Literary letter and letter-prayer tablet excavated in Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar), dated to the Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC) period and now kept in British Museum, London, UK
tablet obverse column 1 beginning broken 1'. [...] kur#?-kur#?-ra# 2'. [...]-du11# en: When you speak to the king whose shining is like the moon manifested in the lands 3'. [...] ku5-da#? 4'. [...]-sa2#-ra# 5'. [...] gesz# tuku-gu10-ur2 6'. [...]-de3#-tah# en: When you repeat (the message) to the king who justly decides legal decisions, who properly executes decisions like Ištarān, who is attentive to the šud prayer 7'. [...] nibru#!{ki#} na#?-ab#?-be2#?-a# en: Thus says lugal-nesag, a citizen of Nibru, <you servant(?)> 8'. [...] u2 gu7 mu-ni-in-szub en: ... has cast (me) into (the role of?) eating plants with my mouth like a sheep 9'. [...] naga# dub2#-ba i-ni-til en: I ceased scrubbing (myself) 10'. [...]-x nu-ub-ha-za-gin7 11'. [...] ba-ab-gen-ne-en en: Like a bull that is not held in the yoke, I was compelled to go in the plain 12'. [...] nu#-ub#-ta-la2-gin7 13'. [...] arhusz#?-a i-im-me en: Like a cow not in the proximity of its calf, (I) shout with compassion 14'. [...]-ubur#-ra dab5#?-ba#-gin7# 15'. [...] ba-ab-dab5#?-be2 en: Like a ewe whose lamb was seized in the milking pen, ...'s hand has seized (me) 16'. [...] li#-bi2-ib-tak4-a-gin7 17'. [...]-ab#-diri#-ge en: Like a boat that was not left behind in a reliable harbor, the wind has floated (me) downstream 18'. [...] x x column 2 beginning broken 1'. [...] x x [...] en: ... 2'. [...]-ga2-na 5(disz)# li#-mu#-[...] en: His elite soldiers, which were 5 thousand in number 3'. zi#?-da#? gab2-bu-ba ib2-ta-gub#?-bu#-[...] en: Stood apart from ... at its right and left 4'. asz3#? gu4 niga gesz2 udu niga-am3 zu2-gub-sze3 in-[...] en: He established six fattened bulls and sixty fattened sheep as a meal 5'. szu#-luh lugal-ga2-ke4 sa2 bi2-in-du en: He had appropriated/regularly performed(?) the šuluh rite of my king 6'. ka2#? e2-gal-la-ta i3-gub-bu-ne en: They(?) were standing (idle) at the gate of the palace 7'. [...] nu#-mu#-un#-szi#-ku4-ku4 en: No one was letting (me) enter towards him 8'. ku4-ku4-da#-gu10-ne en: When I was to enter 9'. {gesz#}gu-za# gar3#-ba ku3-sig17 gar-ra#!? 10'. lu2# ma#?-x-de6#? tusz-a bi2-in#-[...] en: Someone brought(?) a chair whose knobs were inlaid with gold for me and said “sit!” 11'. a2 ag2#-[...]-ga2-kam# i3#-gub#-be2#?-[...] nu#-tusz#-a# bi2-in#-[...] en: (I said:) It is the orders of my king that I am serving, who has said not to sit 12'. 1(disz gu4 niga asz3 udu niga {gesz}banszur# [...]-gar# en: They placed one fattened bull and six fattened sheep (on) the table 13'. nu-kar2-kar2-de3 aga-us2 lugal-[...] {gesz}banszur ib2-bala-[...]-esz# en: In order to not insult (me?), the soldiers of my king overturned the table 14'. {iti}ezem-{d}nin-a-zu u4 1(u) 5(disz)-kam ba-[zal]-le#? en: The 15th day of the month "festival of Ninazu,” (the day) elapsing 15'. lugal-gu10 a2-szu mu!?-da-[...] en: My king thereupon(?) made orders 16'. {iti}u5-gu7{muszen} u4 1(disz)-kam ba-[zal]-le#? en: It is the 1st day of the month "Ubi,” (the day) elapsing 17'. lugal#-gu10 lu2-kasz4#?-[...] 18'. lu2# mu#-un-szi-in#-gi4#-gi4# en: To my king, (I) am sending someone as a messenger 19'. u4# nu-mu-un-da#-sa9 szen#-e# ba-te en: The day has not yet been half completed, and it has (already) approached battle 20'. lugal#-gu10 he2-en-zu en: My king should know (this) double ruling 21'. [...]-ra# u3-na-a-du11# en: When you speak to Aradgu 22'. [...] lugal#?