Nabopolassar 03 (Q005362)
Royal Inscription, Neo-Babylonian, Babylon · c. 626 BCE–539 BCE
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| Designation | Nabopolassar 03 |
|---|---|
| ID | Q005362 |
| Collection | Nebuchadnezzar Museum, Babylon, Iraq |
| Language | Akkadian |
| Period | Neo-Babylonian · c. 626 BCE–539 BCE |
| Genre | Royal Inscription |
| Find spot | Babylon |
| Coordinates | 32.5434, 44.4222 |
English translation
By ORACC project ribo/babylon7 · Via Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus (ORACC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (ORACC)
| Line | English |
|---|---|
| Obverse Column i [0:6] i 1i 1–i 66 | Nabopolassar, king of justice, shepherd chosen by the god Marduk, creation of the goddess Ninmenna — the exalted princess, the queen of queens — protégé of the god Nabû and the goddess Tašmētu, beloved prince of the god Ninšiku. |
| Obverse Column i [6:14] i 77–i 1414 | When, during my childhood, (although) I was a son of a nobody, I constantly sought out the shrines of the gods Nabû and Marduk, my lords; (my) mind pondered about making their rites secure and properly administering their kidudû-rites; my attention was set on truth and justice. |
| Obverse Column i [14:20] i 1515–i 2020 | The god Šazu, the lord who knows the hearts of the gods of heaven and earth, the one who constantly observes the ingenious behavior of the people, for me — the child who could not be found among the people — he observed my intention(s) and made me pre-eminent in the land where I was created. |
| Obverse Column i [20:27] i 2121–i 2727 | He called (my) name for dominion over the land and people, made a good lamassu walk beside me, (and) allowed (me) to successfully undertake everything that I did. He made the god Nergal, the almighty one of the gods, march at my side; he killed my enemy (and) cut down my opponent. |
| Obverse Column i [27:39] i 2828– | (As for) the Assyrians, who had ruled over the land of Akkad because of the hatred of the gods and had made the people of the land suffer under its heavy yoke, I, the weak (and) powerless one who constantly seeks out the lord of lords (Marduk), with the powerful strength of the gods Nabû and Marduk — my lords — I barred them (lit: “their feet”) from the land of Akkad and had (the Babylonians) cast off their yoke. |
| Obverse Column ii [5:19] ii 66–ii 1919 | At that time, Nabopolassar, king of Babylon, the one who pleases the heart(s) of the gods Nabû and Marduk, I: (As for) Imgur-Enlil — the great wall of Babylon, the original boundary marker which has been manifest since the distant past, the firmly-founded ground plan that has endured for all eternity, the high mountain that rivals the heavens, the strong shield that bolts the entrance to the land of enemies, the wide courtyard of the Igīgū gods, the broad forecourt of the Anunnakū gods, the stairway to the heavens, the ladder to the netherworld, the station(s) of the gods Lugal-girra and Meslamtaʾe, the cult niche of the goddess Ištar — the great queen — the site of the bow of the god Dagān — the warrior — the camp enclosure of warrior — the god Ninurta — |
