The Jewish garrison of Elephantine · a new plain-English translation from the Aramaic
Date| 20 (doubtful) Marheshwan, year 17 of King Darius
1| To our lord Bagohi, governor of Judah, your servants Jedaniah and his colleagues, the priests who are at Elephantine the fortress. The welfare
2| of our lord may the God of Heaven seek after abundantly at all times, and may he grant you favor before King Darius
3| and the members of the royal house a thousand times more than now, and give you long life; and be happy and strong at all times.
4| Now your servant Jedaniah and his colleagues say thus: In the month of Tammuz, year 14 of King Darius, when Arsames
5| had left and gone to the king, the priests of Khnum the god who are in Elephantine the fortress, in collusion with Vidranga, who was frataraka here,
6| said: "Let them remove from there the temple of Yahu the God that is in Elephantine the fortress." Then that Vidranga,
7| the wretch, sent a letter to Nefayan his son, who was garrison commander in Syene the fortress, saying: "The temple which is in Elephantine
8| the fortress, let them destroy it." Then Nefayan led the Egyptians with other troops; they came to the fortress of Elephantine with their weapons; they
9| entered that temple, demolished it to the ground, and the columns of stone that were there they smashed. Moreover, there were gateways
10| of stone, 5, made of hewn stone, that were in that temple; they destroyed them. And their doors were standing, and their hinges
11| of those doors were of bronze, and the roofing of their timbers was of cedar: all of it, along with the remainder of the furnishings and other things which were there,
12| all of it they burned with fire. And the basins of gold and silver and the things that were in that temple, they took all of it
13| and made their own. Back in the days of the king of Egypt our fathers built that temple in Elephantine the fortress, and when Cambyses came into Egypt,
14| he found that temple built; but the temples of Egypt's gods they overthrew, all of them, and no one damaged anything in that temple.
15| And when this had been done, we with our wives and children were wearing sackcloth and fasting and praying to Yahu the Lord of Heaven,
16| who let us gloat over that Vidranga, the dog: they took the fetter off his feet, and all the property he had acquired was lost, and all the men
17| who sought harm for that temple were all killed, and we looked on them. Moreover, before this, at the time when this harm
18| was done to us, we dispatched a letter to our lord, and to Johanan the high priest and the priests his colleagues who are in Jerusalem, and to {Ostanes}, brother
19| of Anani, as well as to the nobles of the Jews. Not a single letter did they send us. Moreover, from the month of Tammuz, year 14 of King Darius,
20| until this day we have been wearing sackcloth and fasting; our wives are made like widows; with oil we do not anoint ourselves
21| nor do we drink wine. Moreover, from that time until the present day, year 17 of King Darius, meal-offering, inc[en]se and burnt offering
22| {they have} not made in that temple. Now your servants Jedaniah and his colleagues and the Jews, all the citizens of Elephantine, say thus:
23| If it please our lord, take thought for that temple to rebuild it, since they do not let us rebuild it. {Look} on the
24| recipients of your goodness and your friends who are here in Egypt: let a letter from you be sent to them concerning the temple of Yahu the God,
25| to rebuild it in Elephantine the fortress as it was built before; and they will offer the meal-offering, the incense and the burnt offering
26| on the altar of Yahu the God in your name, and at all times we will pray for you — we and our wives and our children and the Jews,
27| all who are here. If they do this until that temple is rebuilt, it will be a merit for you before Yahu the God of
28| Heaven greater than a man who offers him burnt offering and sacrifices worth the value of 1,000 talents of silver, and of gold. About this
29| we have sent and informed you. Moreover, all the matters we have sent, in one letter under our name, to Delaiah and Shelemiah, sons of Sanballat the governor of Samaria.
30| Moreover, of all this that has been done to us Arsames knew nothing. On 20 (doubtful) Marheshwan, year 17 of King Darius.
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