In the twentieth year of Sennacherib, king of Assyria and Nineveh, I, Ahiqar, was the king’s scribe. When I was young it was said to me that "No son will be born to you"; the wealth that I had acquired was (too) great to be told. I had sixty wives and I built sixty castles for them, but I had no son. So I, Ahiqar, built a great altar, all of wood, set fire to it and put good aloe on it, and I said: “O God, my Lord, when I die and leave no son behind, what will the people say about me? (They will say this:) ‘Behold, Ahiqar, the just and the good and the worshipper of God: he is dead, and has left no son to bury him, nor any daughter, nor his possessions, as a cursed (man) who has no heir.’ But I pray you, (O) God, for a male child, so that when I die

he may place dust on my eyes." And I heard this voice: "O Ahiqar, sage and scribe! All that you have asked of me, I have given you; and I have left you without sons; it shall suffice you: do not grieve, but this Nadan, the son of your sister, shall be a son to you. While he is growing up, you shall be able to teach him everything.” And when I heard this, I was troubled again, and I said: "O God, my Lord! Will you give me Nadan, the son of my sister, as a son?" And again I received no further answer. So I obeyed his command and took Nadan, my sister's son. Because he was young, I gave him eight wet nurses, and I raised my son on honey and thickened milk, made him lie on carpets, and clothed him in fine linen and purple; and my son grew and shot up like a mountain-goat ⟨Note: The scribe has used mountain-goat or cedar tree⟩. When my son was grown up, I taught him literature and wisdom; when my lord the king came (back) from the place where he had gone, he called me and said to me: "O Ahiqar, sage and scribe and master of my thoughts, when you grow old and die, who will come after you to serve me as you did?" I answered and said to him: "Live forever, my lord the king!"

"I have a son who is as wise as I am, who knows the scribe’s craft as I do, and is educated.” The king said to me: “Bring him and let me see him. If he is able to stand before me, I will set you free in peace, and you shall live out your old age in honour until the end of your days.” Then I brought my son Nadan and presented him to the king. When the king, my lord, saw him, he said: “This day shall be a blessed day in the sight of God, so that Ahiqar, who made an effort before my father Esarhaddon ⟨Note: In another manuscript Sab Ḥalīm⟩ and before me, shall be rewarded, and I will put his son in my court while he is still alive, and he shall live out his days in peace.” So I, Ahiqar, bowed before the king and said: “Live forever, my lord the king! As I have endeavoured before your father and before you until now, so be merciful to the youth of this my son, that your favour which you have bestowed on me may be doubled on him.” When the king heard this, he gave me his right (hand), and I, Ahiqar, bowed before the king. Nor did I rest from teaching my son until I had filled him with knowledge as with bread and water. This is what I said to him: ‘Hear, my son Nadan, and come to my understanding, and’

‘consider my words as the words of God.’ ‘My son Nadan, when you have heard a word, let it die in your heart, and do not reveal it to anyone, lest it become a hot coal in your mouth and burn you, and you bring disgrace upon yourself and complain angrily ⟨Note: In another manuscript [it is] be inflated⟩ against God.’ ‘My son, do not tell all that you hear.’ ‘My son, do not lift your eyes and look at a woman who is bedizened and painted; do not desire her in your heart. For if you give her something that is in your hands, you will gain no benefit from her, and you will be guilty of a sin against God.’ ‘My son, do not commit adultery with your friend's wife, so that others may not commit adultery with your wife.’ ‘My son, do not be in a hurry like the almond tree, which is the first to blossom but whose fruit is the last to ripen [lit.: be eaten]. Rather, be balanced and prudent, like the mulberry tree, which blooms later but whose fruit is the first to be eaten.’ ‘My son, lower your voice, for a house is not built by a loud voice; otherwise the donkey would build two houses in one day; and if the plough were driven by sheer force, the share would never be loosed from a camel's armpit.’ ‘My son, it is better to roll stones with’

‘a wise man than to drink wine with a fool.’ ‘My son, pour your wine on the graves of the righteous and do not drink it with wicked people.’ ‘My son, you will not be defiled with a wise man, and you will not become wise with a defiled man. ⟨Note: In another manuscript: you will not be wise⟩’ ‘My son, associate yourself with a wise man in order to become wise like him, and do not associate with a loquacious man so that you will not be counted with him.’ ‘My son, while you have shoes on your feet, tread down the thorns and make a path for your sons and grandsons.’ ‘My son, the rich man has eaten a serpent, and they say: “He ate it for his hunger.” ⟨Note: In another manuscript: he ate it for medicine, but the poor ate it for hunger⟩’ ‘My son, eat your portion and please your friend.’ ‘My son, do not envy your enemy's happiness, nor rejoice in his misfortune.’ ‘My son, do not go near a whispering woman or one whose voice is loud.’ ‘My son, do not follow the beauty of a woman, nor desire her in your heart, for the true beauty of a woman is her mind, and the word of her mouth is her ornament.’ ‘My son, when your enemy meets you with evil, meet him with wisdom.’ ‘My son, the wicked falls and does not rise, but the righteous is not shaken, for ’

