“To the king my lord thus says Ebed-Kheba thy servant: at the feet
of my lord the king seven times seven I prostrate myself. Behold,
Malchiel has not separated himself from the sons of Labbawa and the
sons of Arzawaya so as to claim the king’s land for them. A governor
who commits such an act, why has not the king questioned him (about
it)? Behold, Malchiel and Tagi have committed such an act by seizing
the city of Rabbah. And now as to Jerusalem, if this land belongs to
the king, why is it that Gaza has been appointed for the (residence of
the) king (’s commissioner)? Behold the land of Gath-Carmel is in the
power of Tagi, and the men of Gath are (his) bodyguard. He is (now) in
Beth-Sannah. But (nevertheless) we will act. Malchiel wrote to Tagi
that they should give Labbawa and Mount Shechem to the district of
the Khabiri, and he took some boys as slaves. They granted all their
demands to the people of Keilah. But we will rescue Jerusalem. The
garrison which you sent by Khaya the son of Meri-Ra has been taken
by Hadad-mikhir and stationed in his house at Gaza. [I have sent
messengers] to Egypt, [and may] the king [listen to me].... There is
no garrison of the king [here]. Verily by the life of the king Pa-ur
has gone down to Egypt; he has left me and is in Gaza. But let the king
entrust to him a garrison for the defence of the land. All the land of
the king has revolted. Send Yenkhamu and let him take charge of the
king’s land.
“(Postscript): To the secretary of the king says Ebed-Kheba your
servant: [bring] what I say clearly before the king. Kindest regards to
you! I am your servant.”
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