| Obverse Column ii [19:30] ii 2020–ii 3030 | the temple with the privileged status of the gods Anu and Enlil, the place of sophisticated designs of the god Ea — the lord of Eridu — the secluded ground of the great gods, whose foundation(s) the Igīgū (and) Anunnakū gods firmly established in the jubilation of their heart(s), (whose construction) they had skillfully executed according to plan, (and) whose superstructure they had raised — a long time ago it became weak, collapsed, and, on account of heavy rains and downpours, its wall(s) were carried away (and) its foundation(s) had become a heap of ruins and was piled up like a tell. |
| Obverse Column ii [30:41] ii 3131–ii 4141 | I mustered the workmen of the gods Enlil, Šamaš, and Marduk and (then) I made (them) carry hoe(s and) imposed (on them the carrying of) basket(s). From the bank of the Araḫtu River on the upper side, at the gate of the goddess Ištar, to the bank of the Araḫtu <River> on the lower side, at the gate of the gate of the god Uraš, I removed its heaped up earth. I examined (and) inspected its old foundation and (then) laid its brickwork on its original place. I firmly secured its foundation on the surface (lit. “breast”) of the netherworld. I surrounded the east bank with a strong lining. |
| Obverse Column iii [0:10] iii 1iii 1–iii 1010 | Nabopolassar, the humble (and) submissive one who reveres the gods Nabû and Marduk, the shepherd who pleases the heart of the goddess Pa(p)nun-anki (Zarpanītu), the one who examines the old foundation of Babylon, the one who discovers brick(s) of the past, the one who executes according to plan (work) on the original socle — (which has existed) for all eternity — the one who grasps the hoe of the Igīgū gods, the one who carries the basket of the Anunnakū gods, the one who built Imgur-Enlil for the god Marduk — my lord — am I. |
| Obverse Column iii [10:15] iii 1111–iii 1515 | (So that) any future king does not have my carefully selected words removed (and) that no word(s) come in existence that surpass my (own) command, I swore an oath bound by the god Marduk, my lord, and the god Šamaš, my god: “My words are not lies, but are reliable statements!” |
| Obverse Column iii [15:21] iii 1616–iii 2121 | At that time, I found a statue of a king who came before me who had built that wall, (and) I firmly placed (it) in a secure place, (in) the great foundation(s), with my (own) statue, for eternity. |
| Obverse Column iii [21:29] iii 2222–iii 2929 | Any king in the future, either a son or grandson who comes after me, whom the god Marduk names for dominion over the land: Do not set your heart on feats of might and power, (but rather) constantly seek out the shrines of the gods Nabû and Marduk so that they may kill your opponent(s). The god Marduk, my lord, examines the mouth (and) observes the heart (so) whoever is true to the god Bēl (Marduk) his foundations will endure (and) whoever is true to the god Son-of-Bēl (Nabû) will live for ever. |