‘God is with him.’ ‘My son, do not withhold your son from chastisement, for the chastisement of a boy is like dung in the field, like a bridle for a beast, and like a fetter on a donkey's foot.’ ‘My son, subdue your son while he is young, before he becomes stronger than you and rebels against you, and you are ashamed of all his deeds.’ ‘My son, get a strong bull and a donkey with good hooves, but do not take a runaway slave or a thieving maid, lest they cause you to lose all that you have acquired.’ ‘My son, the words of liars are like fat sparrows, and he who lacks understanding eats them (i.e., believes them).’ ‘My son, do not bring upon yourself the curses of your father and mother; do not be displeased with the blessings of your children.’ ‘My son, do not go unarmed ⟨Note: In another manuscript, it adds: in the way;⟩ for you do not know when you will meet your enemy.’ ‘My son, as a tree is adorned with its branches and fruit, and a mountain with trees, so is a man adorned with his wife and children; a man without wife and children is despised and scorned by his enemies; he is likened to a tree by the roadside, which every passer-by plucks and every beast of the field tears its leaves from.’ ‘My son, do not say, "My lord is a fool,’

‘and I am wise," but accept him in his faults, and you shall become wise.’ ‘My son, do not count yourself wise.’ ‘My son, do not lie with your words before your Lord, lest He despise you and say to you: "Get out of my sight!"’ ‘My son, let your words be true, so that your Lord may say to you: "Draw near to Me and come".’ ‘My son, do not revile God on the day of your affliction, lest He be angry with you when He hears you.’ ‘My son, do not treat one servant better than another, for you do not know which of them will be mindful of you in the end.’ ‘My son, smite with stones the dog that leaves its master and follows you.’ ‘My son, a flock that walks many tracks will become the prey of the wolves.’ ‘My son, judge righteously in your youth, that you may have honour in your old age.’ ‘My son, sweeten your tongue and make the opening of your mouth savoury; for the tail of a dog gives him bread, but his mouth blows.’ ‘My son, do not let your neighbour tread on your foot, lest he tread on your throat.’ ‘My son, strike a man with a wise word, so that it may be in his heart like a slight fever; for even if you strike a fool with many rods, he will not understand.’ ‘My son, send a wise man, and do not multiply’

‘your orders; but if you send a fool, go yourself, and do not send him.’ ‘My son, test your friend with bread and water, and then leave your property and goods in his hands.’ ‘My son, withdraw first from a marriage, and do not linger for pleasant ointments, lest they should become bruises (in your head).’ ‘My son, he whose hand is full is called wise; and he whose hand is empty is called foolish, because people do not honour a poor man.’ ‘My son, I have eaten bitter things and swallowed sticky things, but I have not seen anything more bitter than poverty.’ ‘My son, I have carried lead, and I have turned over iron; but it was not heavier than a debt which a man must pay without eating and drinking.’ ‘My son, teach your son hunger and thirst, so that he may manage his house according to what his eye sees.’ ‘My son, it is better to be blind with the eyes than blind in the heart, for the blind of the eyes quickly learn the way and walk in it, but the blind of the heart leave the right way and go astray.’ ‘My son, better is a neighbour who is near than a brother who is far away; and better is a good name than beauty, for a good name lasts, but beauty decays.’ ‘My son, better is death than life ’

‘for a man who has no rest, and better is the voice of wailing for a man who is sincere (lit.: with heart) than singing and joy.’ ‘Better is a roll in your hand than a goose in another's pot, and better is a sheep near you than a bull far away, and better is a sparrow in your hand than thousands on the wing. My son, better is poverty that gathers than wealth that disperses, and better is a living fox than a dead lion.’ ‘My son, hold back a word in your heart, and that will keep you well; for once you have spoken your word, you may have to change your friend.’ ‘My son, do not let a word go out of your mouth until you have taken counsel in your heart, for it is better for a man to stumble with his feet than to stumble with his tongue.’ ‘My son, when you hear a word from someone, bury it four cubits deep in the ground, so that you tread upon it and destroy it.’ ‘My son, do not stand where there is strife, for out of strife comes contention and from contention comes murder.’ ‘My son, when you see a man who is older than you, sit before him, [even] if he does not reward you. ⟨Note: In another manuscript, it adds: God will reward you;⟩’ ‘My son, keep your tongue from lying ’

