The Jewish garrison of Elephantine · a new plain-English translation from the Aramaic
Date| 18 Elul, that is day 28 of Pahons, year 15 of King Xerxes
1| On the 18th of Elul, which is day 28 of Pahons, in year 15 of Xerxes the king, said
2| Konaiah son of Zadok, an Aramean of Syene, of the detachment of Varizath, to Mahseiah son of Yendiah, an Aramean of Syene,
3| of the detachment of Varizath, saying: I came to you, and you gave me your house's gateway, for building
4| 1 wall there. That wall is yours; it is the one that adjoins my house at its upper corner.
5| That wall shall cling to my house's side, from the ground upward to the top, from the upper corner of my house up to the house of Zechariah.
6| Tomorrow or another day I shall not be able to prevent you from building on that wall of yours.
7| If I prevent you, I will pay you silver, 5 karsh by the royal weights, pure silver, and that wall
8| is yours all the same. And if Konaiah dies tomorrow or another day, no son and no daughter, no brother and no sister,
9| near or far, member of a detachment or of a town, shall prevent Mahseiah or a son of his from building on
10| that wall of his. Whoever of them prevents him shall pay him the silver written above, and the wall
11| is yours all the same, and you have power to build on it up to the top. And I, Konaiah, shall not be able
12| to say to Mahseiah: 'That gateway does not belong to you, and you are not to go out into the street that is
13| between us and the house of Peftuauneith the boatman.' If I prevent you, I will pay you the silver written above.
14| And you have power to open that gateway and to go out into the street that is between us.
15| Peletiah son of Ahio wrote this document as dictated by Konaiah. The witnesses hereto:
16| Witness: Mahseh son of Jeshaiah. Witness: Shatibarzan son of {A}tarli.
17| Witness: Shemaiah son of Hoshea. Witness: {Fratafran} son of Artafran.
18| Witness: Bagadat son of Nabukudurri. Nabuli son of Darga.
19| Witness: Bantarish son of {Rahmara}. Witness: Shallum son of Hoshaiah.
20| (Endorsement) Document of the wall that was built, which Konaiah wrote for Mahseiah.
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