great gods,
To the lady of Nineveh ...
To the daughter of Sin, the twin-sister of Shamash, ruling over all
kingdoms,
Who issues decrees, the goddess of the universe,
To the lady of heaven and earth, who receives prayer, who hearkens to
the petition, who accepts beseeching,
To the merciful goddess who loves righteousness.

The king calls upon Ishtar to listen to his prayers:

Look upon me, O lady, so that through thy turning towards me the heart
of thy servant may become strong.

Ashurnasirbal appeals to the goddess on the ground of what he has done
to promote the glory of the goddess in his land. He has devoted himself
to the service of the goddess. He has observed the festivals in her
honor. He has repaired her shrines. No less than fourteen images of the
goddess were set up by the king. Nay, more, he claims that before his
days Ishtar was not properly worshipped.

I was without understanding, and did not pray to thy ladyship,
The people of Assyria also lacked judgment, and did not approach thy
divinity;
But thou, O Ishtar, mighty weapon of the great gods,
By thy grace[490] thou didst instruct me, and didst desire me to rule.

The statement that the Ishtar cult was introduced or even reinstated by
Ashurnasirbal can hardly be taken literally; but it distinctly points to
a movement in the days of the dynasty to which the king belonged, that
brought the worship of the goddess into great prominence.

In return for all that he has done to the house of Ishtar, the king
pleads:

I, Ashurnasirbal, full of affliction, thy worshipper,
Who takes hold of thy divine staff,
Who prays to thy sovereignty,
Look upon me and let me appeal to thy power!
May thy liver be appeased for that which has aroused thy anger;
Let thy whole heart be strong towards me.
Make my disease come forth and remove my sin,
Let thy mouth, O lady, proclaim forgiveness.
The priestly vassal who worships thee without change,
Grant him mercy and cut off his affliction.

The historical references found in the penitential psalms are valuable
indications, not only for determining the age of these compositions, but
for ascertaining the occasions on which they were employed. Neither the
Babylonian nor the Assyrian rulers ever reveal to us in their official
annals or dispatches any check that they may have encountered in their
careers or any misfortune that may have occurred to them or to the
state. T