‘and your hand from stealing, and you will be called wise.’ ‘My son, do not be a mediator in a woman's marriage, for if it goes badly she will curse you; and if it goes well she may not bless you.’ ‘My son, everyone who is elegant in dress is also elegant in speech, and he who is despicable in dress is also despicable in speech.’ ‘My son, if someone finds something in front of an idol that belongs to it, give it to him.’ ‘My son, the hand that was satiated will give, not the hand that was hungry.’ ‘My son, smite with stones the dog that leaves his master and follows after you, because he will not dwell with you.’ ‘My son, let the wise strike you with many blows, but do not let the fool soothe you with sweet perfume.’ ‘My son, you will not be defiled with a wise man, nor will you become wise with a defiled man.’ ‘My son, do not eat bread with one who is not ashamed.’ ‘My son, do not leave your first friend, lest another take his place.’ ‘My son, do not go down into the judge's garden, nor be betrothed to the daughters of judges.’ ‘My son, help your friend with pleasant words before the ruler, so that you may save him from the lion.’ ‘My son, do not rejoice over your enemy when he dies.’ ‘My son, if someone were to rise up without a place, and ’

‘the sparrow flew without wings, and the raven became white as snow, and the bitter became sweet as honey, then the fool would become wise.’ ‘My son, if you are a priest of God, be on guard before Him, and come before Him in purity.’ ‘My son, honor also the one to whom God does good.’ ‘My son, do not quarrel with anyone on his day, nor stand against a river in its flow.’ ‘My son, human eyes are like a well of water; they are not satisfied with riches until filled with dust.’ ‘My son, do not stay near quarrelsome people, for after jokes comes a word of quarrel, after quarrel comes strife, and after strife arises murder. ’ Now, Ahiqar stopped the words of wisdom he had been teaching to his sister’s son Nadan. I thought he would learn and retain all this doctrine in his heart, and that he would stand at the king's gate. However, I was not aware that he did not listen to my words but scattered them like the wind; and he said: “My father Ahiqar is old and his mind has withdrawn.” My son Nadan began to destroy my possessions and property.

He showed no mercy to my industrious servants and slew them before me; he slew my horses, cattle and mules. When I saw his deeds, I said to him: “Do not draw near to my possessions! It is said: 'What the hand has not acquired, the eye has not spared.'” I showed my lord these things, and the king commanded: "Nobody shall draw near to the possessions of Ahiqar the scribe. As long as Ahiqar lives, no one shall approach his possessions and his house." When Ahiqar took the brother of Nadan to raise him, and he saw that I had taken his little brother and raised him, behold, he rose up against me in my house. It displeased him and he was very angry, while Nadan put evil thoughts (lit.: words) in his mind, saying: "My father Ahiqar has grown old, and his wisdom is gone, and his wise words are despised, unless he gives his possessions to my brother and removes me from his house." Ahiqar heard the words of Nadan. So I thought and replied and said to Nadan: "Woe to my wisdom, my son! How tasteless it has become in you?" When my son heard this, he was very angry,

and the evil of his heart rose against me, and he went to the king's gate so that this evil might be carried out. And he wrote, [in the name of] Ahiqar, evil letters and came to the king’s gate to show them. He wrote two letters to the adversary kings of King Sennacherib: one to the king of Persia and Elam, ⟨Note: In another manuscript, it adds another one to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt⟩ and in them he wrote this: From Ahiqar, scribe and keeper of the seal of King Esarhaddon. ⟨Note: In another manuscript: Sennacherib⟩ Greetings to you, king of Persia and Elam. When you receive this letter, go quickly out and come to Assyria,, and you shall take the kingdom without war and fighting. Again, he wrote: “When this letter comes to you, meet me halfway at the plain in the south on the 25th of the month Āb, and I will let you enter Nineveh and you shall take the kingdom without battle.” And he made these writings like my own handwriting; he sealed them with my ring and threw them into one of the king’s chambers. Then he wrote another letter as if it were from my lord the king: "From Esarhaddon ⟨Note: In another manuscript: Sennacherib⟩ to the king’s scribe Ahiqar, Greetings. When you have received this letter, assemble the whole army on the mountain and go from there to the Eagles’ plain on the

twenty-fifth of the month, and when you see me approaching you, arrange the troops in front of me as a man prepared for war, because messengers from the king of Egypt have come to me so that they may know what power I have." And he sent it to me with two men. When my son gave the letter to the king that was written as if by Ahiqar, he presented one of the letters [to the king] as if he had found it; the king read it. And when the king heard it, he was very angry and enraged with Ahiqar and he said: "O God, what fault have I committed against Ahiqar that he should wish to destroy me in this way?" Then Nadan answered the king: “Do not be angry, my lord the king. Let us go out to the Eagles’ plain as it is written in this letter; by this we shall know the truth of these things, and whatever you command shall take place." When the king commanded that they prepare and go up to the plain to see the truth of this matter, my son Nadan led the king and they came and found me and my army with me in the Eagles’ plain. And when I saw him

coming to me, I set my army in array before him as for war, trusting that letter which my son had sent me, and my son said to the king: "Go to your dwelling in peace, my lord, and I will bring Ahiqar before you." My son came to me and said: "The king has sent me to you to say: ‘Everything you have done, you have done greatly,’ and the king has exalted you greatly. ‘Now, send the troops away—each to his house—and you shall come to me.’" Ahiqar, the scribe of Assyria and Nineveh, came to the king and the king said: "I let you live in honour and peace and you turned and have become my enemy," and he gave me the letter which looked like my handwriting and was sealed with my ring. The king said to me: “Read this letter!” and when I read it, my limbs loosened and my tongue failed, and when I searched for any of my wise words, I could not find them. Then he gave me the letter that was written by him [lit.: in his words]. He read the letter and my wisdom seemed to vanish. Then the king commanded that I be killed at my house and I, Ahiqar, replied to the king and said to him:

