Gebal she hath given power to the King my Lord. At the feet of the King my Lord my Sun seven times seven times I bow.
Behold this . . . it will grieve me . . . our city my foes . . . the chief . . . watches O King . . . no men of garrison . . . were given to the King’s chiefs, or preservation by the King against him, and this I (say) is not defended, and the King has not preserved me; and being angry Pakhura has gathered and has despatched men of the land Umuti (Hamath).[1] They have slain a chief servant; and three chiefs (he has bound?) without appeal to the land of Egypt; and he has made gifts seducing the city against me; and woe to the place, she has become ungrateful: the city which was not base in old times is base to us. But the King shall hear the message of his servant and you shall give orders to the chiefs. Do not you . . . this sin they do? . . . my destruction is before me, and is it not my order that chiefs in the sight of the King should . . . my destruction. Behold now since I shall gather to . . . and (perchance I shall repel this?).”
46 B.—The salutation, as in the preceding letter, is peculiar to Ribadda. “Lo! the King is sending to me Irimaia[2]: maybe, he will arrive to gladden us from before thee: he has not come before me. The King sends to me the most distinguished of thy great men, the chiefest of the city of the King that thou hast, who shall defend me . . . mighty before my foes: Now they will make a government: the city they rule shall be smitten like as (is smitten?) a dog, and none that breathes shall be left behind him, for what they have done to us. I am laid waste (by foes?) by men of blood: thus on account of this slave there was no help from the King for me. (But?) my free men of the lands have fought for me. If the heart of the King is toward the guarding of his city, and of his servant, thou wilt order men to guard, and thou shalt defend the city, thou shalt guard my . . . made prosperous
18 B. M.—The salutation as in the first letter (47 B.). “Again behold thy faithful city of Gebal. Abdasherah was coming out against me aforetime and I sent to thy father who ordered soldiers of the King (bitati) to speed, and I went