| Obverse Column iii [29:36] iii 3030–iii 3636 | When that wall becomes dilapidated and you repair its dilapidated section(s), exactly like when I found an inscription of a king who came before me and did not change its location, find an inscription (written) in my name (and) place (it) with your inscribed objects. By the command of the god Marduk, the great lord whose command cannot be changed, may the fame of your name be established for ever. |
Transliteration (ATF)
From Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus (ORACC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (ORACC default); per-file JSON license fields say: This data is released under the CC0 license (133618)
| Line | ATF | Machine English (draft) |
|---|---|---|
| i | ||
| 1 | {d}AG-IBILA-URU₃ LUGAL mi-ša-ri | |
| 2 | RE.E₂.UM ni-bi-it {d}AMAR.UTU | |
| 3 | bi-nu-ut {d}nin-men-na | |
| 4 | ru-ba-ti ṣi-ir-tim šar-rat šar-ra-a-tim | |
| 5 | ti-ri-iṣ qa₂-ti {d}AG u₃ {d}taš-me-tum | |
| 6 | NUN na-ra-am {d}nin-ši-ku₃ | |
| 7 | i-nu-um i-na me₂-eṣ-he-ru-ti-ia | |
| 8 | DUMU la ma-am-ma-na-ma a-nu-ku-ma | |
| 9 | aš₂-rat {d}AG u₃ {d}AMAR.UTU EN-e-a | |
| 10 | aš₂-te-ne₂-eʾ-a ka-a-a-nim | |
| 11 | ša₂ ku-un-ni pa-ar-ṣi-šu-nu | |
| 12 | u₃ šu-ul-lu-mu ki-du-de-e-šu-nu | |
| 13 | i-ta-ma-a ka-ba-at-ti₃ | |
| 14 | a-na kit-ti u₃ mi-ša-ri ba-ša-a uz-na-a-a | |
| 15 | {d}ša₃-zu EN mu-du-u₂ ŠA₃ DINGIR.ME ša AN-e u₃ KI-tim | |
| 16 | ša ta-ka-la-at ni-ši-im i-bar-ru-u₂ ka-a-a-ni | |
| 17 | ia-a-ši-im ṣa-ah-ra-am | |
| 18 | ša i-na ni-ši la ut-tu-u₂ | |
| 19 | ša₂ ŠA₃-ia₂ ib-re-e-ma i-na KUR ab-ba-nu-u₂ | |
| 20 | iš-ku-na-an-ni a-na re-še-e-ti | |
| 21 | a-na be-lu-ut ma-a-ti u₃ ni-šu it-ta-bi ni-bi-ta | |
| 22 | u₂-ša₂-lik {d}LAMMA dum-qi₂ ina i-di-ia₂ | |
| 23 | i-na mim-ma e-te-ep-pu-šu-um u₂-ša-li-im ši-ip-ra-am | |
| 24 | {d}NE₃.ERI₁₁.GAL dan-dan-ni DINGIR.MEŠ | |
| 25 | u₂-ša-li-ik i-da-a-a | |
| 26 | i-na-ar a-a-bi-ia | |
| 27 | u₂-ša-am-qi₃-it ga-ri-ia | |
| 28 | aš₂-šu-ru-u₂ ša₂ i-na ze-ru-ut DINGIR.MEŠ | |
| 29 | ma-at-ak-ka-di-i i-be₂-lu-ma | |
| 30 | i-na ni-ri-šu ka-ab-tim | |
| 31 | u₂-ša₂-az-zi-qu ni-ši ma-a-ti | |
| 32 | a-na-ku en-šu pi₂-is-nu-qu | |
| 33 | mu-uš-te-eʾ-u₂ EN EN.EN | |
| ii | ||
| 1 | i-na e-mu-qi₂ ga-aš₂-ra-a-tim | |
| 2 | ša₂ {d}AG u₃ {d}AMAR.UTU EN.MEŠ-e-a | |
| 3 | ul-tu ma-at-ak-ka-di-i | |
| 4 | še-ep-šu-nu ap-ru-us-ma | |
| 5 | ni-ir-šu-nu u₂-ša-ad-di-im | |
| 6 | i₃-nu-šu {d}AG-IBILA-URU₃ LUGAL ba-bi-lu{ki} | |
| 7 | mu-ṭib ŠA₃ {d}AG u₃ {d}AMAR.UTU a-na-ku | |
| 8 | im-gur-{d}EN.LIL₂ BAD₃ ra-ba-a ša₂ ba-bi-lim{ki} | |
| 9 | ⸢BULUG⸣ reš-ta-a ša₂ iš-tu ṣa-a-tim šu-pu-u₂ | |
| 10 | ki-sur-ra-a šu-ur₂-šu-du ša la-bar du-ur₂ UD.MEŠ | |
| 11 | ki-in-na-a zaq-ru ša₂ šit-nu-nu ša₂-ma-mi | |
| 12 | tuk-šu dan-nu e-di-il pi-i KUR a-a-bi | |
| 13 | TUR₃ šum-du-lu ša {d}i-gi₄-gi₄ | |
| 14 | ki-sal-lu pal-ka-a ša {d}a-nun-na-ki | |
| 15 | me₂-lit ša-ma-mi sim-mi-lat ga-an-zer₃ | |
| 16 | ⸢na⸣-an-za-az {d}lugal-gir₃-ra u₃ {d}mes-lam-ta-e₃ | |
| 17 | ib-rat ša₂ {d}INANNA šar-rat ra-bi-tim | |
| 18 | maš-kan til-pa-nu ša {d}da-gan qu-ra-du | |
| 19 | TUR₃ ka-ra-šu ša₂ qar-ra-du {d}MAŠ | |
| 20 | E₂ ki-di-ni ša₂ {d}a-nu-um u₃ {d}EN.LIL₂ | |
| 21 | a-šar GIŠ.HUR.MEŠ nak-la-a-ti ša {d}e₂-a EN eridu{ki} | |
| 22 | qaq-qar ni-ṣir-tim ša₂ DINGIR.MEŠ GAL.MEŠ | |
| 23 | ša {d}i-gi₄-gi₄ u₃ {d}a-nun-na-ki | |
| 24 | i-na nu-ug ŠA₃-šu₂-nu u₂-kin-nu te-me-en-šu | |