"Live, my lord the king, forever! Since you have willed my death, let your will be done, for I have no fault to my knowledge. But command that I be put to death at the door of my house, and that my body be given for burial." And the king commanded that it be done in this way. And I, Ahiqar, sent to my wife that she should come to meet me and bring out my daughters and maidens with her, clothed in fine linen, silk and purple robes, and that they should lament when meeting me halfway and weep over me until I die, and prepare bread for Nabusemakh, my poor companion, and for the Parthians with him. She came to meet them halfway and brought them into my house. I entered with them as a guest. Then my wife, when she received the messengers, was full of wisdom. She did all that I had commanded, and she met Nabusemakh and the Parthians halfway and brought them into her house. While Eshfagni offered bread to Nabusemakh and the Parthians, she also brought them wine and mixed it. Eshfagni served them until all of them became drunk and fell asleep. When the Parthians became drunk, they fell into a deep sleep.

And each of them slept in his place. I praised God, the Lord of Heaven and Earth, for everything that had happened, and I said: “O God, Redeemer of the world, you know everything that has happened and will happen. Look on me with mercy (lit.: eye) before Nabusemakh.” Then I, Ahiqar, when I saw this, replied and said to Nabusemakh: "Lift up your gaze to heaven, and look at God, and remember the salt we ate together and think on my death. Remember that even you—the father of my lord the king—were placed into my hands to be killed, but I did not kill you, because I knew you had no fault, and I kept you alive until the king asked for you and gave me many gifts. Now keep me alive and let us not reveal a word about this, and say that I have not been killed. Behold, in my prison I have a man who deserves death; take my clothes and dress him in them and deliver him to the Parthians so that they kill him. While the man was killed, hand him over to the Parthians and because of their drunkenness they killed that man. And the report spread in Assyria and Nineveh that Ahiqar had been slain." Then Nabusemakh and Eshfagni, my wife, stood up and made me a hidden place under the earth,

three cubits wide, four cubits long, and five cubits high under the threshold of the house; they put bread and water beside me and left, and showed my lord the king that he had killed Ahiqar. And the king of Nineveh said: “Ahiqar, the wise scribe, repairer of the breaches of the city, has perished by the words of a boy.” Then the king called my son Nadan and said to him: “Go, make a funeral for your father.” And my son Nadan came to my house and did not make a funeral for me and did not remember me, but gathered lustful men, and they remained singing and rejoicing, eating and drinking together. He stripped and beat my servants and maidservants and even brought shame upon my wife, who had raised him, for he desired what is proper only between a man and his wife. I heard the cries of the bakers and cooks and the cupbearers while they were weeping and prostrating. I offered unceasing prayer and supplication to Him who lives eternally. After a few days, Nabusemakh came and opened the door before me and gave me bread and water. I said to him: “Remember me before the king, and on my behalf say to him: ‘O Lord, God, just and good in Heaven and on Earth, behold, was it not Ahiqar who took refuge

with you and offered you fattened oxen? Behold, he is thrown into a dark pit, where no fire falls. Hear, my lord, the voice of your servant and have mercy upon him.'” When the king of Egypt heard that I, Ahiqar, had been slain, he rejoiced greatly and sent a letter to King Esarhaddon. ⟨Note: In another manuscript: Sennacherib⟩ He wrote: "From Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to Esarhaddon ⟨Note: In another manuscript: Sennacherib⟩, king of Assyria and Nineveh, greetings.” When Esarhaddon ⟨Note: In another manuscript: Sennacherib⟩ received Pharaoh’s ambassadors with the letter and read it, it said: “I have a fortress that shall be built between heaven and earth. Send me a wise man, an architect, and for everything I ask him he shall give me an answer. When you send me a man who can do everything I ask and accomplish what I seek, I will send you the tribute of Egypt for three years through him. But if you do not send me such a man [lit.: who can do what I ask, choose and], send me the tribute of Assyria and Nineveh for three years by this ambassador. The king Esarhaddon ⟨Note: In another manuscript: Sennacherib⟩ gathered all the nobles and the wise men of the kingdom and said to them: "Which of you may go to Egypt and answer Pharaoh?"

