ation of his temple it was
15 which from the upper waters
16 to the lower waters
17 in a remote way,
18 in a spot exposed to winds,
19 in a place whose pavements had been broken,
20 low, dried up,
21 a rugged way,
22 a difficult path,
23 I extended.
24 The disobedient I stirred up,
25 and I collected the poor and
26 gave full directions (for the work) and
27 in numbers I supported them.
28 Wares and ornaments
29 for the women I brought forth,
30 silver, molten gold, precious stones,
31 metal, _umritgana_ and cedar woods,
32 (however their names be written)
33 a splendid abundance,
34 the produce of mountains,
35 sea clay,[1]
36 beautiful things in abundance,
37 riches and sources of joy,
38 for my city Babylon,
39 into his presence have I brought
40 for Bit-Saggatu
41 the temple of his power,
42 ornaments for Dakan[2]
43 Bit-Kua, the shrine
44 of Merodach, Lord of the house of the gods,
45 I have made conspicuous with fine linen[3]
46 and its seats
47 with splendid gold,
48 as for royalty and deity,
49 with lapis lazuli and alabaster blocks[4]
50 I carefully covered them over;
51 a gate of passage, the gate Beautiful,[5]
52 and the gate of Bit-Zida and Bit-Saggatu
53 I caused to be made brilliant as the sun.
54 A fulness of the treasures of countries I accumulated;[6]
55 around the city it was placed as an ornament,
56 when at the festival of Lilmuku at the beginning of the
year,
57 on the eighth day (and) eleventh day,
58 the divine Prince, Deity of heaven and earth, the Lord
god,
59 they raised within it.
60 (The statue) of the god El, the beauty of the sphere,
61 reverently they bring;
62 treasure have they displayed before it,
63 a monument to lasting days,
64 a monument of my life.

65 They also placed within it

_(Continued on Column III_.)

[Footnote 1: Mr. Norris conjectures "amber."]

[Footnote 2: Dagon.]

[Footnote 3: "Sassanis." The root is probably identical with the Hebrew
"shesh," "fine linen"; thus in Ex. xxvi. I: "Thou shalt make the
tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen."]

[Footnote 4: These are found still in the ruins of Babylon.]

[Footntoe 5: Compare the Beautiful Gate of the Jewish Temple.]

[Footnote 6: Mr. Norris in his Dictionary professes his inability to
master the first words of this line, p. 580. The same remark applies to
line 58. The above rendering is suggested to me by Mr. G. Smith.