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TRANSLATION Adapted from Luckenbill (1924:31-36)
1they offered battle. With the aid of Aššur,
2my lord, I fought with them and
3brought about their defeat. The Egyptian charioteers and princes,
4together with the Ethiopian king's charioteers,
5my hands captured alive in the midst of the battle.
6Eltekeh and Timnah
7I besieged, I captured, and I took away their spoil. | 8I approached Ekron and slew the governors and nobles 9who had rebelled, and 10hung their bodies on stakes around the city. The inhabitants 11who rebelled and treated (Assyria) lightly I counted as spoil. 12The rest of them, who were not guilty of rebellion 13and contempt, for whom there was no punishment, 14I declared their pardon. Padi, their king, 15I brought out to Jerusalem, 16set him on the royal throne over them, and 17imposed upon him my royal tribute. 18As for Hezekiah the Judahite, 19who did not submit to my yoke: forty-six of his strong, walled cities, as well as 20the small towns in their area, 21which were without number, by levelling with battering-rams 22and by bringing up seige-engines, and by attacking and storming on foot, 23by mines, tunnels, and breeches, I besieged and took them. 24200,150 people, great and small, male and female, 25horses, mules, asses, camels, 26cattle and sheep without number, I brought away from them 27and counted as spoil. (Hezekiah) himself, like a caged bird 28I shut up in Jerusalem, his royal city. 29I threw up earthworks against him— 30the one coming out of the city-gate, I turned back to his misery. 31His cities, which I had despoiled, I cut off from his land, and 32to Mitinti, king of Ashdod, 33Padi, king of Ekron, and Silli-bêl, 34king of Gaza, I gave (them). And thus I diminished his land. 35I added to the former tribute, 36and I lad upon him the surrender of their land and imposts—gifts for my majesty. 37As for Hezekiah, 38the terrifying splendor of my majesty overcame him, and 39the Arabs and his mercenary troops which he had brought in to strengthen 40Jerusalem, his royal city, 41deserted him. In addition to the thirty talents of gold and 42eight hundred talents of silver, gems, antimony, 43jewels, large carnelians, ivory-inlaid couches, 44ivory-inlaid chairs, elephant hides, elephant tusks, 45ebony, boxwood, all kinds of valuable treasures, 46as well as his daughters, his harem, his male and female 47musicians, which he had brought after me 48to Nineveh, my royal city. To pay tribute 49and to accept servitude, he dispatched his messengers. 50In my fourth campaign, Aššur, my lord, gave me courage, and 51I mustered my numerous troops and gave the 52command to proceed against Bît-Yakin. In the course of my campaign, 53I accomplished the overthrow of Shuzubi, the Chaldean, who sat in the midst of the swamps, 54at Bitûtu. 55That one, the terror of my battle fell upon him, and 56tore his heart; like a criminal he fled alone, and 57his place was seen no more. The front of my yoke I turned and 58and I took the way to Bît-Yakin. 59That Merodach-baladan, whose defeat I had brought about 60in the course of my first campaign, and whose forces I had shattered, 61the roar of my mighty arms 62and the onset of my terrible battle he feared and 63he gathered together the gods of his whole land in their shrines, 64and loaded them into ships and fled 65like a bird to Nagite-rakki, which is in the middle of the sea. His brothers, 66the seed of his father's house, whom he had left by the seashore, 67together with the rest of the people of his land, 68I brought out of Bît-Yakin, from the midst of the swamps and canebrakes, 69and counted as spoil. I turned about and ruined and devastated his cities; 70I made them like ruin-heaps. Upon his ally, the king of Elam, 71I poured out my terror. On my return, 72I placed on his (Merodach-baladan's) royal throne, 73Aššur-nâdin-shum, my oldest son, offspring of my knees. 74I placed him in charge of the wide land of Sumer and Akkad. 75In my fifth campaign, the warriors of Tumurru, 76Sharum, Ezama, Kibshu, Halgidda, 77Kua, and Kana—whose abodes 78-79were set on the peak of Mt. Nipur, a steep mountain, like the nests of the eagle, king of birds—were not submissive to my yoke. 80I had my camp pitched at the foot of Mt. Nipur and 81with my choice bodyguard Luckenbill, Daniel David. The Annals of Sennacherib. Oriental Institute Publications 2. 1924. Reprint, Ancient Texts and Translations. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2005. | ||||
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