The nobles answered and all said to King Esarhaddon: "Our lord the king knows that such matters in your days and those of your father were solved by the scribe Ahiqar. And even now, his son Nadan has learned his craft (lit.: scribe) and knows his wisdom. He shall go and solve this matter.” When Nadan was called before the king and heard his voice, he cried with a loud voice before the king and said: “The gods themselves cannot do such things; how shall humans do it?” And when the king heard these words, he suffered greatly, became sad, descended from his seat, sat in ashes, and wept, saying: "Woe to you, scribe and wise Ahiqar, that I have been ruined by the words of a boy and I have nobody like you. Who will give you to me? I would weigh him in gold.” Then, when Nabusemakh heard these words of the king, he bowed and worshipped him and said: "King, live forever! He who disobeys the command of his lord is guilty of death; and I, my lord, disobeyed the command of your kingdom. So order them to crucify me on wood. For Ahiqar, whom you commanded me to kill,

is still alive." Then the king answered Nabusemakh because of these words: "Nabusemakh, good and just man, you did no evil. But if it is as you say, show me Ahiqar alive, and I will give you many gifts and countless talents, and a hundred garments of silk.” And when Nabusemakh heard this from the king, he said: “I want one thing from my lord, the king: swear to me, that you will not remember this fault and that you will not be angry with me." Therefore, the king joyfully swore to him. Then, in that hour, Nabusemakh mounted the chariot and came to me like the wind, and opened the door before me and brought me up. For I trusted in God, I was not ashamed. Then I, Ahiqar, bowed before the king, while my hair had grown down to my shoulders and my beard reached my chest, because my body was covered with dust, and my nails were long like those of an eagle. When the king saw me, he wept greatly, and while he wept in pain he said to me: "O Ahiqar, I have not sinned against you, but your son, whom you raised, has sinned against you." So I answered and said to the king: "Now, my lord, I have seen your face, there is no evil in my mind.” Then,

the king replied and said to me: "Go to your house, shave off your hair, and wash your body with water, and recover your strength for forty days, and then come to me.” Then I went to my house and did as my lord the king commanded me. I sat in my house for twenty days, and when I was recovered, I came to the king, and he told me about the letter that the Egyptians had sent to him. Then the king said to me: "See, Ahiqar, what the Egyptians have written to us! And what tribute they have imposed on the people of Assyria and Nineveh!" Then I answered and said to him: "King, live forever! You must not worry about this matter. I will go to Egypt and I will give him the answer, and I will teach a lesson to all of your enemies, and I will bring you the tribute of Egypt." When the king heard this, he was glad with great joy; he made a great feast and his grief departed from his mind. He sacrificed fattened oxen, gave gifts to me and to Nabusemakh, and set him at the head of all and in the first rank. In the morning, I wrote a letter to my wife Eshfagni, as follows: "When this letter reaches you, order my hunters to catch two

young eaglets for me and order my servants to bring cotton and make me two ropes, each a thousand ells long, and command the carpenters to make two birdcages for me. Deliver Nabulhal and Tabshalem, my two boys, to women, to seven wet nurses who shall raise them. Let the eaglets be raised and let the boys sit on them, and the eaglets shall eat two sheep a day; and the boys shall learn to say: "Men, give mud, mortar and tiles to the architects who are idle." My wife was very wise and she did everything that I had commanded her. Then, when the Assyrians and Ninevites heard this, they rejoiced greatly and returned to their places. I, Ahiqar, said to the king: “My lord, the king, let me go,” and the king said to me: “Go,” and I led my army with me. When I reached the first lodging place, I let my army rest and I brought forth the eaglets, tied the ropes to their feet and set the children on their backs. I let them loose and they ascended to the heights, and the children cried out as they had been taught: “Bring to the builders tiles, mud and mortar, because the king’s architects are idle.” Then I took them back with me. And when

I came to Egypt, I informed the king’s ambassadors, and the king commanded that I be lodged. The king ordered that Ahiqar should enter to him. I entered and greeted him. Then he said: “What is your name?" and I said to him: "Abiqam, one of the king’s ants.” When Pharaoh heard this, he was enraged and said to me: "Am I so despised by your lord that he has sent me an ant to give me the answer to my letter?” And he said to me: "Go, Abiqam, to your lodging, and come to me early in the morning.” ⟨Note: This sentence was not found in the other manuscript that I have written⟩ Then the king commanded his nobles: "Tomorrow, you shall dress in red garments.” When the king rose in the morning, he was dressed in silk and fine white linen and sat on his throne, and his nobles sat before him. He commanded, and I came before him, and he said to me: "To what am I similar, Abiqam, and to what are my nobles similar?" I said: "My lord the king, you are like Baal, and your nobles are like his priests." Again he said to me: "Go to your lodging and come to me in the morning." Then the king commanded his nobles:

