[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.]

COLUMN III

1 his altar, an altar of Royalty; 2 an altar of Lordship, 3 (for) the Chief of the gods, the Prince Merodach, 4 whose fashion the former Prince 5 had fashioned in silver, 6 with bright gold accurately weighed out 7 I overlaid. 8 Beautiful things for the temple Bit-Saggatu 9 seen at its very summit, 10 the shrine of Merodach, with statues and marbles 11 I embellished 12 as the stars of heaven. 13 The fanes of Babylon 14 I built, I adorned. 15 Of the house, the foundation of the heaven and earth, 16 I reared the summit 17 with blocks of noble lapis lazuli:  18 to the construction of Bit-Saggatu 19 my heart uplifted me; 20 in abundance I wrought 21 the best of my pine trees 22 which from Lebanon 23 together with tall Babil-wood I brought, 24 for the portico of the temple of Merodach:  25 the shrine of his Lordship 26 I made good, and interior walls 27 with pine and tall cedar woods:  28 the portico of the temple of Merodach, 29 with brilliant gold I caused to cover, 30 the lower thresholds, the cedar awnings, 31 with gold and precious stones 32 I embellished:  33 in the erection of Bit-Saggatu 34 I proceeded:  I supplicated 35 the King of gods, the Lord of Lords:  36 in Borsippa, the city of his loftiness, 37,38 I raised Bit-Zida:  a durable house 39 in the midst thereof I caused to be made. 40 With silver, gold, precious stones, 41 bronze, ummakana and pine woods, 42 those thresholds I completed:  43 the pine wood portico 44 of the shrine of Nebo 45 with gold I caused to cover, 46 the pine wood portico of the gate of the temple of
    Merodach
47 I caused to overlay with bright silver. 48 The bulls and columns of the gate of the shrine 49 the thresholds, the sigari of ri-wood, conduits 50 of Babnaku wood and their statues 51 with cedar wood awnings 52 of lofty building, 53 and silver, I adorned. 54 The avenues of the shrine 55 and the approach to the house, 56 of conspicuous brick 57 sanctuaries in its midst 58 with perforated silver work. 59 Bulls, columns, doorways, 60,61 in marble beautifully I built; 62,63 I erected a shrine and with rows 64 of wreathed work I filled it:  65 the fanes of Borsippa 66 I made and embellished; 67 the temple of the seven spheres 68 ...[1] 69 with bricks of noble lapis lazuli 70 I reared its summit:  71 the tabernacle of Nahr-kanul 72 the chariot of his greatness

(Continued on Column IV.)

[Footnote 1:  Lacuna.]

COLUMN IV

1 the tabernacle, the shrine Lilmuku, 2 the festival of Babylon, 3,4 his pageant of dignity 5 within it, I caused to decorate 6 with beryls and stones.