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, Damascus, Syria
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 ARAD2-i3-li2-[szu] ts: umma warad-ilišu en: Thus Warad-ilišu, 4. _ARAD2_-ka-a-ma ts: waradkama en: your servant: 5. asz-szum s,a-bi-im ia-am-ha-di-im ts: aššum ṣābim yamḫadim en: As for the troops of Yamḫadum 6. sza a-na babila2{ki} i-li-ku ts: ša ana bābilim illiku en: that went to Babylon 7. {disz}ha-am-mu-ra-pi2 ts: ḫammu-rapi en: Hammurapi 8. a-na t,e4#-mi#-im# sze#-e-mi-ma ts: ana ṭēmim šemîma en: at hearing the report 9. ma-di-isz ih#-di ts: mādiš iḫdi en: became very happy. 10. um-ma szu-ma da-am-qi2-isz ts: umma šūma damqiš en: Thus that one: “Excellent, 11. a-hi-i s,a-bi a-na babila2{ki} ts: aḫī ṣābī ana bābilim en: my brother the troops to Babylon reverse 1. it,-ru-ud ts: itrud en: sent. 2. u3 si2-si2-ik-ti ts: u sissiktī en: And my hem 3. it-ti _lu2_ babila2{ki} ts: itti awīl bābilim en: with the man of Babylon 4. a-hi ir-ku-us2 ts: aḫī irkus en: my brother tied.” 5. u3 um-ma szu-ma ts: u umma šūma en: And thus that one too: 6. a-di pu-du-hi-im ts: adi pudduḫim en: “Until Pudduḫum 7. ka-le-ka ts: kalêkka en: I will hold you back.” 8. wa-ar-ki t,up-pi2-im an-ni-im ts: warki ṭuppim annîm en: After this letter 9. sza a-na be-li2-ia usz-ta-bi-lu ts: ša ana bēliya uštābilu en: that to my lord I have sent, 10. a-na _u4 5(disz)-kam_ ts: ana ḫamšat ūmim en: the 5th day, 11. isz-tu ha-la-ab{ki} ts: ištu ḫalab en: from Ḫalab 12. u2-sze#-sze20-ra-am ts: ušeššeram en: I will direct.