Nabonidus 26 (Q005423)
Royal Inscription, Neo-Babylonian, Sippar · c. 626 BCE–539 BCE
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| Designation | Nabonidus 26 |
|---|---|
| ID | Q005423 |
| Collection | British Museum, London, UK; Arkeoloji Müzeleri, Istanbul, Turkey |
| Language | Akkadian |
| Period | Neo-Babylonian · c. 626 BCE–539 BCE |
| Genre | Royal Inscription |
| Find spot | Sippar |
| Coordinates | 33.0592, 44.2538 |
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 | Nabonidus, king of Babylon, the true shepherd who is the handiwork of the god Ea, the resplendent warrior who is the creation of the goddess Ninmena, the king without rival (who is) the favorite of the gods Bēl and Marduk, the capable ruler chosen by the gods Sîn and Šamaš, the circumspect prince who reveres the god(s) and goddess(es), |
| Obverse Column i [6:13] i 77–i 1313 | the indefatigable governor who pleases the heart(s) of the great gods, the one who provides for Esagil and Ezida, the one who renovates the cult centers (and) completes sanctuaries, the exalted ruler who makes sattukku-offerings abundant, (the one) who is always concerned about revering the gods (and) who is not negligent night or day, son of Nabû-balāssu-iqbi, wise prince, am I. |
| Obverse Column i [13:20] i 1414–i 2020 | I devoutly prayed to the god Šamaš, the gr[ea]t lord, my lord, and to the goddess Aya, (his) bri[de], the great lady, my lad<y>, and I had Ebabbar, their temple (that) is inside of Sippar, (re)built anew on the foundation(s) of Narām-Sîn, a king of the distant past, and made (it) worthy of (high) praise. |
| Obverse Column i [20:24] i 2121–i 2424 | I securely fastened strong date palm(s) for its šīpu. I put in place thick cedars, (which were) grown on Mount Amanus and Mount Leb<an>on, for its roof and the doors of its gates. |
| Obverse Column i [24:26] i 2525–i 2626 | I decorated its utensil(s) with silver and gold and filled (it) with splendor to be an object of wonder. I placed an inscription of mine, together with an inscription of Narām-Sîn, a former king, inside it. |
| Obverse Column i [28:29] i 2929–i 2929 | (As for) the temple of the god Šamaš and the goddess Aya, my lords, I made (it) shine like daylight on the right and left. |
| Obverse Column i [29:32] i 3030–i 3232 | Then, for the god Bunene, my lord, I (re)built anew Ekurra, the temple of Bunene that is inside Sippar, purified it with purification ritual, made (it) suitable as a temple of his divinity, (and) made its façade radiant as daylight. |
| Obverse Column i [32:37] i 3333– | I had the perimeter walls of Ebabbar, at the outer gate, (re)built and reinforced more than the previous one(s). I securely placed an inscription of mine and an image of my royal majesty in the presence of the god Šamaš and the goddess Aya, my lords, for eternity. |
