38 B.—“To Dudu my Lord my father thus Aziru thy servant. At my lord's feet I bow. Khatib will march, and has carefully followed the messages (or orders) of the King my Lord before (he goes); and what is good increases; and I have been gladdened very much; and my brethren, men serving the King my Lord, and men who are servants of Dudu my Lord. They had feared exceedingly. Behold he will march, to command for the King my Lord with me. From the [pg 203] orders of my Lord my God and my Sun, and from the orders of Dudu my Lord, I will never depart. My Lord now Khatib goes forth with me, and also he will march to strengthen me. My Lord, the King of the land of the Hittites will march from the land of Marhasse (Mer'ash), and has he not boasted to meet me? and the King of the Hittites will rebel, and behold I and Khatib will march. Let the King my Lord hear my messages. I have feared without the countenance of the King my Lord, and without the countenance of Dudu; and now (my Gods and my messenger[189]). And truly these are my brethren—Dudu and the great men of the King my Lord; and truly I will march; and since O Dudu both the King my Lord and the chiefs thus are ready, everything against Aziru is forgiven which has been unfavorable for my God,[190] and for us. And now I and Khatib have appeared servants of the King. Truly thou knowest Dudu, behold I go forth mightily.”
31 B.—“To Khai[191] my brother thus (says) this thy brother Aziru. With thee (be) peace indeed, and from the Egyptian soldiers of the King my Lord there is much safety. Whoever (is) against it the promise remains, in sight of the King my Lord; being formerly promised it remains. I and my sons and my brethren are all servants of the King: it is good for me. Now I and Khatib will both march, behold, with speed. O Khai, as among you truly it is known, lo! I have been troubled. From the orders of my Lord there is no rebellion, nor from your orders. I am a servant of my Lord. The King of the land of the Hittites dwells in the land of Marhasse (Mer'ash) and I have feared his appearance. They who are in the West lands[192] have armed. He gathers; and while the city of Tunip is unoccupied, he dwells two swift marches from the city. And I have been afraid of his appearance; and contrary to messages of promise he goes forth to his rebellions. But now we shall both march, I and Khatib, with speed.”
32 B. repeats the preceding—perhaps to another correspondent: it mentions Dudu, and says: “I have been afraid of [pg 204] this rebel son of a dog, and I have been troubled. Now he has sent a message from the Western land—the land of my Lord: they will both march together, and I have been afraid for my Lord's land.”
33 B., much broken at the top, refers to the existing promise or treaty, and continues: “I cause the land of my Lord to be guarded, and my countenance is toward the men who are servants of the King my Lord in peace. My Lord now I and Khatib are made friends,[193] and let my Lord know behold I have ... in haste. The King of the land of the Hittites dwells ... and I have been afraid ... have armed ... of the land ... my Lord I remain quietly ... in the West land ... King my Lord to defend his land ... and now behold in the land of Marhasse he dwells—two swift marches from the city of Tunip; and I fear his wastings. Let the city of Tunip be defended: my Lord is a shield to men who serve him; mayst thou hear what is said and my sons will ... forever.”
39 B., broken at the top. “I have strengthened this ... I have strengthened this wall in front of the mouth of the great pass,[194] and my Lord's fortress. And let my Lord hear as to the servants of his servant—thy servant Aziru: they will keep watch: strife surrounds us: I trust there will be an expedition; and let us watch the lands of the King our Lord. Moreover to Dudu my Lord. Hear the message of the King of the land of Marhasse to me. They said: ‘Your father[195] what gold has this King of Egypt given him, and what has his Lord promised him out of the Land of Egypt; and all the lands, and all the soldier slaves they have fought against?’ (thus) they said ... to Aziru ... out of the Land of Egypt, and behold the slaves come round from the Land of ... Ni[196]: they have rebelled; and I repeat that thirty chiefs push on against me ... land of Egypt he remains ... my Lord to Aziru ... soldiers ... Marhasse.”
34 B.—“To the King my Lord my God my Sun thus (says) this Aziru thy servant: seven times and seven times at the feet of my Lord I bow. Now what you wish is desirable. Sun God my Lord I am thy servant forever; and my sons serve thee.... Now two men ... I have commanded as envoys ... what he says ... and let him rule ... in the land of the Amorites.”
34a B.—The salutation of the usual type is here injured. The letter continues: “My Lord my God my Sun, I am thy servant and my sons and my brethren, to serve the King my Lord forever. Now all my Lord's wishes, and what he causes to be despatched, duly ... the King my Lord having despatched. Now eight chiefs who are great, and many (decrees?) we ... all of which ... from ... the King my Lord ... And the Kings of the Land of Marhasse will follow with ... and are these not promised (or leagued) to the city Simyra these thirty years? I turn me to the city Simyra. My Lord I am thy servant forever, and a King of men who are friends; will not my (agents?) ... my Lord (wilt not thou hear?). And the King is my Lord my God and my Sun: let him send his messenger with my messenger, and let them go up who serve the King ...”
36 B.—“To the King ... thus Aziru: seven times and seven times at ... of my God and Sun. Behold truly thou hast known this, O King my Lord; behold I am thy servant forever; from my Lord's commands I never rebel: my Lord from of old (it has been) thus. I am kind to the men who are servants of my King; but the chiefs of the city Simyra have not kept faith righteously with us; and behold neither one nor all are with us: my Lord the King did not you cause to be asked? The King my Lord has known that the chiefs are sinful; and why ask, ‘What does he contend for?’ I say nay ...”
From these letters by Aziru, we must conclude either that he was a great liar or that he was induced to change sides later. The other correspondents seem to have believed that he had long deceived the King of Egypt; but, in the end, his invasion of Phœnicia—perhaps cloaked by pretences of hostility to the Hittite league—caused him, as we shall see, to be proclaimed a rebel. The quarrel with Simyra may have been due to his [pg 206] being pushed south, out of his dominions, but is here said to be due to a Phœnician league with his foes. It does not appear who Khatib was. Perhaps the name was Hittite,[197] and he may have been the Prince of Hamath or of Emesa. The following letter from Aziru's father, Abdasherah, belongs to a later period of the war, when Ullaza and all the cities north of Gebal had been conquered by the Amorites. It is couched in the same insidious language; and the letters of Ribadda, which follow, show that Amenophis was not open to conviction for a long time, though warned by his true friends. The proclamation is still later, after the attack on Sidon, and may fitly conclude the Amorite correspondence.
97 B.—“To the King my Son my Lord thus Abdasratu[198] thy servant, the dust of thy feet. At the feet of the King my Lord seven times and seven times I bow. Behold I am the King's servant, and a dog who is his neighbor (or his ‘friend’?); and all the land of the Amorites is his. I often said to Pakhanati[199] my Paka (Egyptian resident), ‘Let him gather soldiers to defend the people of this King.’ Now all (cursed?) as King, the King of the Phœnician (Kharri) soldiers ... Kharri: the King shall ask if I do not guard the city of Simyra (and) the city Ullaza. Lo my Paka is in her: I proclaim the Sun-King; and I have (given orders?) to obey. The city Simyra is a neighbor,[200] and all the lands are the King's—my Sun, my Lord; I watch for him: and I know that the King my Lord is very glorious; and Pakhanati my Paka is established to judge therein.”