Sennacherib 016

(i 1) Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, king of the four quarters (of the world), (i 5) capable shepherd, favorite of the great gods, [guar]dian of truth who loves justice, renders assistance, goes to the aid of the weak, (i 10) (and) strives after good deeds, perfect man, virile warrior, foremost of all rulers, the bridle that controls the insubmissive, (and) the one who strikes enemies with lightning:

(i 15) The god Aššur, the great mountain, granted to me unrivalled sovereignty and made my weapons greater than (those of) all who sit on (royal) daises. He made all of the black-headed (people) from the Upper Sea (i 20) of the Setting Sun to the Lower Sea of the Rising Su[n] bow [down at my feet]. Thus did recalcitrant rulers come to fear [battle with me]. While they were ab[andoning] their settlements, (i 25) they flew away alone like bats (living) in crev[ices] to inac[cessible] place(s).

(i 27) On [my] first campaign, [I brought about the defeat] of Marduk-apla-[iddina] (II) (Merodach-baladan), king of Kardun[iaš] (Babylonia), (i 30) together with the troops of (the land) Elam, [his allies], in the plain of Kish. In the midst of [that] battle he abandoned his camp, [fled] a[lone, and] (thereby) saved his life. (i 35) I seized the chariots, ho[rses], wagons, (and) mu[les] that he had abandoned in the thick of ba[ttle].

(i 38) I joyfully entered his palace, which is in Babylon, then (i 40) I opened his treasury and brought [out] gold, silver, gold (and) silver utensils, precious stones, all kinds of possessions (and) property without number, [a substantial] tribute, (together with) his palace women, c[ourtier]s, attendants, (i 45) male [singers], female singers, all of the craftsmen, as many as there were, (and) his palace attendants, [and] I counted (them) as booty.

(i 49) With the [strength of the god] Aššur, my lord, I surrounded, conquered, (and) plundered 75 of his fortified cities, fortresses of Chaldea, and 420 small(er) settlements [in] their environs. I brought out the auxiliary forces of the Arameans (and) Chaldeans (i 55) who were in Uruk, Nippur, Kish, Ḫur[sagkala]mma, Cutha, (and) Sippar, [together with the] guilty [cit]izens, and I counted (them) as booty.

(i 59) [On] my [retu]rn march, I defeated all together the [Tuʾ]mūna, Riḫiḫu, [Yadaq]qu, Ubudu, [Gibr]ê, Malaḫu, [Guru]mu, Ubulu, [Damu]nu, Gambulu, (i 65) [Ḫin]daru, Ruʾuʾa, Puqudu, Ḫamrānu, Ḫagarānu, Nabatu, (and) Liʾtaʾu, insubmissive Arameans. I carried off into Assyria a substantial booty (i 70) (consisting of) 208,000 people, young (and) old, male and female, horses, mules, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats, which were without number.

(i 75) In the course of my campaign, I received a substantial audience gift from Nabû-bēl-šumāti, the official in charge of the city Ḫararatu (Ḫarutu): gold, silver, large musukkannu-trees, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats.

(i 81) I put to the sword the population of the city Ḫirimmu, a dangerous enemy, and I did not spare a single one. I hung their corpses on poles and (ii 1) placed (them) around the city. I reorganized that district (and) imposed for eternity one ox, ten sheep, ten homers of wine, (and) twenty homers of dates as his first-fruits offerings to the gods of Assyria, my lords.

(ii 6) On my second campaign, the god Aššur, my lord, encouraged me and I marched to the land of the Kassites and the land of the Yasubigallians, who since time immemorial had not submitted to the kings, (ii 10) my ancestors. In the high mountains, difficult terrain, I rode on horseback and had my personal chariot carried on (men’s) necks. In very rugged terrain I roamed about on foot like a wild bull.

(ii 15) [I surrounded (and) conquered] the cities Bīt-Kilamzaḫ, Ḫardišpu, (and) Bīt-Ku[batti], their fortif[ied] walled cities. [I brought out] of [them] people, horses, [mules], donkeys, oxen, and she[ep and goats, and I counted] (them) as boo[ty. Moreover, I destroyed, devastated, (and) turned] into ruins [their small(er) settlements], (ii 20) which were [with]out num[ber. I burned with fire pavilions (and) tents], their [ab]odes, [and] reduced (them) [to ashes].

(ii 24) [I made th]at [city Bīt-Kilamzaḫ a fortress again (and) I streng]thened [its walls more than be]fore, then I settled therein [the people of the lands that] I [had conquered]. I brought down from the mountains [the people of the land of] the Kassites [and the land of the Ya]subigallians (ii 30) [who] had fled [from] my weapons and I made (them) dwell in the cities Ḫardišpu (and) Bīt-Kubatti. I placed them under the authority of a eunuch of mine, the governor of the city Arrapḫa. (ii 35) I had a stele made, had all the victorious conquests that I achieved over them written on it, and I erected (it) in (that) city.

