Early Israel and the Surrounding Nations Part 18

29. Beth-Medeba (Numb. xxi. 30), and Beth-diblathain (Jer. xlviii. 22), and Beth-baal-meon, and transported thereto the ...

30. [and the shepherds] of the flocks of the land. And at Horonaim (Isa.

xv. 5) there dwelt...

31. ... And Chemosh said unto me: Go down, make war upon Horonaim. I went down [and made war]

32. [and took the city]; and Chemosh dwelt in it in my days. I went up from thence ...

33. ... And I ...

VII

THE TREATY BETWEEN RAMSES II. AND THE HITt.i.tES (_Brugsch's Translation_)

(_See page 79_)

In the year 21, in the month of Tybi, on the 21st day of the month, in the reign of King Ramessu Mi-Amun, the dispenser of life eternally and for ever, the worshipper of the divinities Amun-Ra (of Thebes), Hor-em-khu (of Heliopolis), Ptah (of Memphis), Mut the lady of the Asher Lake (at Karnak), and Khonsu the peace-loving, there took place a public sitting on the throne of Horus among the living, resembling his father, Hor-em-khu in eternity, in eternity, evermore.

On that day the king was in the city of Ramses, presenting his peace-offerings to his father Amun-Ra and to the G.o.ds Hor-em-khu-Tum, the lord of Heliopolis (On), and to Amun of Ramessu Mi-Amun, to Ptah of Ramessu Mi-Amun, and to Sutekh, the strong, the son of Nut the G.o.ddess of heaven, that they might grant to him many thirty years' jubilee feasts, and innumerable happy years, and the subjection of all peoples under his feet for ever.

Then came forward the amba.s.sador of the king and the governor [of his house, by name ..., and presented the amba.s.sadors] of the great king of the Hitt.i.tes, Khata-sir, who were sent to Pharaoh to propose friendship with the king Ramessu Mi-Amun, the dispenser of life, eternally and for ever, just as his father, the Sun-G.o.d [dispenses it] each day.

This is the copy of the contents of the silver tablet which the great king of the Hitt.i.tes, Khata-sir, had caused to be made, and which was presented to the Pharaoh by the hand of his amba.s.sador Tar-tisubu and his amba.s.sador Rames, to propose friendship to the king Ramessu Mi-Amun, the bull among the princes, who places his boundary-marks where it pleases him in all lands.

The treaty which had been proposed by the great king of the Hitt.i.tes, Khata-sir, the powerful, the son of Mar-sir, the great king of the Hitt.i.tes, the powerful, the grandson of Sapalili, the great king of the Hitt.i.tes, the powerful, on the silver tablet, to Ramessu Mi-Amun, the great prince of Egypt, the powerful--this was a good treaty for friendship and concord, which a.s.sured peace [and established concord]

for a longer period than was previously the case for a long time. For it was the agreement of the great prince of Egypt in common with the great king of the Hitt.i.tes that the G.o.d should not allow enmity to exist between them, on the basis of a treaty.

To wit, in the times of Mutal, the great king of the Hitt.i.tes, my brother, he was at war with [Meneptah Seti I.] the great prince of Egypt.

But now, from this very day forward, Khata-sir, the great king of the Hitt.i.tes, shall look upon this treaty so that the agreement may remain which the Sun-G.o.d Ra has made, which the G.o.d Sutekh has made, for the people of Egypt and for the people of the Hitt.i.tes, that there should be no enmity between them for evermore.

And these are the contents:--

Khata-sir, the great king of the Hitt.i.tes, is in covenant with Ramessu Mi-Amun, the great prince of Egypt, from this very day forward, that there may subsist a good friendship and a good understanding between them for evermore.

He shall be my ally; he shall be my friend. I will be his ally; I will be his friend, for ever.

To wit: in the time of Mutal, the great king of the Hitt.i.tes, his brother Khata-sir, after his murder, placed himself on the throne of his father as the great king of the Hitt.i.tes I strove for friendship with Ramessu Mi-Amun, the great prince of Egypt, and it is [my wish] that the friendship and the concord may be better than the friendship and the concord which before existed, and which was broken.

I declare: I, the great king of the Hitt.i.tes, will hold together with [Ramessu Mi-Amun] the great prince of Egypt, in good friendship and good concord. The sons of the sons of the great king of the Hitt.i.tes will hold together and be friends with the sons of the sons of Ramessu Mi-Amun, the great prince of Egypt.

In virtue of our treaty for concord, and in virtue of our agreement [for friendship, let the people] of Egypt [be bound in friendship] with the people of the Hitt.i.tes. Let a like friendship and a like concord subsist in such measure for ever.

Never let enmity rise between them. Never let the great king of the Hitt.i.tes invade the land of Egypt, if anything has been plundered from it (i.e. the land of the Hitt.i.tes). Never let Ramessu Mi-Amun, the great prince of Egypt, overstep the boundary [of the land of the Hitt.i.tes], if anything shall have been plundered from [the land of Egypt].

The just treaty which existed in the times of Sapalili, the great king of the Hitt.i.tes, likewise the just treaty which existed in the times of Mutal, the great king of the Hitt.i.tes, my brother, that will I keep.

Ramessu Mi-Amun, the great prince of Egypt, declares that he will keep it. [We have come to an understanding about it] with one another at the same time from this day forward, and we will fulfil it, and will act in a righteous manner.

