Nebuchadnezzar II 018 (Q005489)
Royal Inscription, Neo-Babylonian, Babylon · c. 626 BCE–539 BCE
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| Designation | Nebuchadnezzar II 018 |
|---|---|
| ID | Q005489 |
| Collection | Krakow National Museum, Krakow, Poland |
| Language | Akkadian |
| Period | Neo-Babylonian · c. 626 BCE–539 BCE |
| Genre | Royal Inscription |
| Find spot | Babylon |
| Coordinates | 32.5350, 44.4258 |
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 [0:3] i 1i 1–i 33 | Nebuchadnezzar (II), king of Babylo[n], the one who provides for Esagil [and Ezida], son of Nabopolassar, [king of Babylon, am I]. |
| Obverse Column i [3:9] i 44–i 99 | [I provi]ded for Esagil and made (it) shine like the stars (lit. “writings”) of the heavens. I completed Ezida and [made] (it) radiant like the sun. I made the sanctuaries of the great gods shine like daylight. |
| Obverse Column i [9:19] i 1010–i 1919 | At that time, by the command of the god Marduk, the great lord, the one who loves my royal majesty, and the god Nabû, the exalted heir, the one who prolongs the day(s) of my life, the great gods whose temples I provide for rejoiced (and) were happy about the renovation of their sanctuaries. Their mood became cheerful and they commanded (me) to build a palace, the residence of my royal majesty, in Babylon. |
| Obverse Column i [19:29] i 2020–i 2929 | In the Ka-dingirra district, which is in Babylon, I built a palace, a building (that was) an object of wonder for the people, the bond of the land, a holy private room, (and) the abode of my royal majesty. That which no king among the (former) king(s) had built: I secured its foundation on the surface (lit. “breast”) of the netherworld, at the level of the water table, and raised it as high as a mountain with bitumen and baked brick. |
| Obverse Column i [29:41] i 3030– | From the Upper Sea to the Lower Sea, (in) all of the lands that the god Marduk, my lord, gave me to shepherd, I saw that justice was done for the people living inside them. (As for) the insubmissive, I kept (them) in check: I bent their necks to the palace, the residence of my royal majesty, and made them carry [bask]ets (of earth). For guiding (people of) [widespre]ad lan[ds], I recorded their names and ass[igned them (tasks)]. |
| Obverse Column ii [9:17] ii 1010–ii 1717 | [I had] (beams of) h[ard] cedar [brought] from Lebanon, the hol[y] forest, [(and) stretched (over it)] as its roof. I plated i[mmense] doors of cedar with bronze and fi[xed] (them) wherever there were gates, (in) all of them. I ca[st] silver and copper threshold(s) and nukuššû-fitting[s]. |
| Obverse Column ii [17:25] ii 1818–ii 2525 | I prayed to the god Marduk, the god [who created me] and raised up my hand(s). By your exalted command, [which cannot be altered, may I be sated with] the lux[uriousness of] the house that I built. May I [reac]h [the prime of (my) life] (and) at[ta]in very old age inside it. May a good šēdu-spirit who protects (life) and a god who preserve well-being always be inside it. |
| Obverse Column ii [25:32] ii 2626–ii 3232 | May I receive inside it the substantial tribute of kings of the (four) quarters (of the world and) all of the people who sit of throne(s), wear crowns, (and) assume the position of king. Inside it, may my descendants rule over the black-headed (people) forever. |
