Nebuchadnezzar II WBC

(i 1) I am Nebuchadnezzar (II), the king of Babylon, the true shepherd, the favorite of the god Marduk, the august city ruler, the beloved of the god Nabû, the pious prince who regularly follows the ways of the god Marduk — the great lord, the god his creator — and of the god Nabû — his loyal heir who loves his kingship — the learned and capable one who loves their divine majest(ies), the one who pays attention to their lofty command(s), the wise and expert one who reveres god and goddess at the invocation of their mighty name(s), the intelligent, the pious, the provider for Esagil and Ezida, the foremost heir of Nabopolassar, king of Babylon.

(i 24) The great lord, the god Mar[duk], [creat]ed me and

(i 26) (No translation possible)

(i 1*) stout cedars, abundant tribute, I collect and heap up and bring for them every year as a rich gill.

(i 5*) (With regard to) Esagil, the strong sanctuary, the palace of heaven and earth, the temple of his lordly majesty, I coated Eumuša, the cella of the god Marduk, the Enlil of the gods, with ruddy gold and I made the temple shine like the sun for my lord, the god Marduk. I plated Kaḫilisu, “the Gate Sprinkled with Luxuriance,” with ṣāriru-gold and I had the temple for my lady, the goddess Zarpanītu, filled with splendor.

(ii 1) (With regard to) the Ezida in Esagil, the cella of the god Nabû on the courtyard, wherein the god Nabû, the pre-eminent heir, arriving in procession from Borsippa at the festivities of the beginning of the year for the akītu- festival takes up residence I coated the doorjambs, the bolts, the crossbeam(s), the architrave(s), and the giškanakku(s) with ruddy gold and I made the temple’s brilliance resplendent for the god Nabû, the one who loves my royal majesty.

(ii 13) (With regard to) Etemenanki, the ziggurat of Babylon, whose foundation(s) Nabopolassar, the king of Babylon, my father who en[gend]ered me, had firmly established and which he had raised thirty cubits, but [whose super]structure he had not rai[se]d up (to its summit), I set myself to [(re)bu]ild it. I insta[lled h]ard (beams of) cedar that (had grown tall) in Leba[no]n, (in) their forest, (and that) I had cut down with [my] pure hands, as its šīpu. (With regard to) [Ka]nunabzu, [Kaetemenanki],

(ii 1') [raisin(s), the fine]st [beer wort, ghee], con[fectioner]ies, [m]ilk, the best oil, [labku-beer], nāšu-beer, [red]dish [grain, kurunnu-wine, the pure(st)] wine, [(and) wine of the lands] I[z]alla, [Tu]ʾimmu, [Ṣi]mminu, Ḫilbūnu, [Arnabānu], Sū[ḫu, Bīt-[Kubāti, (and) Akšak] of the land [Bītāti], more than in the past, I copiously provided (all of this) for [the ta]bl[e of the god] Mar[duk] and the goddess [Zar]pa[nī]tu, my lord[s].

(ii 3*) (Regarding) the fresh fish of the regular offerings of the god Marduk, my lord, that had been interrupted [...]. I learnt from an inscription [in Esa]gil of a former king of the past, that (up to my reign) fish as an offering gift did not enter Esagil [for the regular offering] and fresh fish of the day was not offered. My lord, the god Marduk, put into my mind the (idea of bringing) thirty fresh fishes for the regular offering of my lord, the god Marduk, (a custom) that had been discontinued since distant days. In addition to the (former) fishermen of Esagil, I assigned twenty citizens of Babylon, descendants of the ancient fishermen, to rush fresh fish of the day for the regular offering of my lord, the god Marduk, and so they (now constantly) bring in fresh fish for the regular offering of my lord, the god Marduk, for the morning and the evening meals.

