The letters and reports written by the scholars of the Neo-Assyrian court to their employer, the king, provide a rich body of evidence about the work expected of an astronomer in the seventh century BCE. Through them, we can see what responsibilities these scholars had with respect to the observation, prediction, analysis, and reporting of celestial events. The scholars often refer back to the king’s questions as part of their response—“What the king, my lord, said”—which reveals some of the specific demands that the king made of them. Focusing specifically on one of the most important types of celestial event, the eclipse, we will look at exactly what information the Neo-Assyrian scholar was required to convey to his king, what additional details the king sought out, and what this reveals about the overall work requirements of this ancient astronomer. We will see that his responsibilities extended beyond simply the prediction and observation of celestial events; he was also required to interpret these events as omens, and to advise the king on what apotropaic rituals should be carried out to protect against negative outcomes. Looking at the combination of elements that made up the job of the celestial scholar, as revealed in his communication to the king, we will gain insight both into the working life of the scholar and into the perception of the eclipse in the Neo-Assyrian world.