"Tomorrow you shall put on robes of white cotton." And the king himself put on white robes and sat on his throne. And he commanded, and I came into his presence, and he said to me: "To what am I similar, Abiqam, and to what are my nobles similar?" I replied: "My lord the king, you are like the sun, and your nobles are like its rays." Again he said to me: "Go to your lodging and come to me tomorrow." And the king commanded his nobles: "Tomorrow clothe yourselves in black garments." And the king rose in the morning and put on purple. He commanded, and I came to him, and he said to me: "What am I like, Abiqam, and what are my nobles like?" I said to him: "My lord the king, you are like the moon, and your nobles like the stars." ⟨Note: From here, I am writing from the other manuscript⟩ And he said to me: "Go, Abiqam, and come to me tomorrow." And Pharaoh commanded his nobles: "Tomorrow dress in dyed and variegated garments, and let the doors of the palace be covered with red hangings." The king himself dressed in fine embroidery, and when I came into his presence, the king said to me: "What am I like, and what are my nobles like?" And I answered him: "You are like Nisan,

and your nobles are like its flowers." When the king heard this, he was filled with great joy and said to me: "Abiqam, the first time you compared me to Bel, and my nobles to his priests. The second time you compared me to the sun, and my nobles to its rays. The third time you compared me to the moon, and my nobles to the stars. The fourth time you compared me to Nisan, and my nobles to its flowers. Now tell me, what is Esarhaddon ⟨Note: In another manuscript Sennacherib,⟩ like?" And Ahiqar answered Pharaoh. Then I said to him: "Far be it from me to mention my lord the king Esarhaddon ⟨Note: (In another manuscript) Sennacherib,⟩ while you are sitting, because my lord Esarhaddon ⟨Note: In another manuscript Sennacherib⟩ is like the God of Heaven and his nobles like lightning. Whenever he wills, he brings forth the dew and rain and hail; and when he rises to the sky, he thunders and moves, and he hinders the sun from rising and its rays from being seen; and he will hinder Bel and his priests from going in and out in the streets, and he will keep the moon from rising and the stars from appearing. If he wills, he brings forth the north wind and forms wind, hail, and rain. He will strike down Nisan and destroy the flowers." When the king heard this, he became very angry, while Pharaoh was questioning Ahiqar. Then the king said: "Truly, by the life of your lord Esarhaddon, ⟨Note: In another manuscript Sennacherib,⟩

what is your name?" I answered and said to him: "I am Ahiqar, the scribe and seal-bearer of King Esarhaddon. ⟨Note: In another manuscript Sennacherib.⟩ The king said to me: "You are alive?” and I said: “I am alive, and my lord, King Esarhaddon ⟨Note: In another manuscript Sennacherib⟩ has seen me, and life has been prolonged for me, and God has saved me from what my hands did not do." The king said to me: "Go, and come to me tomorrow, and tell me a word that has not been heard by me, nor by any of my nobles, nor in the city of Egypt." Then Ahiqar wrote a word that Pharaoh had asked for. So I, Ahiqar, went away and wrote a letter that contained this: "From Pharaoh, King of Egypt, to Esarhaddon, King of Assyria and Nineveh, Greetings! Kings need kings and judges need judges. And at this time, I am in need because my gifts are diminished, and silver is lacking in my treasuries. Therefore, command that they send me from your treasuries 900 talents, and in a little while I will restore them to their place." I rolled up this letter and brought it. I said: "Neither your nobles nor anyone in Egypt has heard a word that is written in this letter; even you and none of them has ever heard it, and it is true.”

And when they read the letter, they were amazed, and the king said to me: “Ahiqar, build me a castle between the earth and the sky, and its height from the earth shall be a thousand ells." At that hour, I let out the eaglets, tied the ropes in measure, and set the boys on them. And they said: "Send up mud, mortar, tiles, and bricks to the king’s architects who are idle; and the meadows on which we worked with them made us drunk." When the nobles saw this, they were astonished. Then I, Ahiqar, took a rod and beat those nobles until they fled, because they were waiting for something to build the structure. Then the king said to me: "You rave wildly, Ahiqar, who is able to carry something they ask for?" And I said to him: "Now, why do you put the name of Esarhaddon ⟨Note: In another manuscript Sennacherib⟩ in your mouth? If he were here and wanted to build, he would build two castles in one day." (The king said to me:) "Now, leave the hall, and come to me tomorrow.” And when morning came, I entered to him, and he said to me: “Ahiqar, explain to me this matter that troubles me: the lustful horse of your lord neighs

in Assyria and Nineveh, and our mares hear his voice here, and their foals miscarry." So I went out from the presence of the king, and I commanded my servants to catch me a cat, and I whipped it until the Egyptians heard it and went and told the king: "This Ahiqar caught a cat and whipped it." When the king heard this, he said to me: "Why are you insulting our gods?” I said to him: "King, live forever! This cat has done me serious harm in no small way, for my lord had entrusted me with a rooster, and its voice was very beautiful to me. When it crowed, I awoke from my sleep and went to my lord's gate, for the king had asked for me. And at that time it crowed and I awoke from my sleep and went to the king’s gate. And from of old it is not good that this cat has done this to me: last night this cat entered before me, went to Assyria and Nineveh and tore off the head of this cock and returned."

