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Sennacherib, the great king, the mighty king,
king of the world, king of Assyria, king of the four quarters, the
wise shepherd, favorite of the great gods, guardian of right,
lover of justice, who lends support, who comes to the aid of the
destitute, who performs pious acts, perfect hero, mighty man,
first among all princes, the powerful one who consumes the
insubmissive, who strikes the wicked with the thunderbolt; the god
Assur, the great mountain, an unrivaled kinship has entrusted to
me, and above all those who dwell in palaces, has made powerful my
weapons; from the upper sea of the setting sun to the lower sea of
the rising sun, he has brought the black-headed people in
submission at my feet; and mighty kings feared my warfare, leaving
their homes and flying alone, like the sidinnu, the bird of the
cave, to some inaccessible place...
In my third campaign, I went against the
Hittite-land. Lulê, king of Sidon, the terrifying splendor of my
sovereignty overcame him, and far off into the midst of the sea he
fled. There he died. Great Sidon, Little Sidon, Bît-Zitti, Zaribtu,
Mahalliba, Ushu, Akzib, Akko, his strong, walled cities, where
there were fodder and drink, for his garrisons, the terrors of the
weapon of Assur, my lord, overpowered them and they bowed in
submission at my feet. I seated Tuba'lu on the royal throne over
them, and tribute, gifts for my majesty, I imposed upon him for
all time, without ceasing.
From Menachem, the Shamsimurunite, Tuba'lu the
Sidonite, Abdi-liti the Arvadite, Uru-milki the Gublite, Mitinti
the Ashdodite Budu-ilu the Beth Ammonite, Kammusu-nadbi the
Moabite, Malik-rammu the Edomite, kings of Amurru, all of them,
numerous presents as their heavy tribute, they brought before me
for the fourth time, and kissed my feet.
But Sidka, the king of Ashkelon, who had not
submitted to my yoke, the gods of his father's house, himself, his
wife, his sons, his daughters, his brothers, the seed of his
paternal house, I tore away and brought to Assyria. Sharru-lu-dari,
son of Rukibti, their former king, I set over the people of
Ashkelon, and I imposed upon him the payment of tribute: presents
to my majesty. He accepted my yoke. In the course of my campaign,
Beth-Dagon, Joppa, Banaibarka, Asuru, cities of Sidka, who had not
speedily bowed in submission at my feet, I besieged, I conquered,
I carried off their spoil.
The officials, nobles, and people of Ekron, who
had thrown Padi their king—bound by oath and curse of Assyria—
into fetters of iron and had given him over to Hezekiah, the
Judahite—he kept him in confinement like an enemy— their heart
became afraid, and they called upon the Egyptian kings, the
bowmen, chariots and horses of the king of Meluhha [Ethiopia], a
countless host, and these came to their aid. In the neighborhood
of Eltekeh, their ranks being drawn up before me, they offered
battle. With the aid of Assur, my lord, I fought with them and
brought about their defeat. The Egyptian charioteers and princes,
together with the Ethiopian king's charioteers, my hands captured
alive in the midst of the battle. Eltekeh and Timnah I besieged, I
captured, and I took away their spoil.
I approached Ekron and slew the governors and
nobles who had rebelled, and hung their bodies on stakes around
the city. The inhabitants who rebelled and treated (Assyria)
lightly I counted as spoil. The rest of them, who were not guilty
of rebellion and contempt, for whom there was no punishment, I
declared their pardon. Padi, their king, I brought out to
Jerusalem, set him on the royal throne over them, and imposed upon
him my royal tribute.
As for Hezekiah the Judahite, who did not
submit to my yoke: forty-six of his strong, walled cities, as well
as the small towns in their area, which were without number, by
levelling with battering-rams and by bringing up seige-engines,
and by attacking and storming on foot, by mines, tunnels, and
breeches, I besieged and took them. 200,150 people, great and
small, male and female, horses, mules, asses, camels, cattle and
sheep without number, I brought away from them and counted as
spoil. (Hezekiah) himself, like a caged bird I shut up in
Jerusalem, his royal city. I threw up earthworks against him— the
one coming out of the city-gate, I turned back to his misery. His
cities, which I had despoiled, I cut off from his land, and to
Mitinti, king of Ashdod, Padi, king of Ekron, and Silli-bêl, king
of Gaza, I gave (them). And thus I diminished his land. I added to
the former tribute, and I laid upon him the surrender of their
land and imposts—gifts for my majesty. As for Hezekiah, the
terrifying splendor of my majesty overcame him, and the Arabs and
his mercenary troops which he had brought in to strengthen
Jerusalem, his royal city, deserted him. In addition to the thirty
talents of gold and eight hundred talents of silver, gems,
antimony, jewels, large carnelians, ivory-inlaid couches,
ivory-inlaid chairs, elephant hides, elephant tusks, ebony,
boxwood, all kinds of valuable treasures, as well as his
daughters, his harem, his male and female musicians, which he had
brought after me to Nineveh, my royal city. To pay tribute and to
accept servitude, he dispatched his messengers.
(Complete translations of the records of
Sennacherib can be found in Daniel D. Luckenbill, Ancient Records
of Assyria and Babylonia, vol. 2, and in James Pritchard's Ancient
Near Eastern Texts (1950).) |