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-NIG₂.DU-u₂-ṣu-ur₂ LUGAL ⸢KA₂.DINGIR.RA⸣{[ki]} | |
| 2 | za-ni-in e₂-sag-il₂ [u₃ e₂-zi-da] | |
| 3 | DUMU {d}na-bi-um-IBILA-u₂-ṣu-⸢ur₂⸣ LUGAL [KA₂.DINGIR.RA{ki} a-na-ku] | |
| 4 | e₂-sag-il₂ [az-nu]-⸢un-ma⸣ | |
| 5 | ki-ma ši-ṭe₃-er-ti ša-⸢ma-mi⸣ u₂-ba-an-nim | |
| 6 | e₂-zi-⸢da⸣ u₂-ša-ak-li-il-ma | |
| 7 | ⸢u₂⸣-[ša]-⸢an-bi₂⸣-iṭ ša-aš-ša-an-ni-iš | |
| 8 | [e]-eš-re-e-ti i₃-li₂ ra-bi₂-u₃-tim | |
| 9 | ⸢u₂⸣-na-am-mi-ir ki-ma u₄-um | |
| 10 | i-na u₄-mi-šu i-na a-ma-at {d}AMAR.UTU be-li₂ ra-bi₂-im | |
| 11 | na-ra-am šar-ru₄-ti-ia | |
| 12 | u₃ {d}AG IBILA ṣi-i-ri | |
| 13 | mu-ša-ri-ki u₄-um ba-la-ṭi-ia | |
| 14 | DINGIR GAL.GAL ša az-nu-nu e-eš-re-e-ti-šu-un | |
| 15 | ⸢a⸣-na te-di-iš-ti e-eš-re-e-ti-šu-nu | |
| 16 | i-ri-šu i-ih-du-u₃ | |
| 17 | ka-ab-ta-at-su-nu im-mi-ir-ma | |
| 18 | ša E₂.GAL mu-ša-ab šar-ru₄-ti-ia | |
| 19 | i-na KA₂.DINGIR.RA{ki} e-pe₂-šu iq-bi₂-u₃ | |
| 20 | E₂.GAL E₂ ta-ab-ra-at ni-ši-im | |
| 21 | ma-ar-ka-as₃ MA.DA | |
| 22 | ku-um-mu e-el-lu at-ma-an šar-ru₄-ti-ia | |
| 23 | i-na er-ṣe₂-et ka₂-dingir-ra{ki} | |
| 24 | ša qe₂-re-eb ba-bi-lam{ki} e-pu₂-uš | |
| 25 | ⸢ša ma-na-a-ma šar⸣-ri i-na LUGAL.LUGAL la ib-⸢nu-u₃⸣ | |
| 26 | i-ši-id-sa i-na i-ra-at ki-gal-⸢lim⸣ me₂-eh-⸢ra⸣-at me-e | |
| 27 | u₂-ša-ar-ši-id-ma | |
| 28 | i-na ESIR.UD.DU.A u₃ SIG₄.AL.UR₃.RA | |
| 29 | u₂-za-aq-qi₂-ir-ša hu-ur₂-sa-ni-iš | |
| 30 | iš-tu ti-a-am-tim e-li-⸢tim⸣ | |
| 31 | a-di ti-a-am-tim ša-ap-li-⸢tim⸣ | |
| ii | ||
| 1 | MA.DA.MA.DA ka₃-la-ši-na | |
| 2 | ša {d}AMAR.UTU be-li₂ re-e₂-u₂-si-na ia-ti iš-ru-kam | |
| 3 | [ni]-⸢šim⸣ a-ši-ib li-ib-bi-ši-na | |
| 4 | ⸢ki-i-num uš-te-te⸣-ši-ir la ma-gi-ri a-lu-uṭ | |
| 5 | a-na E₂.⸢GAL mu-ša⸣-ab šar-ru₄-ti-ia | |
| 6 | ki-ša-ad-su-⸢nu u₂-ka-an-ni⸣-iš-ma | |
| 7 | u₂-ša-aš-ša-a [tu-up]-⸢ši⸣-kam | |
| 8 | ša re-di-i MA.DA.MA.[DA ra-ap-ša-a]-⸢ti⸣ | |
| 9 | šu-ma-an-šu-un aš-ṭu₂-ur₂-ma aš-[ku-un-šu-nu-ti] | |
| 10 | {giš}EREN.{giš}EREN ⸢da⸣-[nu₄-tim] | |
| 11 | iš-tu la-ab-na-nim {giš}TIR e-el-⸢le⸣-[tim lu u₂-bi-lam] | |
| 12 | a-na ṣu₂-lu-li-ša [u₂-ša-at-ri-iṣ] | |
| 13 | {giš}IG.{giš}IG e-re-nim ⸢ṣi⸣-[ra-a-ti] | |
| 14 | ZABAR u₂-ha-al-[li-ip-ma] | |
| 15 | e-ma KA₂.KA₂ ka₃-la-ši-na e-⸢er⸣-[te-et-ti] | |
| 16 | KUN₄.KUN₄ u₃ NU.KUŠ₂.⸢U₃⸣.[NU.KUŠ₂.U₃] | |
| 17 | ša ka-as₃-pa u₃ e-ra-a ⸢ap⸣-[ti-iq] | |
| 18 | a-na {d}AMAR.UTU i-⸢li⸣ [ba-ni-ia] | |
| 19 | ut-ne₂-en-ma qa₂-[ti aš-ši] | |
| 20 | i-na qi₂-bi-ti-ka ṣi-ir-⸢tim⸣ [ša la na-ka-ri] | |
| 21 | E₂ e-pu₂-šu la-la-⸢ša⸣ [lu-uš-bi-im] | |
| 22 | i-na qe₂-er-bi-ša ši-bu-⸢tim⸣ [lu-uk-šu]-⸢ud⸣ | |
| 23 | lu-uš-ba-a ⸢li-tu-u₂-tim še-e-di du₂-um-qu₂⸣ na-ṣi-ri | |
| 24 | ⸢u₃⸣ i-li mu-ša-al-li-mu | |
| 25 | lu ka-a-a-an qe₂-re-eb-ša | |
| 26 | ⸢ša⸣ LUGAL.LUGAL ki-ib-ra-a-tim ša ka-la te-ne-še-e-tim | |
| 27 | a-ši-ib ka-ar-ri ša ap-ru a-ga-a-am | |
| 28 | le-e-qu₂-u₂ šar-ru-u₂-tim | |
| 29 | bi-la-su-nu ka-bi-it-ti | |
| 30 | lu-um-hu-ur₂ qe₂-re-eb-ša | |
| 31 | pe-er-ʾi-ia i-na qe₂-re-bi-ša | |
| 32 | a-na da-ra-a-tim ṣa-al-ma-at qa₂-qa₂-dam li-be₂-e-lu | |
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.