(ii 38b) I turned around (lit. “I turned the front of my yoke”) and (ii 40) took the road to the land Ellipi. Before my arrival, Ispabāra, their king, abandoned his fortified cities (and) his treasury and fled far away. I overwhelmed all of his wide land like a fog. (ii 45) I surrounded, conquered, destroyed, devastated, (and) burned with fire the cities Marubištu (and) Akkuddu, cities of his royal house, together with thirty-four small(er) settlements in their environs.

(ii 49) I carried off people, young (and) old, male and female, horses, mules, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep and goats without number, then I brought him (Ispabāra) to nought and made his land smaller. I detached from his land the cities Ṣi(ṣ)ṣirtu (and) Kummaḫlum, (ii 55) fortified cities, together with the small(er) settlements in their environs (and) the district of the land Bīt-Barrû in its entirety, and I added (this area) to the territory of Assyria.

(ii 60) I took the city Elenzaš as a royal city and a fortress for that district, then I changed its former name and called it Kār-Sennacherib. (ii 65) I settled therein the people of the lands that I had conquered. I placed (it) under the authority of a eunuch of mine, the governor of the city Ḫarḫar, and (thus) enlarged my land.

(ii 69) On my return march, I received a substantial payment from the distant Medes, of whose land none of the kings, my ancestors, had heard mention. (Thus) I made them bow down to the yoke of my lordship.

(ii 76) On my third campaign, I marched to the land Ḫatti. Fear of my lordly brilliance (iii 1) overwhelmed Lulî, the king of the city Sidon, and he fled afar into the midst of the sea and disappeared. The awesome terror of the weapon of the god Aššur, my lord, overwhelmed the cities Great Sidon, Lesser Sidon, (iii 5) Bīt-Zitti, Ṣarepta, Maḫalliba, Ušû, Akzibu, (and) Acco, his fortified cities (and) fortresses, an area of pasture(s) and water-place(s), (iii 10) resources upon which he relied, and they bowed down at my feet.

(iii 12) I placed Tu-Baʾlu on the royal throne over them and imposed upon him tribute (and) payment (in recognition) of my overlordship (to be delivered) yearly (and) without interruption.

(iii 15) As for Min(u)ḫimmu of the city Samsimuruna, Tu-Baʾlu of the city Sidon, Abdi-Liʾti of the city Arwad, Ūru-Milki of the city Byblos, Mitinti of the city Ashdod, (iii 20) Būdi-il of the land Bīt-Ammon, Kammūsu-nadbi of the land Moab, Aya-rāmu of the land Edom, all of the kings of the land Amurru, they brought extensive gifts, four times (the normal amount), as their substantial audience gift before me and kissed my feet.

(iii 26b) Moreover, (as for) Ṣidqâ, [the king of the city As]hkelon who had not bowed down [to my yoke], I forcibly removed [the god]s of his father’s house, himself, [his wife, his sons, his daughters, his brothers, (and other) offspring of his father’s house (iii 30) and took him to Assyria].

(iii 31) I set Šarru-lū-dāri, [son of Rūkibtu, their] forme[r king, over the people of the city Ashkelon] and imposed upon him the pay[ment of] tribute (and) [gif]ts (in recognition) of [my] overlordship so that he (now) pulls [my] yo[ke].

(iii 35) In the course of [my] campaign, I surrounded, conquered, (and) plundered the cities Bīt-Daganna, Joppa, Banayabarqa, (and) Azuru, the cities of Ṣidqâ that had not submitted to me quickly.

(iii 40) (As for) the governors, the nobles, and the people of the city Ekron who had thrown Padî, their king who was bound by treaty and oaths to Assyr[ia], into iron fetters and who had ha[nded him over] to [Hezekiah] of the land Judah [in a hostile manner], (iii 45) [they became frightened] on account of the villainous acts they had committed. They fo[rmed a confederation with] the kings of Egypt (and) [the archers], chariots, (and) horses of [the king of the land Meluḫḫa], forces without number, [and] they came to [their] ai[d].

(iii 50) In the plain of the city [Eltekeh], they sharpened [their weapons while drawing up in] battlel[ine] before me. With the support of the god Aššur, [my] lord, I fought with them and defeat[ed them]. (iii 55) In the thick of battle, I captured alive the Egyptian charioteers and [princes (lit. “the sons of the king”)], together with the charioteers of [the king of] the land Meluḫḫa.

(iii 59) I surrounded, conquered, (and) plundered the cities Eltekeh (and) Tamnâ. I approached the city Ekron and I killed the governors (and) nobles who had committed crime(s) and hung their corpses on towers around the city; (iii 65) I counted the citizens who had committed the criminal acts as booty; (and) I commanded that the rest of them, (those) who were not guilty of crimes or wrongdoing, (to) whom no penalty was due, be allowed to go free.