Letter tablet excavated in Mari (mod. Tell Hariri), dated to the Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC) period and now kept in National Museum of Syria, Der-ez-Zor, Syria
Image
© [see publications]
Transliteration
tablet
obverse
1. a-na be-li2-ia
ts: ana bēliya
en: To my lord
2. qi2-[bi2]-ma
ts: qibima
en: speak!
3. um-ma {munus}szi#-ib#-tu _geme2_-ka-a-ma#
ts: umma šibtu amatkama
en: Thus Šibtu, your maid:
4. _e2-gal_-lum# sza-lim
ts: ekallum šalim
en: The palace is well.
5. {disz}i3-[li2-ha]-az#-na-a-ia {lu2}as#-si2#-in#-num#
ts: ilī-ḫaznaya assinnum
en: Ilī-Ḫaznaya, the assinnum
6. sza an-[nu-ni-tim il]-li-kam#
ts: ša annunītim illikam
en: of Annunītum, came to me.
7. i-na li#-[ib-bi _e2_ an-nu-ni-tim]
ts: ina libbi bīt annunītim
en: in the middle of the house of Annunītum
8. [...]-x-ma
ts: ...
en: ..., and
9. [...] babila#{ki}
ts: ... babilim
en: ... of Babylon
10. [a-na be-li2-ia isz]-ta#-ap-ra-szu
ts: ana bēliya ištapraššu
en: to my lord he has sent him,
11. [... ha-am-mu]-ra#-pi2
ts: ... ḫammurapi
en: ... Ḫammurapi
12. [...]-ku
ts: ...
en: ...
reverse
1. [asz-szu-um t,e4]-em# babila#[{ki}]
ts: aššum ṭēm babilim
en: Concerning the report about Babylon,
2. it#-ta#-tim# asz-qi2 asz2-ta-al-ma#
ts: ittātim ašqi aštālma
en: signs to drink I gave. I asked, and
3. _lu2_ szu-u2 ma-da-tim a-na ma-a-tim an-ni-tim
ts: awīlum šū madātim ana mātim annītim
en: that man many things against this country
4. u2-sza-am u2-ul i-ka-asz-sza-ad
ts: ušām ul ikaššad
en: thinks up. He will not succeed.
5. be-li2 i-im-ma-ar sza _dingir_-lum _lu2_ sza-a-ti
ts: bēlī immar ša īlum awīlam šâti
en: My lord will see what the god to that man
6. i-ip-pe2-szu ta-ka-asz-sza-as-su2
ts: ippešu takaššassu
en: will do. You will capture him.
7. u3 e-li-szu ta-az-za-az
ts: u elišu tazzaz
en: Further, over him you will stand.
8. _u4_-mu-szu qe2-er-bu u2-ul i-ba-al-lu-ut,
ts: ūmuššu qerbu ul iballuṭ
en: In his day that is near, he will not live.
9. be-li2 an-ni-tam lu-u2 i-de#
ts: bēlī annītam lū idē
en: May my lord know this!
10. la-ma t,e4-em i3-li2-ha-az-na-a-ia#
ts: lama ṭēm ilī-ḫaznaya
en: Before (the arrival of) the message of Ilī-Ḫaznaya
11. sza an-nu-ni-tum isz-pu-ra-asz-szu#
ts: ša annunītum išpuraššu
en: with which Annunītum sent him,
12. _u4 5(disz)-kam_ a-na-ku asz2-ta-a-al#-ma#
ts: ūmam ḫamšam anāku aštālma
en: the 5th day, I myself asked, and
13. [t,e4]-mu-um sza an-nu-ni-[tum]
ts: ṭēmum ša annunītum
en: the message that Annunītum
14. [isz]-pu#-ra-ak-kum
ts: išpurakkum
en: sent to you
15. u3 sza a-sza-lu
ts: u ša ašālu
en: and (the answer to) what I asked
16. isz-ti-in-ma
ts: ištīnma
en: are the same.