| Obverse Column ii [1:11] ii 22–ii 1111 | O Šamaš, the exalted lord who loves (my) life, when you exit and enter Ebabbar, your bright temple, look with pleasure upon my good deeds, my inscription, and the image of my royal majesty so that good thing(s) about me are present before you forever and (a command about) the prolongation of the days of my kingship is placed in your mouth (so that) I may grow old walking in your bright light (and that) my reign may be firmly established for eternity. |
| Obverse Column ii [11:16] ii 1212–ii 1616 | O Aya, great bride, beloved of the god Šamaš, when you are sitting with pleasure in Ekinu, your shining temple, make my prayers gain favor in the presence of the god Šamaš, the light of the gods, (and) prolong the days of my life. |
| Obverse Column ii [16:22] ii 1717–ii 2222 | O Vizier (who) advises the god Amna (Šamaš), the god Bunene, (and) whose advice is good, in the presence of the god Šamaš and the goddess Aya, ... when you joyously ... (and) exit (in) exultation, when you stand triumphantly in the presence of the god Šamaš, the lord of everything, may favorable words about me be continually (placed) in your mouth. Walk about safely in its (Ekurra’s) exalted interior. |
| Obverse Column ii [22:26] ii 2323–ii 2626 | May I keep the throne of my royal majesty for a long time, until the attainment of very old age. O gods of Sippar and Ebabbar, make my deeds pleasing in the presence of the god Šamaš and the goddess Aya. May I be the eternal king who provides so that I can offer tribute to them from all (four) quarters (of the world). |
| Obverse Column ii [26:35] ii 2727–ii 3535 | In the presence of the deities Marduk, Zarpanītu, Nabû, and Nergal, my gods, and all of the gods who reside in the perimeter of the akītu(-house) of the king of the god(s), the exalted one, the lord of lords (Marduk), may I be constantly concerned with the proper procedure(s) (for) the zagmukku-festival (at) the beginning of the year, (for) the akītu-festival, for offerings, for (sacrificial) offering(s and) maṣḫatu-flour (offerings), providing for Edadiḫegal, and praying to the lord of lords (Marduk) for eternity. May they exult my reign, ..., and constantly bless my kingship. |
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}na-bi-um-na-ʾi-⸢id⸣ LUGAL KA₂.DINGIR.RA{<ki>} | |
| 2 | SIPA ki-num li-pit ŠU.II {d}e₂-a | |
| 3 | GURUŠ šu-pu₂-u₂ bi-nu-tu {d}nin-men-na | |
| 4 | LUGAL la ša₂-na-an mi-gir {d}EN u₃ {d}AMAR.UTU | |
| 5 | ma-al-ka it-pe-šu ni-bit {d}30 u {d}UTU | |
| 6 | NUN mu-un-dal-ka pa-li-ih DINGIR u₃ {d}15 | |
| 7 | GIR₃.NITA₂ la-ni-i-hu mu-ṭi-ib ŠA₃ DINGIR GAL.GAL | |
| 8 | za-ni-in e₂-sag-il₂ u₃ e₂-zi-da | |
| 9 | mu-ud-diš ma-ha-zu mu-šak-lil eš-re-e-ti | |
| 10 | ENSI₂ ṣi-i-ri mu-ṭah-hi-id sat-tuk-ku | |
| 11 | ša₂ a-na pa-la-ah DINGIR.MEŠ pi-it-qu-du | |
| 12 | la ig-gu-u₂ mu-ši u₃ ur-ra | |
| 13 | DUMU {m}{d}AG-TIN-su-iq-bi ⸢NUN⸣ em₄-qa₂ a-na-ku | |
| 14 | a-na {d}UTU EN ⸢ra⸣-[bu]-u₂ be-li-ia | |
| 15 | u₃ {d}a-a kal-⸢la⸣-[tum] be-el-tum GAL-tum | |
| 16 | be-el-<ti>-ia uš-te-mi-iq-ma | |
| 17 | e₂-babbar-ra E₂-su-un ina qe₂-reb ZIMBIR{ki} | |
