Egyptian Literature: Comprising Egyptian tales, hymns, litanies, invocations, the Book of the Dead, and cuneiform writings
Religion
Egyptian Literature: Comprising Egyptian tales, hymns, litanies, invocations, the Book of the Dead, and cuneiform writings
Egyptian literature -- Translations into English
155 B.—A much-damaged letter. The name of the writer is lost. He sends the
usual salutation, and speaks of a letter: of transgression and sin; and
mentions the city _Gazri_ (Gezer). He speaks of the going down of the king
(or casting down), and of the _Paka_. (See note.)
50 B. M.—“To the King my Lord my God my Sun, the Sun from the heavens,
thus (says) _Yapa’a_(320) the chief of the city of _Gazri_ (Gezer) thy
servant, the dust of thy feet, a chief captain of thy horse. At the feet
of the King my Lord—the Sun from the heavens, seven times and seven times
bow indeed both this heart and this body; and whatever the King my Lord
says to me I listen to exceeding much. I am the King’s servant, the dust
of thy feet. And the King my Lord shall learn. Behold the chief of my
brethren; fellows foreign to me also strive for the city of
_Mu(ra)’azi_;(321) and the delivery of the same is the demand of men of
blood; and now behold what has arisen against me, and counsel as to thy
land. Let the King send to the chief who is his friend against one (who is
a foe?).”
49 B. M.—After the same salutation from _Yapa’a_, chief of _Gezer_, master
of the horse, the letter continues: “I hear the message of the messenger
of the King my Lord exceeding much. And let the King my Lord, the Sun from
heaven, counsel his servant as to his land. Now strong is the chief of the
men of blood against us; and send thou to destroy him O King my Lord for
me; and will not the King restore from the hand of the chief of bloody
ones? We are not quite made an end of by the chief of the bloody ones.”
51 B. M.—With the usual salutation from _Yapa’a_, the letter continues:
“Whatever the King my Lord says to me I listen to him exceedingly. It is
gracious. But as I fear what shall befall, help thou my region from the
power of the people of the desert lands. And now I hear that the _Pauri_
(chiefs; see the Jerusalem letter B. 103) of the King gather a multitude;
and it suffices for me. And they have enlarged my heart very much.”
From these letters we gather that there had been a withdrawal of the
Egyptian troops about the time when the “desert people” attacked _Yapa’a_.
That these desert people were the Hebrews under Joshua, who was the
contemporary of Japhia, we learn more clearly from the Jerusalem letters.
That Gezer submitted to them is also shown by the same.
LETTERS FROM JERUSALEM
105 B.—“To the King my Lord ... thus (says) _Adonizedek_(322) thy servant
... at the feet of my Lord ... seven times and seven times ... Behold
_Milcilu_ is not rid from the sons of _Labaya_, and from the sons of
_Arzaya_, as to their desire of the King’s land for themselves. A ruling
man who makes demand thereof, why has he not asked it of the King? Lo!
_Milcilu_ and _Takanu_ have desired the doing thereof. Lo! he has marched
to it. Not having desired to strive ...” The lower half of the front is
here lost, and the rest is on the back.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account