| 25 | nak-liš uš-ta-aṣ-bu-u₂ u₂-ul-lu-u₂ SAG-šu₂ | |
| 26 | i-na la-bar UD.MEŠ i-ni-iš i-qu-up-ma | |
| 27 | i-na zu-un-nim u₃ ra-a-di ra-bu-tu₂ | |
| 28 | ut-ta-as-su₂-u₂ i-ga-ru-šu | |
| 29 | te-me₂-en-šu ik-kam-ru-ma | |
| 30 | iš-ša-ap-ku ti-la-ni-iš | |
| 31 | ad-kam-ma um-ma-na-at {d}EN.LIL₂ {d}UTU u₃ {d}AMAR.UTU | |
| 32 | u₂-ša₂-aš₂-<ši> {giš}AL e-mid tup-šik-ku | |
| 33 | ul-tu GU₂ {id₂}a-ra-ah-tim | |
| 34 | šid-di e-li-i ša KA₂.GAL-{d}INANNA | |
| 35 | a-di GU₂ {<id₂>}a-ra-ah-tim šid-di ša₂-ap-li-i ša KA₂.GAL-{d}uraš | |
| 36 | e-pe-ri-šu kam-ru-tu as-su₂-uh-ma | |
| 37 | te-me-en-šu la-bi-ru a-hi-iṭ ab-re-e-ma | |
| 38 | i-na aš₂-ri reš-ti-i li-bit-ta-šu₂ lu-u₂ ad-di | |
| 39 | i-na i-ra-at ki-gal-la | |
| 40 | i-šid-su lu-u₂ u₂-šar-ši-id | |
| 41 | e-bi-ih dan-num BAL.RI {d}UTU.E₃ {d}UTU.E₃ lu-u₂ u₂-ša-as-hi-ir | |
| iii | ||
| 1 | {d}AG-IBILA-URU₃ aš₂-ri kan-šu | |
| 2 | pa-li-ih {d}AG u₃ {d}AMAR.UTU | |
| 3 | RE.E₂.UM mu-ṭib ŠA₃ {d}pa₄-nun-an-ki | |
| 4 | ha-aʾ-iṭ te-me-en-na la-bi-ri ša ba-bi-lim{ki} | |
| 5 | mu-ut-tu-u₂ SIG₄ ša₂ a₃-ah-ra-tim | |
| 6 | mu-uš-te-eṣ-bi ki-gal-lu reš-ti-i ša du-ur UD.MEŠ | |
| 7 | ṣa-bit {giš}AL ša {d}i-gi₄-gi₄ | |
| 8 | za-bil tup-šik-ku ša {d}a-nun-na-ki | |
| 9 | e-piš im-gur-{d}EN.LIL₂ | |
| 10 | a-na {d}AMAR.UTU EN-ia a-na-ku-ma | |
| 11 | ma-na-ma LUGAL ah-ra-a-tim | |
| 12 | a-ma-tu-u₂-a na-as-qa₂-a-tim a-na la šu-us-su₂-ki | |
| 13 | el qi₂-ba-a-ti-ia₂ a-mat a-na la šub-ši-i | |
| 14 | ni-iš {d}AMAR.UTU be-li-ia u₃ {d}UTU DINGIR-ia az-kur | |
| 15 | šum-ma i-nim-ma-a-a sur-ra-tu-ma la ka-a-a-an-tu-um-ma | |
| 16 | i-na u₄-mi-šu-ma ṣa-lam LUGAL-ti a-lik ma-ah-ri-ia | |
| 17 | ša₂ BAD₃ šu-a-ti i-pu-šu | |
| 18 | a-mu-ur₂ i-na aš₂-ri ki-i-nu | |
| 19 | te-me-en-na ra-bi-i | |
| 20 | it-ti ALAM-ia | |
| 21 | lu-u₂ u₂-ki-in a-na du-ur UD.MEŠ | |
| 22 | ma-na-ma LUGAL ma-ti-ma lu DUMU lu DUMU.DUMU | |
| 23 | a-lik ar₂-ki-ia₂ ša₂ {d}AMAR.UTU a-na be-lu-ut KUR i-nam-bu-u₂ zi-kir-šu₂ | |
| 24 | ša₂ e-mu-qi₂ u₃ da-na-nu e taš-du-<ud> ana ŠA₃-ka | |
| 25 | aš₂-rat {d}AG u₃ {d}AMAR.UTU ši-te-eʾ-e-ma | |
| 26 | li-na-ru ga-ri-ka | |
| 27 | {d}AMAR.UTU EN i-ha-ṭu pi-i i-bar-ri ŠA₃ | |
| 28 | ša₂ KI {d}EN ki-num i-ku-un-na iš-da-šu₂ | |
| 29 | ša₂ KI DUMU {d}EN ki-num u₂-la-bar a-na da-ra-ti | |
| 30 | i₃-nu-ma BAD₃ šu-a-ti in-na-hu-ma tu-pa-aš₂-ša₂-hu an-hu-us-su₂ | |
| 31 | ki-i ša₂ mu-šar-re-e LUGAL a-lik ma-ah-ri-ia₂ | |
| 32 | a-mu-ru-ma a-šar-šu₂ la u₂-nak-ki-ru | |
| 33 | ši-ṭir MU-ia₂ a-mur-ma KI mu-šar-re-ka šu-kun | |
| 34 | i-na qi₂-bit {d}AMAR.UTU EN GAL-i | |
| 35 | ša₂ la in-nen-nu-u₂ qi₂-bit-su₂ | |
| 36 | zi-ki-ir šu-mi₃-ka liš-ša₂-kin ana u₄-me da-ru-tu₂ | |
Sources & licences
- Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus (ORACC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (ORACC default); per-file JSON license fields say: This data is released under the CC0 license (133618) · ORACC project editions, https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ ; cite the individual project (see texts.extra_json.project)
Cite the original edition and translator. Page generated by Unread Atlas from the public corpus export of 2026-10-11.