The early history of the HebrewsSayce, A. H. (Archibald Henry)
History
The early history of the Hebrews
Sayce, A. H. (Archibald Henry)
Bible. Old Testament -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.; Jews -- History -- To 953 B.C.
Still more insight into the character and procedure of Babylonian
commercial law is given by the record of a case of disputed property
which came before the judges in the reign of Khammu-rabi or Amraphel.
The following is a translation of it:—‘Concerning the garden of
Sin-magir which Naid-Amurri bought for silver, but to which Ilu-bani
laid claim on the ground that he had bred horses there. They went before
the judges, and the judges took them to the gate of the goddess
Nin-Martu (the mistress of the land of the Amorites), and to the judges
of the gate of Nin-Martu Ilu-bani thus declared in the gate of
Nin-Martu: I am indeed the son of Sin-magir; he adopted me as his son;
the sealed documents (recording the fact) he never destroyed. Thus he
declared, and under (king) Eri-Aku they adjudged the garden and house to
Ilu-bani. Then came Sin-mubalidh and claimed the garden of Ilu-bani; so
they went before the judges, and the judges (said): To us and the elders
they have been taken, and must stand in the gate of the gods Merodach,
Sussa, Sin, Khusa, and Nin-Martu the daughter of Merodach ... and the
elders who have already appeared in the case of Naid-Amurri have heard
Ilu-bani declare in the gate of Nin-Martu that “I am indeed the son (of
Sin-magir)”; accordingly, they adjudged the garden and house to
Ilu-bani. Sin-mubalidh cannot come again and make a claim. Oaths have
been sworn by the names of Sin, Samas, Merodach, and king Khammu-rabi.
Witnessed by Sin-imguranni the noble, Elilka-Sin, Abil-irzitim, Ubarrum,
Zanbil-arad-Sin, Akhiya, Bel-dugul (?), Samas-bani the son of
Abid-rakhas, Zanik-pisu, Izkur-Ea the major-domo, and Bau-ila. The seals
of the witnesses (are attached). The 4th day of the month Tammuz, the
year when Khammu-rabi the king offered prayers to Tasmit.’[70]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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