Square brackets enclose explanatory additions to the text (years and months in which the events described took place and ->references to the oracles of the corpus).
1. The Civil War of 681 and Esarhaddon's Rise to Power [Year 683][Year 683][i 8ff]Even though I was younger than my big brothers, at the behest of Aššur, Sin, Šamaš, Bel, Nabû, Nergal, Is tar of Nineveh and Ištar of Arbela, my father duly elevated me among my brothers and declared, "This is my successor." He consulted Samas and Adad by extispicy, and they answered him with a firm yes: "He will be your replacement." Respecting their weighty command, he assembled the people of Assyria young and old, my brothers, and the progeny of my dynastic line, and made them swear by the gods of heaven and earth a solemn oath to protect my succession. In a favourable month [Nisan, 683], on an auspicious day, in accordance with their august command, I joyously entered the Palace of Succession [1 .2], the awesome place where the fate of kingship resides.
[Year 682] [i 23ff] Proper guidance was lavished upon my brothers, but they forsook the gods, trusting in their own haughty deeds, and hammered out evil plans. Godlessly they fabricated malicious rumors and untrue slander against me [—> 1.7, 3.3] ; spreading unwholesome lies and hostility behind my back, they angered my father's gentle heart with me against the will of the gods [—> 1.8, 3.3], though deep in his heart he felt compassion for me and remained intent on my exercising the kingship.
[Nisan, 681] [i 32ff] I spoke with my heart and took counsel in my mind, asking myself: "Their deeds are vainglorious and they trust in their own reason; what will they do in their godlessness?" Entreatingly and humbly I beseeched Aššur, king of the gods [3.3], and merciful Marduk, to whom treachery is an abomination, and they accepted my plea. In keeping with the will of the great gods, my lords, they transferred me away from the evil deeds to a secret place and extended their sweet protection over me [—> 1.1, 1 .4, 3.3], safeguarding me for the kingship.
[Tebet, 681] [i 4rn] Afterwards my brothers went crazy (immahu) and did everything that is improper before god and man. They planned evil, and godlessly made an armed rebellion in Nineveh, butting each other like young goats in their strife for kingship. Aššur, Sin, Šamaš, Bel, Nabû, Nergal, Ištar of Nineveh and Ištar of Arbela looked with displeasure on the deeds of the usurpers which had been done against the will of the gods and did not stand at their side, but turned their strength into weakness and made them bow to my feet. The people of Assyria, who with water and oil and by the great gods had sworn an oath of allegiance to protect my kingship, did not go to their help [—> 3.5].
[Shebat, 681] [i 53ff] I, Esarhaddon, who cannot be defeated in battle thanks to the support of the great gods, his lords, soon heard of their evil deeds. I cried, "Woe!" [—>1. 1], I rent my princely garment and shrieked a lamentation, I became enraged like a lion, my mind became furious, and I wrenched my wrists to exercise the kingship of my father's house. With raised hands I prayed to Aššur [—> 3.3], Sin, Samas, Bel, Nabû, Nergal, Ištar of Nineveh and Ištar of Arbela, and they accepted my prayer, repeatedly sending me, along with their firm 'yes,' this encouraging liver omen: "Go without delay! We will go by your side and slay your enemies !"
[i 63ff] I did no waste a day or two, I did not wait for my troops, I did not look back, I did not review my yoked horses and my fighting equipment, I did not heap up my war provisions, nor did I fear the snow and cold of Shebat and the severity of the winter, but like a flying eagle I spread out my wings to defeat my enemies, and marched labouriously but swiftly towards Nineveh.
[i 70ff] In front of me, in the land of Hanigalbat, the mass of their crack warriors was blocking the advance of my army and brandishing their weapons. Fear of the great gods, my lords, befell them, and when they saw the strength of my onslaught, they went out of their minds (mahhûtiš). Is tar, the lady of war and battle, who loves my priesthood, stood by my side, and broke their bows and disrupted their battle array [—> 1.2, 3.3, 3.5]. They said in their ranks, "This is our king! ," and by her august command they crossed over to my side, rushing after me and tumbling like lambs to beg for my sovereignty.
[Adar, 68 1][i 80ff] The people of Assyria who had sworn loyalty to me by the great gods, came before me and kissed my feet. But those usurpers, instigators of revolt and rebellion - when they heard of the progress of my campaign, they abandoned their supporting troops and fled to an unknown land [—> 3.2].
[i 84ff] I reached the bank of the Tigris and by the command of Sin and Šamaš, the gods of the harbour, made all my troops jump across the broad Tigris as if it were a ditch [—> 1.6]. On the 8th day of the favourable month of Adar, on the eššēšu day of Nabû, I joyfully entered my royal city, Nineveh, and smoothly ascended the throne of my father [—> 1. 3, 1. 7].
[Year 680] [ii 3ff] The south wind, the breeze of Ea, the wind whose blowing is good for exercising the kingship, blew. Good portents appeared in heaven and on earth [—> 3. 1]. Messages of ecstatic prophets, the messengers of the gods and the Goddess (šipir mahhê našparti ilāni u Ištar), constantly and regularly came in and encouraged me [—> 1.10]. I searched out all the criminals [—> 2. 1, 2.3, 2.4] who had induced my brothers to plot evil for taking over the kingship of Assyria, every one of them, imposed a heavy punishment upon them, and destroyed their seed [—> 3.5].
Simo Parpola
Simo Parpola, '1. The Civil War of 681 and Esarhaddon 's Rise to Power [Year 683]', Assyrian Prophecies, SAA 9. Original publication: Helsinki, Helsinki University Press, 1997; online contents: SAAo/SAA09 Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2021 [http://oracc.org/saao/saa09/appendixinscriptionsofesarhaddonpertainingtothecorpus/]