Then the king said to me: "Since you have grown old you forget that there are 360 parasangs between Assyria and Egypt; how can this cat have gone, cut off the head of the cock, and returned?" Then I said to him: "If it is 360 parasangs from Assyria to Egypt, and yet your mares hear the voice of my lord's horse and miscarry their foals, then this cat is also able to do what I said!" When the king heard this, he was ashamed and said to me: "O Ahiqar, one more riddle remains to tell you: ‘I have one great pillar, and upon it there are twelve cedars planted; and upon each of the cedars, there are thirty wheels, and upon one wheel there are two ropes, one white and one black’." Then I said to the king: "My lord, King, this parable that you have said, the cattle-breeders know it: My lord, King, the pillar you spoke of is the year; the twelve cedars are the months of the year; the thirty wheels are the days of the month; and the two ropes,

one white and the other black, are the day and the night." Again, he said to me: “One thing I am asking you: make me two ropes of sand that are five ells long and as thin as a little toe.” And I said to him: "Command, my lord King, that they bring me a rope of sand from your treasury, and I will make one like it." So he said to me: "If you do not know how to make it like this rope that I said to you, you will not take the tribute of Egypt." So I, Ahiqar, went out from before the king and passed the night with much thought. When morning came, I had an idea. I went out and came behind the temple where the King sat, and I bored a hole in the wall opposite the sun. And the sun entered through the temple wall, and in that wall, I bored another hole and filled it with sand; and I threw into the hole and saw in the city that the sun was broken. And I answered and said to the King: "Please, my lord King, the first rope is going around the first one, and as

you wanted I have done for you." And when the king and all of his nobles saw this, they were astonished and ashamed. Then the king commanded and they brought me the upper part of a broken millstone, and the king said to me: "Ahiqar, sew up this millstone for us." At the same hour, I took a mortar of a millstone and threw it before them and I said to him: "My lord, the king, since I am a stranger here, and the tools of my trade are not near me, I have not found anything I asked for. Command your cobblers to bring forth a pot from this mortar, which is the companion of the millstone, and in that hour, I will sew it up." When the king heard this, he laughed and said: "O, the day on which you were born, Ahiqar, shall be blessed before the gods of Egypt; and since I have seen you alive, I will make a great feast." The departure of Ahiqar from Egypt and his return to King Esarhaddon. ⟨Note: In another manuscript Sennacherib⟩ And I stood up against his riddles and solved and made void the tricks, and he gave me the tribute of Egypt for three years and 900 talents that were written in that letter;

I took these talents that he had borrowed from my lord, the king, for they all confessed: “We all have heard it.” I took the talents from the king and the honor from his nobles and I came immediately before Esarhaddon. ⟨Note: In another manuscript Sennacherib.⟩ When Ahiqar returned from Egypt, the king came out to meet me and received me. He made a great day for me, and made me sit at the head of his household; and he said to me: "Ask what you will, Ahiqar, and take it." And I said to him: "My lord the king, I am serving for your honor! Whatever you will give me, give it to Nabusemakh, for he has given me my life. I want my sister’s son Nadan, that I may teach him a new doctrine, for he did not accept my former teaching." And the king commanded and they gave me my sister’s son Nadan, and the king said to me: "Go, Ahiqar, to your house and do whatever you like with your son Nadan, for no one will save his body from your hands." And I took Nadan, my son, and brought him into my house, and bound him with an iron chain, the weight of which was nine talents, and cast his hands into vessels, and put an iron band round his neck, and struck him a thousand blows on his shoulders, and a thousand and one on his chest, and put him in the porch of my court, and gave him bread by weight, and water by measure. I gave Nadan to my servant Nabulhal to guard him, and I said:

"Write down on a tablet all that I say to my son Nadan when I go in and when I come out." I said – From this place, he utters a teaching that Ahiqar had taught earlier to his sister’s son Nadan – and he said to him: ‘My son, whoever does not listen with his ears will be made to listen through the back of his neck.’ ‘Nadan answered and said to me: "My lord, why are you angry with your sister’s son?" Again, I said to him: "My son, I set you on the throne of honor, but you have cast me down from my throne. But my righteousness has saved me."’ ‘My son, you have been to me like a scorpion striking a ram’s rock.” And the rock answered and said to it: "You have struck at an unaffected heart." And it said: "You have struck at a sting worse than yours." And it struck the camel in its hoof and it raised its head to the sky and said to it: “Your soul shall feel like my soul.”’ ‘My son, you have been to me like a goat standing over a red berry and eating from it. And the red berry said to him: "Why do you eat me? Behold, when you treat your skin with my root?" The goat replied and said to it: "I eat you during my life, and after my death they will pull you up by your roots."’ ‘My son, you have been to me like one who threw a stone at heaven, and it did not reach heaven, but’