If another shall come as an enemy to the lands of Ramessu Mi-Amun, the great prince of Egypt, then let him send an emba.s.sy to the great king of the Hitt.i.tes to this effect: "Come and make me stronger than him." Then shall the great king of the Hitt.i.tes [a.s.semble his warriors], and the king of the Hitt.i.tes [shall come] and smite his enemies. But if it should not be the wish of the great king of the Hitt.i.tes to march out in person, then he shall send his warriors and his chariots that they may smite his enemies. Otherwise [he would incur] the wrath of Ramessu Mi-Amun [the great prince of Egypt. And if Ramessu Mi-Amun, the great prince of Egypt, should banish for a crime] subjects from his country, and they should commit further crime against him, then shall the king of the Hitt.i.tes come forward to kill them. The great king of the Hitt.i.tes shall act in common with [the great prince of Egypt].

[If another should come as an enemy to the lands of the great king of the Hitt.i.tes, then shall he send an emba.s.sy to the great prince of Egypt with the request that] he would come in great power to kill his enemies; and if it be the intention of Ramessu Mi-Amun, the great prince of Egypt, (himself) to come, he shall [smite the enemies of the great king of the Hitt.i.tes. If it is not the intention of the great prince of Egypt to march out in person, then he shall send his warriors and his two-]

horse chariots, while he sends back the answer to the people of the Hitt.i.tes.

If any subjects of the great king of the Hitt.i.tes have offended him, then Ramessu Mi-Amun [the great prince of Egypt, shall not receive them in his land, but shall advance to kill them] ... the oath with the wish to say, I will go ... until ... Ramessu Mi-Amun, the great prince of Egypt, living for ever ... that he may be given for them (?) to the lord, and that Ramessu Mi-Amun, the great prince of Egypt, may speak according to his agreement for evermore ...

[If servants shall flee away] out of the territories of Ramessu Mi-Amun [the great prince of Egypt, to betake themselves to] the great king of the Hitt.i.tes, the great king of the Hitt.i.tes shall not receive them, but the great king of the Hitt.i.tes shall give them up to Ramessu Mi-Amun, the great prince of Egypt [that they may be punished].

If servants of Ramessu Mi-Amun, the great prince of Egypt, leave his country and betake themselves to the land of the Hitt.i.tes, to make themselves servants of another, they shall not remain in the land of the Hitt.i.tes [but shall be given up] to Ramessu Mi-Amuu, the great prince of Egypt.

If, on the other hand, there should flee away [servants of the great king of the Hitt.i.tes, in order to betake themselves to] Ramessu Mi-Amun, the great prince of Egypt [in order to stay in Egypt], then those who have come from the land of the Hitt.i.tes in order to betake themselves to Ramessu Mi-Amun, the great prince of Egypt, shall not be [received] by Ramessu Mi-Amun, the great prince of Egypt, (but) the great prince of Egypt, Ramessu Mi-Amun, [shall deliver them up to the great king of the Hitt.i.tes].

[And if there shall leave the land of the Hitt.i.tes persons] of skilled mind, so that they come to the land of Egypt to make themselves servants of another, then Ramessu Mi-Amun shall not allow them to settle, he shall deliver them up to the great king of the Hitt.i.tes.

When this [treaty] shall be known [by the inhabitants of the land of Egypt and of the land of the Hitt.i.tes, then shall they not offend against it, for all that stands written upon] the silver tablet, these are words which will have been approved by the company of the G.o.ds, among the male deities and among the female deities, among those namely of the land of the Hitt.i.tes, and by the company of the G.o.ds, among the male deities and among the female deities, among those namely of the land of Egypt. They are witnesses for me [to the validity] of these words.

This is the catalogue of the G.o.ds of the land of the Hitt.i.tes:--

[Sutekh of the city of] Tump (Tennib).

Sutekh of the land of the Hitt.i.tes.

Sutekh of the city of Arnema.

Sutekh of the city of Zaranda, Sutekh of the city of Pairaka.

Sutekh of the city of Khisasap.

Sutekh of the city of Sarsu.

Sutekh of the city of Aleppo.

Sutekh of the city of ...

[Sutekh of the city of ...]

Sutekh of the city of Sarpina.

Astartha of the land of the Hitt.i.tes.

The G.o.d of the land of Zaiath-Khirri.

The G.o.d of the land of Ka ...

The G.o.d of the land of Kher ...

The G.o.ddess of the city of Akh ...

[The G.o.ddess of the city of ... ] and of the land of A ... ua.

The G.o.ddess of the land of Zaina.

The G.o.d of the land of ... nath ... er.

[I have invoked these male and these] female [deities of the land of the Hitt.i.tes; these are the G.o.ds] of the land, as [witnesses to] my oath.

[With them have been a.s.sociated the male and the female deities] of the mountains and of the rivers of the land of the Hitt.i.tes, the G.o.ds of the land of Kazawadana (Cappadocia), Amun, Ra, Sutekh, and the male and female deities of the land of Egypt, of the earth, of the sea, of the winds, and of the storms.

With regard to the commandment which the silver tablet contains for the people of the Hitt.i.tes and for the people of Egypt, he who shall not observe it shall be given over [to the vengeance] of the company of the G.o.ds of the Hitt.i.tes, and shall be given over [to the vengeance of the]

company of the G.o.ds of Egypt, [he] and his house and his servants.

But he who shall observe these commandments which the silver tablet contains, whether he be of the people of the Hitt.i.tes or [of the people of the Egyptians], because he has not neglected them, the company of the G.o.ds of the land of the Hitt.i.tes, and the company of the G.o.ds of the land of Egypt shall secure his reward and preserve life [for him] and his servants, and those who are with him and with his servants.