug its moat, and constructed its embankment(s) using bitumen and baked brick —

(i 19) As for me, the wise (and) pious one who reveres the lord of lords, I opened up (the area) alongside his moat embankment(s) and I reached the water table. Using bitumen and baked brick, I built a fortified wall, which like a mountain cannot be shaken, and I adjoined (it) to the embankment that my father had constructed. I secur[ed] its foundation on the surfa[ce (lit. “breast”) of the netherwo]rld and raised its superstructure as high as a mountain.

(ii 4) I magnificently did (something) for the god Marduk, my lord, that no king among the (former) king(s) had built.

(ii 9) O Marduk, great lord, merciful god who listens to (my) supplication(s): “Nebuchadnezzar (II), the servant who reveres you, the creation of your (own) hands, am [I]. Grant me a life of long days, the attainment of very old age, a stable dynasty, a firmly-secured throne, the cutting down of the enemy, (and) the attainment of (my) heart’s desire.

(ii 24) By your exalted command, which cannot be overturned, may I (lit. “my arms”) perform good (and) righteous things that are pleasing to you.”