Amarna letter EA 252

Amarna letter EA 252, titled: Sparing One's Enemies, is a square, mostly flat clay tablet letter written on both sides, and the bottom edge. Each text line was written with a horizontal line scribed below the text line, as well as a vertical left margin-line, scribe line on the obverse of the tablet. The letter contains 14 lines on the obverse, continuing on the bottom tablet edge to conclude at line 31 on the reverse, leaving a small space before the final tablet edge. At least 4 lines from the obverse intrude into the text of the reverse, actually dividing the reverse into a top half and bottom half, and even creating a natural spacing segue to the reverse's text, and the story.
Letter EA 252 is authored by Labaya, by the 'Man, city-state' Šakmu, and written to the Pharaoh. The letter is letter one of three letters authored by him, to the Pharaoh. In the current List of Amarna letters by size, it is the smallest clay tablet letter, being only ~3 in tall by ~2 in wide.
The Amarna letters, about 300, numbered up to EA 382, are a mid 14th century BC, about 1350 BC and 20–25 years later, correspondence. The initial corpus of letters were found at Akhenaten's city Akhetaten, in the floor of the Bureau of Correspondence of Pharaoh; others were later found, adding to the body of letters.

Brief letter summary

The topic of the letter is Labaya's defense against other governors of city-states that he is engaged with. A town and statue were taken, and he defends his then follow-up actions of pursuit, to the pharaoh's commissioner. He states: "my parts are eaten/ I'm being slandered". The exact quote is "...he has slandered me,, I am slandered-."
Directly next, an allegory, lines 16–19, follows concerning "a pinched ant-defending itself". Basically, if an ant is attacked, should it just sit quiet, or defend against the "hand of the man" that attacks? Labaya then explains his justification for pursuing the men in warfare, and the events to follow.

The letter

EA 252: ''"Sparing One's Enemies"''

EA 252, letter one of three.
:
Obverse:
EA 252, Reverse:

Akkadian text

The Akkadian language text:
English:
Akkadian:

Cuneiform score, Akkadian">Akkadian language">Akkadian, English">English language">English

Cuneiform score, and Akkadian, and English.
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Obverse
Paragraph I,
1.'-a-na 1=diš ŠÀR bi-lí-ia
___a na 1=diš ŠÀR bē lu-ia
___To ^m=male=dišKing Lord-mine
2.qí- -----bil- -----ma
___qa b û — !!
___speaking — !!
3.um-ma 1=diš La-ab-a-ya ÀRAD-ka
___um ma, - 1=diš La-ab-a-ya ÀRAD-ka
___"message thus", - ^m=male=dišLabaya, servant-yours
4.a-na _GÌRI-MEŠ_-pí be-lí-ia am-qú-ut
___a na _GÌRI-MEŠ_-pí Bē lu-ia, — maqātu — !
___at feet^pl., -, Lord-mine, — I bow — !
Paragraph II,
5.'-i-nu-ma šap-ra-ta
___e nū ma, - šapāru
___Now, - messaged:
6.a-na ia-a-ši ú-ṣur-mì
___a na i ā ši, — ^Quotena ṣār u — !! —
___to Me, — ^QuoteEn-Guard — !! —
7. _LÚ-MEŠ_ ša ṣa-ab-tu _IRI_
___ _LÚ-MEŠ_^pl. ša ṣa bā tu _URU_ — ? ^EndQuote
___ men^pl. which en-sieged town — ? ^EndQuote
segue
8.ki-i uṣ-ṣur-ru-na _LÚ-MEŠ_
___^Quotek ī naṣā r u
___ ^QuoteHow to guard men^pl. —,
9.i-na nu-KÚR-ti₇ ṣa-ab-ta at-mì _IRI_
___i na nu kurtu ṣa bā tu ta mû _URU_ — ?^EndQuote
___ in warfare en-sieged town — ?^EndQuote
segue
10.ki it-mi ša-li-mì ù ki it-mì it-ta#-mì
___ ^Quote-#2kī ta mû šalāmu
___ ^Quote-#2How to swear peace
10.6--------------ù ki it-mì it-ta#-mì )
___-----------------u kī ta mû ta#mû — ?
___-----------------and how "to swear" "sworn-to" — ?
11. 1=- -----LÚ-GAL- -----it-ti-ia
___ ), - 1=-LÚ-GAL itti--ia - ?
___ ), - ^m=male=diš-Commissioner with-Me - ?
12.ṣa-ab-ta-at-mì _IRI_
___ṣa bā tu ta mû _URU_ — ! ?^EndQuote
___ captured sworn-to _town_ — ! ?^EndQuote-#2
segue
13.Ù i-li qa-bi
___U, - ilu qa bû - :
___And, - -god spoke - :
14.qa-ar-ṣí-ia : ši-ir-ti
___^Quoteqa-ar-ṣí-ia : ši-ir-ti
___^Quote"My parts are eaten"-mine : "I am slandered - !"
15.i-na pa-ni-ma be-li-ia
___i na pā n u Bēlu-ia — !^EndQuote
___"before", -Lord-mine — !^EndQuote
Paragraph III,
16.'-Ša-ni-tam ki-i na-am-lu
___Ša ni tam, - k ī na m lu
___Furthermore, - when ants
17.tu-um-ha-ṣú la-a
___tu-um-ha-ṣú, — l ā
___are squeezed, —
17.7--------------la-a
___----------------l ā
___---------------- do not
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Reverse
18.ti-qá-bi-lu ------ ù ta-an-šu-ku
___qab û — !
___ yell — !
18.5-------------ù ta-an-šu-ku
___----------------u na šāku — !
___----------------but bite — !
19.qà-ti _LÚ_-lì ša yi-ma-ha-aš-ši
___qātu _LÚ_ ša mahāṣu — !
___ HAND, _MAN_, that attacks — !
20.k ī a-na-ku i-ša-ha-tu
___^Quotek ī a nāku i-ša-ha-tu
___ ^QuoteHow I "abide time"
21.ú-ma-an-nu-tú ù
___ú-ma-an-nu-tú —
___day this, —
21.8-------------ù
___----------------u
___----------------and-
22.ṣa-ab-ta-at-mì 2- 2-- 2 cities-mine—! ?^EndQuote
segue
23.Ša-ni-tam šum-ma ti-qa-bu
___Ša ni tam, — šum ma qabû
___Furthermore, — when say
24.ap-pu-na-ma
___ap-pu-na-ma
___^Quote"come forward" )
25.nu-pu-ul-mì
___napālu — !
___Demolish — !
26.ṭe-ah-ta-mu ù
___ṭehû u
___approach and
27.ti-ma-ha-ṣú-ka
___ma hā ṣ u, — !
___attack, — !
28.i-pé-<šu>-ú-ṣur-ru-na
29.LÚ-meš ša ṣa-ab-tu₄ _IRI_ <ù>
___LÚ^meš ṣa bātu URU
___ men^pl. who en-sieged town^UnQuote
segue
30.i-li šu-ṣú-mì a-bi-ia
___ilu, — ez ēz u a bu-ia
___, — defilers Father-mine
31.ù ú-ṣur-ru : šu-nu
___u, - e zē ru : šu nu — !
___and, - I curse them — !

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