Pap. Ber. P. 13495
TAD A.4.07 Cowley 30 Sachau taf. 1–2
Metadata
- Collection
- Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, Berlin, Germany | ÄMP (Public)
- Genres
-
- Letter | Official Letter
- Copy
- Letter
- Language
- Aramaic
- Script
- Aramaic
- Find Type
- Excavation
- Acquired
- Otto Rubensohn and Fredriech Zucker [1906–1907]
- Created by
- James D. Moore
- Material
- papyrus
- Text Direction Side 1
- perpendicular (⟂) to the material's lines
- Text Direction Side 2
- parallel (∥) to the material's lines
- Updated by
- James D. Moore, 2026-01-18
- References
-
- Simkovich, Malka Z 2024. chap. 2.
Simkovich, Malka Z. Letters from Home. Penn State University Press, 2024.
Text and Translation
Choose alternative texts and translations from the filter. Click individual words in a text for more details.
James Moore
James Moore
To our lord Bagavahya governor of Judah, your servants Yedanyah and his colleagues the priests who are in Elephantine the fortress.
May the God of Heaven seek after (1) the welfare (2) of our lord abundantly at all times, and grant you favor before King Darius
and the princes a thousand times more than now, and give you long life, and may you be happy and strong at all times.
Now, your servant Yedanyah and his colleagues say thus: In the month of Tammuz, year 14 of King Darius, when ˀAršama
had departed and gone to the king, the priests of Ḥnûb ^the god^ who are in Elephantine the fortress, in agreement with Vidranga who
was (5) Chief here, (said), (6) saying, “Let them remove from there the Temple of YHW the God which is in Elephantine the fortress.” Then, that Vidranga,
the wicked, sent a letter to Nafayna his son, who was garrison commander in Syene the fortress, saying,
“Let them demolish (7) the Temple which is in Elephantine (8) the fortress.” Then, Naphaina led the Egyptians with other troops. They came to the fortress of Elephantine with their weapons,
broke into that Temple, demolished it to the ground, and the stone pillars which were there—they smashed them. Moreover, it happened (that)
they demolished 5 stone (9) gateways, (10) built of hewn stone, which were in that Temple. And their standing doors, and
the bronze (10) hinges (11) of those doors, and the cedarwood roof—all of (these) which, with the rest of the FITTINGS and other (things), which
were (11) there— (12) all (of these) they burned with fire. But the gold and silver basins and (other) things which were in that Temple—all (of these) ^they^ took
and made their own. And during the days of the king(s) of Egypt our fathers had built that Temple in Elephantine the fortress and when Cambyses entered Eg^ypt^
he found that Temple built. And they overthrew the temples of the gods of Egypt, all (of them), but one did not damage anything in that Temple.
And when this had been done (to us), we with our wives and our children were wearing sackcloth and fasting and praying to YHW the Lord of Heaven
who let us gloat over that Vidranga. The DOGS removed the fetter from his feet and all goods which he had acquired were lost. And all persons
who sought evil for that Temple, all (of them), were killed and we gazed upon them. Moreover, before this—at the time that this ev^il^
was done to us—we sent a letter (to) our lord, and to Yehôḥanan the High Priest and his colleagues the priests who are in Jerusalem, and to ˀOstana ^the^ brother
of ˁAnanî and the nobles of the Jews. They did not send us a single letter. Moreover, from the month of Tammuz, year 14 of King Darius
and un^til^ this day we are wearing sackcloth and fasting; our wives are made as widow(s); (we) do not anoint (ourselves) with oil
and do not drink wine. Moreover, from that (time) and until (this) day, year 17 of King Darius
they did not make (21) meal-offering and ince[n]se and holocaust (22) in that Temple. Now, your servants Yedanyah and his colleagues and the Jews, all (of them) citizens of Elephantine, sa^y^ thus:
If it please our lord, take thought of that Temple to (re)build (it) since they do not let us (re)build it. Regard
your (23) ob (24) ligees and your friends ^who are^ here in Egypt. Let a letter be sent from you to them about the Temple of YHW the God
to (re)build it in Elephantine the fortress just as it was formerly built. And they will offer the meal-offering and the incense, and the holocaust
on the altar of YHW the God in your name and we shall pray for you at all times—we and our wives and our children and the Jews,
all (of them) who are here. If they do thus until that Temple be (re)built, you will have a merit before YHW the God of
Heaven more than a person who offers him holocaust and sacrifices (whose) worth is as the worth of silver, 1 thousand talents and [[about]] gold. Because of this
we have sent (and) informed (you). Moreover, we sent ^in our name^ all the(se) words in one letter to Delayah and Šelemyah sons of Sanballat gov^er^nor of Samaria.
Moreover, ˀAršama did not know about this which was done to us ^at all^. On the 20th of Marḥeshvan, year 17 of King Darius
Moore, James D.. 'Pap. Ber. P. 13495.' DEAPS. 12 Dec, 2025. https://deaps.osu.edu/text_objects/12278. Accessed: 20 Jan, 2026.