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Records of the Past, 2nd Series, Vol. III

By A. H. Sayce

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Letter of Burna-buryas to Amenophis IV

1. [To] Napkhuhru-ri[ya]
2. the king of Egypt 4 my brother [it is spoken]
3. thus: Burra-buryas the king of Kara-[Duniyas]
4. thy brother-unto myself (is) peace;
5. unto thee, thy country, thy house, thy wives, thy children,
6. thy officers, thy horses (and) thy chariots
7. may there ever be peace!

8. I and my brother with one another
9. have conferred amicably,
10. and this is what we have said
11. as follows: as our fathers with one another,
12. we also have friendly dealings.
13. Again my ministers
14. who came with Akhi-dhâbu 1
15. into the country of Kinakhkhi 2 trusted to destiny,
16. from Akhi-dhâbu to visit my brother they passed;
17. in the city of Kikhinnatuni of the country of Kinakhkhi
18. Sum-Adda the son of Balumme 3
19. (and) Sutatna the son of Saratum 4 of the city of Akku, 5
20. when they had sent their men, slew
21. my ministers and carried off their treasures
22. which they [were taking] for [a present to the king of Egypt].
23. I have sent to you [therefore] a complainant 6
24. [who] may speak to thee [thus]:

REVERSE

1. Kinakhkhi (is) thy country and the king [is thy servant?].
2. In thy country I have been injured; do thou punish [the offender].
3. The silver which they carried off [was] a present [for thee],
4. and the men who (are) my servants they have slain.
5. Slay them and requite the blood (of my messengers);
6. but if thou dost not put these men to death,
7. (the inhabitants) of the high-road that belongs to me will turn

8. and verily will slay thy ambassadors, and
9. a breach will be made in the agreement (to respect the persons) of ambassadors,
10. and this man 1 will be estranged from thee.
11. One of my men Sum-Adda,
12. having cut off his feet,
13. detained him with him;
14. and as for another man, Sutatna of Akku,
15. having made him stand on (his) head,
16. he stood upon his face. As for these men
17. … one has spoken thus: I have seen indeed
18. … [what] thou askest that indeed thou knowest.
19. [By way of a pre]sent, I maneh of alabaster I have despatched to thee.
20. [By] my ambassadors a costly gift I have [sent to thee].
21. [On account of the re]port 2 which my brother has heard
22. my ambassadors do not detain;
23. the costly present let them offer [to thee].

Footnotes
65:3 Winckler and Abel, Mittheilungen, p. 7.

65:4 Mitsrî.

66:1 Dr. Zimmern compares the Biblical name of Ahitub.

66:2 Perhaps to be identified with the Kunakhians of the preceding letter.

66:3 Perhaps the Biblical Salaam. His son's name would represent Shem-Hadad.

66:4 The Biblical Sarah. Sutatna may be Seth-yathan; cf. Numb. xxiv. 27.

66:5 The Accho of Judg. i. 31, now Acre.

66:6 Sita[’s’sa].

67:1 That is Burna-buryas.

67:2 [Dhe]ma.