| 18 | e-li te-me-en na-ram-{d}30 LUGAL ul-la | |
| 19 | e-eš-ši-iš u₂-še-pi-iš-ma | |
| 20 | a-na ta-na-da-a-ti aš₂-tak-ka-an | |
| 21 | a-na ⸢ši-pu-šu₂⸣ {giš}GIŠIMMAR dan-nu-tu u₂-šar-ši-id | |
| 22 | {giš}EREN pa-ag-lu-tu tar-bit {kur}ha-ma-ni | |
| 23 | u₃ {kur}lab-<na>-ni a-na ṣu-lu-li-šu | |
| 24 | u {giš}IG.MEŠ KA₂.MEŠ-šu u₂-šat-mi-ih | |
| 25 | u₂-nu-tu-šu ina KU₃.BABBAR u KU₃.GI u₂-za-ʾi-in-ma | |
| 26 | a-na tab-ra-a-tu₂ la-la-a uš-mal₂-la | |
| 27 | ši-ṭir MU-ia KI ši-ṭir šu-mu ša₂ na-ram-{d}30 | |
| 28 | LUGAL mah-ru aš₂-tak-kan qe₂-er-bi-uš-šu | |
| 29 | E₂ ša₂ {d}UTU u {d}a-a EN.MEŠ-a ina im-na u ⸢šu₂-me-lu⸣ ki-ma u₄-me | |
| 30 | uš-⸢nam-mir⸣-ma e₂-kur-ra E₂ {d}bu-ne-ne ša₂ ⸢qe₂-reb⸣ si-par | |
| 31 | ana {d}bu-ne-ne EN-ia₂ eš-šiš e-pu₂-uš-ma te-bi-ib-ti-šu₂ | |
| 32 | u₂-qa-ad-diš-ma us-si-ma ana E₂.KUR DINGIR-u₂-ti-šu₂ ki-ma u₄-me zi-mu-šu u₂-ša₂-an-na-bi-iṭ | |
| 33 | E₂.GAR₈.MEŠ ša₂ si-hir-tu₂ e₂-babbar-ra ša₂ KA₂ AŠ.AM₃ | |
| 34 | u₂-še-piš-ma UGU ša₂ IGI u₂-dan-nin ši-ṭir šu-mi-ia₂ | |
| 35 | u ṣa-lam LUGAL-u₂-ti-ia₂ ma-har {d}UTU u₃ {d}a-a EN.MEŠ-u₂-a | |
| ii | ||
| 1 | u₂-ki-in a-na du-ur u₄-mi | |
| 2 | {d}UTU EN ṣi-i-ri ra-ʾi-im na-piš-tu₂ | |
| 3 | a-na e₂-babbar-ra E₂-ka na-am-ra | |
| 4 | ina a-ṣe-e-ka u₃ e-re-bi-ka | |
| 5 | ep₂-še-tu-u₂-a SIG₅-a-tu₂ ši-ṭir šu-mi-ia | |
| 6 | u₃ ṣa-lam LUGAL-u₂-ti-ia ha-di-iš | |
| 7 | na-pa-lis-ma SIG₅-tu-u₂-a ana du-ur da-ri₂ | |
| 8 | lib-ša-aʾ-ma a-na mah-ri-ka | |
| 9 | a-ra-ku UD.ME LUGAL-u₂-ti-ia liš-ša₂-kin ina pi-i-ka | |
| 10 | ina nu-u₂-ri-ka na-am-⸢ri⸣ lu-la-ab-bi-ir | |
| 11 | tal-lak-ka a-na ⸢da⸣-ra-⸢a⸣-ti | |
| 12 | li-ku-un BALA-lu-u₂-a {d}a-a | |
| 13 | kal-la-tum GAL-tum na-ram-mat {d}UTU-ši | |
| 14 | ina e₂-ki-nu₂ E₂-ka nam-ri ha-diš ina a-ša₂-bi-ka | |
| 15 | ma-har {d}UTU nu-ur₂ DINGIR su₂-pi-ia SIG₅.MEŠ | |
| 16 | šu-ri-ka u₄-mi ba-la-ṭi-ia | |
| 17 | suk-kal-lum mit-lu-ku {d}am-na {d}bu-ne-ne | |
| 18 | ša₂ mi-lik-šu dam-qa ma-har {d}UTU u {d}a-a x x-⸢ka⸣ | |
| 19 | a-ṣu₂-ka šu-lu-lu el-ṣi-iš ina x x x | |
| 20 | ma-har {d}UTU EN gim-ri šal-ṭiš ina ⸢u₂-zu-zi-ka⸣ | |
| 21 | e-ger₂-⸢re⸣-e SIG₅-ti-⸢ia₂ lu⸣ sa-⸢dir ina KA⸣-ku | |
| 22 | ina lib₃-bi-šu MAH šal-mi-iš it-tal-lak | |
| 23 | {giš}GU.ZA LUGAL-u₂-ti-ia₂ lu-lab-bir a-di še-be₂ lit-tu-tu | |
| 24 | DINGIR.⸢MEŠ⸣ sip-par{ki} u e₂-babbar-ra ma-har {d}UTU | |
| 25 | u {d}a-a li-dam-qa ep₂-še-tu-u₂-a | |
| 26 | a-na-ku lu-u₂ LUGAL da-ru-u₂ za-ni-in | |
| 27 | ⸢lu-pu⸣-uš bi-lat-⸢si⸣-nu ša₂ ka-liš kib-rat ma-har {d}ŠU₂ | |
| 28 | u {d}zar-pa-ni-tum {d}AG u {d}U.GUR DINGIR.MEŠ-u₂-a u DINGIR gi-mir-šu₂-nu | |
| 29 | a-šib si-hir-tu₂ a₂-ki-it ša₂ LUGAL DINGIR ša₂-qu-u₂ | |
| 30 | EN EN.EN ZAG.MUK re-eš šat-ti i-sin-nu a₂-ki-it | |
| 31 | ana ni-qe₂-e ma-aṣ-ha-tu₂ u pa-qa-du e₂-⸢da-di⸣-he₂-gal₂ | |
| 32 | u₃ ut-ne₂-en-na EN EN.EN | |
| 33 | lu sa-ad-ra-ak tal-lak-tum | |
| 34 | a-na da-ri₂-a-tu₂ ⸢li-ir-a-šu⸣ BALA-lu-u₂-a | |
| 35 | li-x-x lik-tar-rab a-na LUGAL-u₂-ti-ia | |
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.