The Cyrus Vase declares that Babylon was taken, and by Cyrus; so Isaiah also implies, not naming the fact however.  But from Behistun we become absolutely certain of it.  It belogned to the Empire before Darius, and he, Darius, retook it, as we shall see.  And indeed he seems to have re-taken it more than once.  This proves that it was a part of Cyrus' conquests, for Cambyses did little in that direction; and so it corroborates the Clay Vase, as well as the statements of Greeks.
    The passage in its detail is as follows: Behistun I, XVI (l. 77): "Thus saith Darius the King: There was a Babylonian, Naditabaira (Nidintu-Bel by name, the son of Anaira's (Aniri') he revolted in Babylon.  Thus he lied to the people: I am Nabukudracara (Nebukadrezar), the son of Nabunaita (Nabuna'id).  Thereupon the entire Babylonian population went over to him.  He seized the government in Babylon.
    I, XVIII (l. 83).  "Thus saith Darius the King: Thereupon I went to Babylon against that Nidintu-Bel who called hismelf Nebukadrezar.  The army of Nidintu-Bel held the Tigris.  There he planted himself, and was also by the vessels (Sp. "in boats" (?)).  Thereupon I divided my army into two parts... Auramazda brought me help.  Through the favourable will of Auramazda we crossed the Tigris, and I smote that host of Nidintu-Bel at will.  It was on the 26th day of the month Atriyadiya that we delivered battle.  Thus saith Darius the King: Thereupon I drew toward Babylon (itself).  Before I arrived at Babylon there is a city called Zazana (Zazannu) on the Ufratau (Euphrates).  There was that Nidintu-Bel, who called himself Nebukadrezar.  He had gone there with his army to deliver battle against me.  Thereupon we delivered battle.  Auramazda brought me aid; through the gracious will of Auramazda I smote that host right sore.  The enemy was driven into the water; the water carried him forth.  On the second day of the month Anamaka it was when we delivered battle.
    20 Behistun II, XX (l. 1)  "Thus saith Darius the King: thereupon (Naidi tabaira (Nidintu-Bel) went with a few horsemen to Babylon (itself); through the gracious will of Auramazda I took Babylon and that Nidintu-Bel, and I slew him in Babylon."  Surely the Isaiah of the period might venture to write as he did, for he must have had in his mind's eye similar records, if he was not actually citing parts of these.  Replicas of the contents of every Inscription of course abounded on every side, as well as oral reports.  And here comes in once more what I think is plainly deducible from the fats, which is that earlier Inscriptions, if they were made at all, must have been modelled upon forms like those surviving to us, for those of Xerxes (B.C. 485-463) are exactly uniform with those of Darius (about B.C. 521-485), those of Artaxerxes the II, 404-358 with those of Xerxes, while those of Artaxerxes III (B.C. 358 (?)-338 (?)) have still fuller sections of identical phraseology. (Zarathustra, Philo, the Achaemenids and Israel, Mills, 1906).