-zu#? na-ab#-[...]-a# en: Thus Shulgi, your king, speaks 23'. [...]-x lu2-x-x en: Your man who I sent to ..., ... 24'. [...]-zu#-ta x am3# [...] x szu# la-ba-ra-ab-ti en: Aren't orders(!?) taken from your own hand ...? 25'. a-na-asz-am3 nig2-nam-bi? x ur5 i-me nu-um-me#?-x en: Why do you not ... anything ..., such as it is(?) column 3 beginning broken 1'. [...] x x x-ne en: Come into agreement, establish the foundation of the land! double ruling 2'. i3-bi2-{d}suen lugal-gu10-ra 3'. u3-a-na-du11 en: When you speak to Ibbi-Sîn, my king 4'. {disz}puzur5-{d}szul-gi! ensi2 ka-zal-lu!(KU){ki} 5'. ARAD-zu na-ab-be2-a en: Thus Puzur-Shulgi, the governor of Kazallu, speaks 6'. {lu2}kin-gi4-a disz-bi-er3-ra-ka#? 7'. ugu#-gu10#-[...]-DU#-en en: The messenger of Išbi-Erra ... before me 8'. igi#-ni ma-an-gar#-ma en: He devoted his attention to me (and said) 9'. disz-bi-er3-ra lugal-gu10 10'. ugu#-zu-usz kin2-gi4-a# im-mi#?-[...] en: Išbi-Erra, my king, has sent a message to you 11'. {d}en-lil2 lugal-gu10 nam-sipa kalam-ma# 12'. ka-ga14#-a#-ni ba-an-szum2# en: Enlil, my king, has expounded upon(?) the shepherdship of the land 13'. gu2# {i7}idigna gu2# {i7}buranun#?-[...] 14'. gu2 i7 {+ab2}abgal-x 15'. u3 gu2 {i7#}me-{d}en-lil2-la2# en: The banks of the Tigris, Euphrates, Abgal and Me-Enlil canals 16'. u3#? iri#?-bi-ne#?-ne#? dingir#?-bi#?-[...] 17'. u3 ugnim x [...] en: Their cities, gods, and ... armies 18'. ma#-da# ha-ma-zi2#[{ki} ...] en: From the land of Hamazi 19'. en#-na# a#-a#-[...] en: Until the Persian Gulf(?) 20'. u3 ma2-gan#-[...] en: And Magan reverse column 1 beginning broken 1'. x-[...] en: ... 2'. sza3# i3#-si#-in#?{ki#?}-[...] 3'. {gesz}za3-gu-la2-ne-ne#? 4'. ga-bi2-ib-du3-du3# en: I shall have their shrines/places of honor built inside Isin 5'. DA?-la-a-ne-ne ga-x-[...] en: I shall ... their ... 6'. alan-gu10-ne {gesz?!}szu-nir#-gu10#-[ne] 7'. en-gu10-ne eresz#-dingir#?-gu10-[ne] 8'. ge6-par4#-ra-ne-ne-a# ga#?-[...] en: I shall make my statues and emblems and my en and erešdigir priestesses dwell in their cloisters 9'. igi {d}en-lil2-la2-sze3 sza3 e2-kur-ra#-[...] 10'. igi {d}nanna-sze3 sza3 e2-kisz#-[...] 11'. TUR-TUR-gu10 siskur2#?-bi#? he2#?-[...] en: Before Enlil in the Ekur temple, before Nanna in the Ekišnugal temple my children(?) shall enact the siskur rites 12'. u3 za-e lu2# x-[...] en: And you, the one who you trust(!?) 13'. sza3 ma-da-ni#-ta# [...] en: I shall stand him apart from his land 14'. i3-si#-in{ki} bad3#-bi# [...] en: I shall build the walls of Isin 15'. [...]-di-il-KA-szu#-[...] 16'. [...] x ga-bi?-NE-[...] en: And shall name them(?) Idil-pašunu 17'. [...]-in#-du11#-ga#?-gin7#-[...] en: It was as he said 18'. [...] x [...] en: ... rest broken column 2 beginning broken 1'. [...] x [...] 2'. [...]-ma#-ra u3#-ne#-du11#!? en: When your speak to Nintinuga, the true steward of the Ekur temple, the physician of the land 3'. [...]-ga#-a-ni ug3# 1(szar2)# ti-le# 4'. [...]-x-ni ug3 si-ge en: The lady whose performed spell sustains the many people, whose incantations/murmuring ... the people 5'. [...]-sza4 lu2 ti-ti en: Lady of compassion who sustains a man 6'. [...] u3#-ne-de3-tah en: ... when you repeat to her 7'. [...] {d#}en-lil2-a2#-mah 8'. [...]-a en: Thus says Inannaka, daughter of Enlilamah 9'. [...] x min-ta#? en: Twice/twofold(?) (in) the midst of my bedroom 10'. [...]-gu10# 11'. [...]-um#?-zu 12'. [...]-mu-da-an-tar en: ... 13'. [...] x-ra-an#?-x 14'. [...]-du3 15'. [...]-tusz en: My mistress, ... built a house for me (and) (I) dwell (in it) suspiciously(?) 16'. [...]-x en: ... rest broken column 3 broken