the land Am (Ham) the fortresses of the King my Lord. A man named Eda . . . has arisen, a chief of the land Cinza east of the land of the Hittites, to take the fortresses of the King my Lord . . . and we made the fortresses for the King my Lord my God my Sun, and we have lived in the fortresses of the King my Lord.”
125 B.—“To the King my Lord thus Arzaiaia, chief of the city Mikhiza.[1] At the feet of my Lord I bow. King my Lord, I have heard as to going to meet the Egyptian (bitati) soldiers of the King my Lord who are with us, to meet the general (Paka) with (all the infantry?) . . . all who have marched to overthrow the King my Lord. Truly a (great strength to the people?) are the Egyptian (bitati) soldiers of the King my Lord, and his commander (Paka). As for me, do I not order all to . . . after them? Behold they have been speedy, O King my Lord, and his foes are delayed by them by the hand of the King my Lord.”
126 B.—The same writer, in a broken letter, calls himself a faithful servant of the King. This was perhaps at an earlier period of the war, before the events recorded by Neboyapiza (189 B., 43 B. M.).
75 B. M.—A short letter from Dasru to say he has heard the King’s message. He lived in the land of Ham (37 B. M.).
127 B. M.—The same writer says that all that the King does for his land is of good omen.
171 B.—“A message and information from the servant of the King my Lord my God. . . . And behold what the chief of Simyra has done to my brethren of the city of Tubakhi;[2] and he marches to waste the fortresses of the King my Lord my God my Sun . . . the land of the Amorites. He has wearied out our chiefs. The fortresses of the King my Lord my God . . . are for men of blood. And now strong is the god of the King my Lord my God my Sun; and the city of Tubakhi goes forth to war, and I have stirred up my brethren,
- ↑ “Mikhiza,” perhaps the same as Maguzi, written by another scribe—the modern Mekseh, as given above. “Maguzi” might be otherwise transliterated as “Mukhzi.”
- ↑ “Tubakhi” is the Tabukhai of the “Travels of an Egyptian” in the reign of Rameses II (Chabas, p. 313), mentioned with Kadesh on Orontes, and is the Tibhath of the Bible (1 Chron. xviii, 8), otherwise Berothai. It may perhaps be the present Kefr Dubbeh, west of Baalbek, and south of Kadesh, while Berothai is thought to be the present hrithen (see 2 Sam. viii. 8), a few miles south of Baalbek. The letter shows Aziru in league with the Hittites. David conquered these cities from the King of Damascus.
