Third Campaign of Sennacherib http://www.religiousstudies.uncc.edu/jcreeves/sennacherib.

htm

THIRD CAMPAIGN OF SENNACHERIB

Translated from R. Borger, Babylonisch-assyrische Lesestücke (Analecta Orientalia 54; 2 vols.; Rome:
Pontificium Institutum Biblicum, 1979) 1.68, 73-75.

Column I 1-19

(I am) Sennacherib, great king, mighty king, king of the inhabited world, king of the land of Aššur, king of
the four world quadrants, intelligent (and) wise shepherd, favorite of the great gods; who protects truth, who
loves justice, who gives help, who comes to the aid of the powerless, seeking good will; perfect man,
heroic man, foremost among all kings, the bridle that controls the non-submissive, who strikes the enemy
with lightning. The divine Aššur, great mountain, granted to me a kingly status that has no equal. He made
my weapons invincible over all those who inhabit palaces as far as the upper sea of the west unto the lower
sea of the east. He has prostrated at my feet the totality of the ‘black-headed people.’ Powerful kings fear
my assault: they abandon their communities like a crevice-bat (would); they fly off alone to a place where
one cannot go.

Column II 37-III 49

In my third campaign I marched to the land of Hatti (i.e., Syria and the Levant). Fearful awe at the luster of
my majesty overwhelmed Luli, king of Sidon: he fled for a great distance toward the center of the sea (and)
disappeared forever. (As for) his strong cities of great Sidon and lesser Sidon, Bit-zitti, Sariptu, Mahalliba,
Ušu, Akzib, and Akku, (all) fortresses (and) places of pasturage and watering for his support-bases, dread of
the weapon of Aššur my lord overwhelmed them, and they bowed at my feet. I installed Tubalu upon the
royal throne over them and fixed upon him a tribute (in recognition of) my lordship, to be paid annually in
perpetuity.

Minhim of the city of Samsimurum, Tubal the Sidonite, Abdiliti the Arudite, Urmilki the Gublaite,
Mitinti the Ashdodite, Purduilu the Ammonite, Kammusunadbi the Moabite, Ayarammu the Edomite—all
of whom were kings of Syria—brought before me numerous gifts and their heavy tribute and kissed my feet
for the fourth time. But Sidqa, king of Ashkelon, who did not submit to my yoke, I tore away the gods of
his father’s house, himself, his wife, his sons, his daughters, his brothers, (and) his entire lineage and
conducted them to the land of Assyria. I installed Šarru-lu-dari, son of their former king Rukibtu, (as ruler)
over the people of Ashkelon and imposed upon him the submission of tribute-gifts to my lordship; he
(now) bears my yoke.

During the course of my campaign, I besieged the cities of Sidqa—Beth Dagon, Joppa, Bene-Baraq, and
Azur—which did not speedily bow down to my feet. I conquered (them and) accumulated their spoil. The
governors, nobility, and people of Ekron who had thrown iron fetters upon Padi their king, an ally and
sworn vassal of the land of Assyria, and surrendered him as an enemy to Hezekiah of the land of the
Judaeans were terrified at the outrage they had committed, and they sent to the kings of the land of Egypt for
help. Soldiers armed with bows, chariots, and horses—an innumerable strong force—of the king of
Ethiopia came to their aid. They fixed a battle-line in the neighborhood of Altaqu before me and sharpened
their weapons. Trusting in the divine Aššur my lord, I engaged in battle with them and brought about their
defeat. My own hands captured alive the charioteers and the sons of the king of Egypt, along with the
charioteers of the king of Ethiopia. I besieged and conquered the cities of Altaqu and Tamna and accumulated
their spoil. I drew near to Ekron and executed the officials and nobles who mistakenly plotted (against me);
I hung their corpses upon the watchtowers encircling their city. The city inhabitants who had behaved
sinfully and irresponsibly I counted as spoil. As for the rest of them, those who did not bear sin or hostility
and who had no guilt, I proclaimed their freedom. I brought out Padi their king from within Jerusalem and
reinstalled him upon the throne of lordship over them, and fixed upon him tribute for my lordship.

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Third Campaign of Sennacherib http://www.religiousstudies.uncc.edu/jcreeves/sennacherib.htm

But (regarding) Hezekiah the Judaean, the one who did not bow down beneath my yoke, I besieged and I
conquered forty-six strong cities (that were) fortresses and the smaller nameless cities in their vicinity using
firmly treaded siege-ramps, the storming of battering-rams, attacks of infantry, breaches, tunnels, and
sappers. I brought out 200,150 people, young and old, male and female, as well as innumerable horses,
mules, donkeys, camels, and sheep, and I tabulated them as spoil. As for him (i.e., Hezekiah), I locked him
up within Jerusalem, his royal city, like a bird in a cage. I laid down earthen entrenchments around him, and
whoever came forth from the gate of his city I made feel disgust for him. I tore away his cities from his
territory and despoiled them, and handed them over to Mitinti, king of Ashdod, Padi, king of Ekron, and
Sili-Bel, king of Gaza. I thus diminished his territory. His annual tribute was made more than the previous
tribute; I added and laid upon him tribute and gifts reflective of my sovereignty (over him). As for Hezekiah,
terror at the awesome luster of my majesty overcame him. The urbi-warriors and elite troops whom he had
made enter Jerusalem his royal city in order to strengthen it refused to do battle (?). He sent them later to
me at Ninevah, the city of my lordship, along with thirty talents of gold, eight hundred talents of silver,
choice antimony-paste, small pieces of stone, large …-stones, ivory beds, chairs with arms of ivory,
elephant skins, raw ivory, ‘dark wood,’ boxwood, every kind of valuable treasure that bears a name, together
with his daughters, his palace-women, male musicians, and female musicians. He sent his legation (to me)
to deliver the tribute and offer slavish obedience.

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