(iii 1) (With regard to) Maumuš(a), his (Marduk’s) makurru-boat, his pure rukūbu-boat, I coated its sides, the prow and the stern, its equipment, (and) its hold with eagles and musḫuššu-dragons of ṣāriru-gold. I decorated it with precious stones. In the current of the pure Euphrates, I had its sheen made like stars in the firmament and I filled (it) with splendor to be an object of wonder for all of the people. Then, at the festivities of the beginning of the year, I installed the god Marduk, the Enlil of the gods, inside it and I had him go in procession to the magnificent festival of his august akītu-festival. The god Marduk sits in (his) holy Maumuš(a). On the embankment, he makes the Araḫtu rejoice (and) then he comes to rest at Esiskur. For the coming of the lord of the gods, the pre-eminent lord of lords, from the anchorage of Maumuš(a) to Esiskur, (the endpoint of) the processional street of the great lord, the god Marduk, the lord who increases abundance, I placed tall firs on the right and left. The platform of Esiskur, the (end point of the) processional street of the great lord, the god Marduk, I made its smell as sweet as a grove of pure cedars. The god Adad (and) the goddess Ištar, the ones who go in procession [in Babylon] with the god Marduk, the Enlil of the gods,

(iii 1'*) I coated musukkannu-wood, a durable wood, (and) thick cedars with bright [gold] and I deposited everything that is to be admired in it (the temple). I coated the strong cedars that I had cut with my pure hands [in the] Lebanon, their forest, with ruddy gold. I decorated (them) with precious stones and I laid it over for the roofing of Emaḫtila, the cella of the god Nabû, the (decorated) face of three of them. I decorated with shining silver the cedar (beams) of the roofing of the six rooms of the cella of the god Nabû. I cast fierce wild bulls with copper and coated them with a plating of silver, studded them with precious stones, and set them up at the doorjambs of the gate of the cella. I coated the doorjambs, the bolts, the cross beam(s), the architrave(s), (and) the giškanakku(s) with ruddy gold and the doors of the gale of the cella. I decorated the access way to the cella and the passage to the temple with slabs of shining silver. I edged the doors of musukkannu-wood and of cedar-wood with a mounting of shining silver and I fixed (it) all over in all the gates. I cast the platform of the dais and the threshold of the temple with shining silver. I mounted the cedar (beams) of the roofing of the storehouse of the eastern gate with shining silver, and I made (it) shine like daylight for the coming and going of the god Nabû, the son of the prince, when he approaches Babylon.

(iv 1) What no former king had done I did abundantly for my lord, the god Nabû: during a joyous celebration, I established the god Nabû and the goddess Nanāya inside a dwelling of their contentment. I strove to provide for them more lavishly than before with their great regular offerings: every day one fattened “unblemished” gumāḫu-bull whose limbs arc perfect, whose body [has no] white spot; sixteen fattened sheep, fine zuluḫḫû-breed; in addition to what (pertains) to the gods of Borsippa: two ducks; three doves; twenty marratu-birds; two ducklings; three bandicoot rats; a string of apsû-fish, the best things of the marsh; profuse vegetables, the delight of the garden; red-gold fruits, the bounty of the orchard; dates; Dilmun-dates; dried figs; raisins; finest beer-wort; ghee; muttāqu-cake; milk; the best oil; honey; beer; pure(st) wine; (all of this) I provided more lavishly than before for the table-spread of my lords, the god Nabû and the goddess Nanāya.

(iv 26) I was intent on Maidḫedu, his pure rukūbu-boat, and I had it built. I coated the musukkannu-wood cabin and the two high cedar holds with ruddy gold, and I embellished (the boat) with ornaments. At the festivities of the beginning of the year

(iv 1'*) [From Ištar-sākipat-tēbîšu] to Kasikilla, (in) the wide street Ištar-lamassi-ummānīša, the thoroughfare of the great lord, the god Marduk; (and) from lkkibšu-nakar to the god Nabû’s entrance into Esagil, (in) the wide street Nabû-dayyān-nišīšu, thoroughfare of the god Nabû, the son of the prince, I made a massive infill, and improved the road using bitumen and baked brick.

(iv 12'*) (With regard to) Lībil-ḫēgalla, the eastern canal [of Babylon], which since distant days [had been abandoned], I sought out its course, and rebuilt [its (u)sukku-wall] using bitumen and [baked brick]. On Ay-[ibūr-šabû], the street [of Babylon, I constructed] a canal bridge for the processional street [of the great lord Marduk], and I covered in bronze the (elements made of) musukkannu, [a durable wood], (of) [mighty] cedars, (and of) huge firs, and (laying) them three deep, [one] on top of the [other] <I created its span>. [I improved] the road [using bitumen] and baked brick.