82 B.—“To Ribadda my son thus by letter (says) King Rabzabi thy father. May our Gods prosper thee, prosper thy fortress. Let him ask to know. The sons of our Lord have spoken accordingly. They have spoken of the strife of the chiefs of the city of Simyra. (He has vanquished my fears?) of being made to perish by the city of Simyra, of our perishing by these chiefs; and lo! they have allotted decrees, they are creating a memorial. Have I not been bent upon the decrees? and decrees of the King have followed. And unless they have destroyed everything, the King makes sure to show them their master. For the King is imposing decrees. The decrees of the King are saying: ‘Why do ye make a waste land to those who are servants of the King? I shall despatch men. I shall send a garrison for the chief city.’ I am sending the King's ... to you ... soldiers ... in ... A gathering they are making of all.”
In spite of his father's zealous assistance in Egypt, this favorable intention came too late.
76 B.—“From Riibiddi as a letter to the King my Lord: beneath the feet of my Lord seven times and seven times I [pg 237] bow. Behold my Lord's message from this (remnant?): from the lands of the despised, and from the chief city of fugitives, they have wandered. To go for us, accordingly I have ordered my ships to go out from shore (or wall). Lo! Aziru has fought with me. And all the chiefs of the government gathered, hardening their hearts. I have gathered to us their ships; and as they go to us in haste their abodes are deserted, which are subject (to) this Amorite race; and they have been suddenly destroyed. I am chosen chief of the chiefs of the government. To me accordingly they have subjected everything; and they have removed—on account of the success of the chiefs of my enemies—the silver from the palaces, and all else, on account of his destructions. But the King shall order soldiers for them, and now I shall send to my Lord for soldiers; and soldiers of garrison do not thou ...”
The letter is much broken here. It refers to the son of Abdasherah, and to the chief city of the Giblites, to his messenger, and to there being no news of soldiers coming. “You will not (even) glance at us ... and despatch him. The lean soldiers are growling. ‘When (is) the King to feed this city? and he thinks evil of her.’ Speed your chief to ... her. Why is he not ordered from the palace, being said that soldiers (are to be) sent? They have destroyed us, and they ravage the lands ... I cause to be sent repeatedly; a message is not returned us for me. They have seized all the lands of the King my Lord; and my Lord has said that they are to repent. But now behold the soldiers of the land of the Hittites have trampled down our papyrus.[280] The chief city of Gebal (has) no food. But counsel the city ... and accordingly I will listen. O King! for the Misi (Delta) men—all of them, you ordered of me presents of the royal gold, because of the sons of Abdasherah; and when you ordered me they were subjecting the sons of Abdasherah to the King; and so now it is lawful.”
85 B.—This is a list of various articles, with a broken name, apparently (Rib)adda's, at the top, including perhaps either presents or his own property sent to Egypt. The tablet is much injured. It appears to mention precious stones and articles [pg 238] of gold, and includes male and female slaves. Yazimi, “the servant of God,” with Abdaddu, is mentioned near the end.
71 B.—“Ribadda ... to the King my Lord ... at the feet ... seven times and seven times[281] ... I send and I repeat (the message), and you listen not thereto ... The King my Lord shall hear the message, and it explains to the Paur (magnate) ... to the Lords of the Palace, because in vain the soldiers of garrison have hasted to him. And you will remember my ... Lo! it is not granted to my sons to take root for me, as the prophets have perceived of old; and the race of the foes (will) remain. I being asked am going to those who are free, to Khamu my son, and to my younger brother, who have both left the city of Gebal. There was good-fortune for the sons of Abdasherah, as to the subjugation of the capital city; behold my brother has commanded, he went out as my envoy. It is no use: the soldiers of the garrison failed with him; and they have defeated me; and so the evil is done; and they make me flee from the city: it is not defended from the power of the enemy. Now I say do not prevent a descent to the Lands of Egypt, and a settlement. And you will help me very much. My great men consent; and the King my Lord will consider. Lo! the Gods of Gebal (be with him) and you will help me very much; and ‘It is well’ they have said: good are my wishes to the Gods. So now I shall not come down to the presence of the King my Lord. But now my son, a servant of the King my Lord, I am sending to the presence of the King my Lord, and the King shall hear the desire of his faithful servant, and appoint us Egyptian soldiers (bitati). And request (has been made) to the King of Babeli (Babylon,[282] an ally of Egypt); but he ... no soldiers of his host ... in her midst.... Egyptian soldiers of the King my Lord ... to come to her. Behold the entanglement of the chiefs friendly to my (throne?) in the midst of the city. A son of one of the chiefs is a friend in her midst. The Egyptian soldiers are strong; and they have heard of those who are reaching her; and the city has remained to the King my Lord; and the King my Lord [pg 239] knows that it is against him that they have (cried war?). Now I am going to a town (that) I defend for my Lord, determined in heart, before the King my Lord, that the chief city shall not be given to the sons of Abdasherah. So my brother has fought him: the city is stubborn against the sons of Abdasherah. He is not able to leave the town,[283] when there is plenty of silver and gold in her midst in the Temple of Gods, plenty of everything if they take her. O King my Lord what is done to his servant by them is done. But appoint the town of Buruzizi[284] for my dwelling. Lo! Khamu my son (sets forth?) the request in the presence. Behold! this dwelling of the chief city—the town of Buruzizi—the sons of Abdasherah have been afraid to smite. Lo! Khamu my son is going to the presence: for the sons of Abdasherah have pricked against me, and none remains to mourn, O King, for me. And I mourn to the King my Lord. Behold the city of Gebal is a city truly like our eye: there is plenty of all that is royal in her midst: the servants of the chief city were at peace, the chiefs were our well-wishers before time when the King's voice was for all. It is the chief city of the land they have wasted for me—and is none of his. Will not this desire prevail with the King? Behold thy servant, my son, I am despatching to the presence of the King my Lord; and there shall be ordered him protection of the King by soldiers ... you will come marching to us. For the King my Lord will protect me. And restore thou me to the chief city, and to my house as of old. O King my Lord ... of the King my Lord in her midst; and ... the city from (shame?) ... as ... Khamu ... till ... shall hear ... their servant ... to her midst ... the soldiers (bitati) of the King my Lord; and you will strengthen the soldiers of this place speedily ... the chief city, as I trust; and you will march to the city ... Lo! what he is saying in the presence of the King cannot it be done? O King my Lord ... the chief city of a neighbor (Gur); and which has been laid low to the demands of those that hate the same ... it is not just to see what is done to the lands ... [pg 240] the soldiers of the King my Lord; and she trusts the King my Lord.”
This seems to be the last of Ribadda's fifty letters. There is no mention of any return to Gebal, or of victory over the Amorites. We do not know that he got safe to Buruzizi, but can only hope he did. It was too late when his father obtained promise of aid. So energetic a writer would probably have written again if he had been alive to do so. The Amorite letters had blinded the eyes of Amenophis so long that their position was secured. As we shall see also, there were other appeals from every part of the country.
Subandi's Letters
If Subandi be the Zabandi of Ribadda's letter ([51 B.]), the following also belong to the Phœnician-Amorite war:
38 B. M.—“To the King my Lord my God my Sun, the Sun from heaven, thus says Subandi thy servant, the captain of thy horse: at the feet of the King my Lord, the Sun from heaven, seven times and seven times is made to bow both the heart and also the body. I hear all the messages of the King my Lord, the Sun from heaven, and now I shall guard the land of the King that is with me, and ... I hear ... exceeding much.”