‘he received punishment from God.’ ‘My son, you were like the one who saw his companion shivering with cold and took a pitcher of water and poured it over him.’ ‘O my son, if you had killed me, you would have been able to stand in my place; but you should know, my son, that even if the tail of the pig were to grow to seven ells, it would not take the place of the horse, and even if its bristles were soft and woven, it would not rise to the body of a free man.’ ‘My son, I intended that you should be in my place, that you should acquire my house and my wealth, and that you should inherit them. But God was not pleased, and He did not hear your voice.’ ‘My son, you have been to me like a lion that came upon a donkey in the morning and said to him: "Welcome, my Lord Cyrus." But the donkey said to him: "May the same welcome that you give me be given to the man who tied me up last night, but did not tie my loins, lest I should see your face."’ ‘My son, you have been to me like a snare that was set on a dunghill, and someone saw it and said: "What are you doing here?" And the snare said: "I am praying to God." The fig-pecker said: "And this in your mouth—what is it?" The snare said: "Bread for strangers." [Then] the fig-pecker approached to take it, and the snare caught it by the neck. And while the fig-pecker was flapping, it said: "If this is’

‘bread for strangers, may the God to whom you pray never hear your voice."’ ‘You have been to me like a partridge that is not able to save itself from death, yet it gathers its companions around itself and leads them to destruction.’ ‘My son, you have been to me like someone who rebukes the bulls and lets them live.’ ‘My son, you have been to me like a weevil that destroys the granaries of kings, but has no hold on anything.’ ‘My son, you have been to me like a pot on which they made golden handles, but the soot has not been scraped off the bottom.’ ‘My son, you have been to me like a ploughman who sowed a field of twenty seahs. And the ploughman said: "I became weary of you, field! But you were not ashamed, though you produced only a peck out of a peck."’ ‘My son, you have been to me like a he-goat that calls its fellows to the cooks but does not save itself from slaughter.’ ‘My son, you have been to me like a dog that went into the potter's oven to warm itself, and when it was warm, it got up to bark at them.’ ‘My son, you have been to me like a swine that went to the bathhouse, and when it saw a trench of mud, it went down and bathed in it and said to them: "Come and bathe!"’ ‘My son, you have been to me like: "My finger was on your mouth, and your finger was on my eyes."’ ‘The dog’

‘that did not eat from his lord’s prey shall be the prey of the wolves, and the hand that is not industrious shall be cut off from its shoulder, and the eye with which I cannot see shall be plucked out by the raven.’ ‘My son, why should I remember you, and my soul find comfort in you?’ ‘My son, if she steals land, where shall she go and eat it?’ ‘My son, I showed you the face of the king and nobles, but you wanted to do me evil: with what shall I repay you?’ ‘My son, you have been to me like the cat to whom they say: "Give up your stealing, and you shall go out and come in as you please." And this cat said to them: "Even if I had eyes of silver and hands of gold and feet of pearls, I would not stop stealing."’ ‘My son, you were to me like a snake that was tied to a bush and thrown into the river. And the lion saw it and said: "Evil rides on evil, and worse than either carries them away." The snake said to him: "Behold, lord, would you return the goats to their lords?"’ ‘My son, you have been to me like stags that killed their mothers.’ ‘My son, I fed you with all that was good all my days, but you fed me with bread of the soil, and you were not satisfied.’ ‘My son, I anointed you with sweet ointments, but you defiled my body with dust; I made you drink old wines and you did not satisfy me with water in abundance.’ ‘My son, you were like a mole that came up out of the ground to confront’

‘God in His eyes. An eagle came, carried it off, and killed it.’ ‘My son Nadan answered and said to me: "Such merciless happenings shall be far from you, my lord! Do to me according to your mercy, for even God forgives a man who sins, his faults; and you, too, forgive me, so that I will serve your horses, and feed your sheep and swine, and I shall be called an evil man, but you shall be called good."’ ‘I answered and said to him: "My son, you have been to me like a palm-tree which stood by the road, and its fruit was not accepted. And its lord came and wanted to cut it down. The palm-tree said to him: 'Leave me one year, and I will give you carobs.' His master said to it: 'O fool, you have not been diligent in your own fruit. Will you be diligent in what is not yours?'"’ ‘My son, the old age of the eagle is better than the old age ⟨Note: (In) another manuscript youth⟩ of the vulture.’ ‘My son, they say to the wolf: "Stay away from the sheep!" It said: "The dust is good for my eyes." They said to it: "A, B." It said, the wolf: "Kid, lamb."’ ‘My son, they put the head of the donkey on a table, and it rolled off and fell into the dust. They said: "It was angry with itself because it did not receive honor, but wrath."’ ‘Hear, my son, a proverb: "Call him whom you have begotten and raised your son, and (call) your slave a mocker." My son! More than all words this is true: "Lead your sister's son’

‘under your armpit, take him and strike him against a stone." But, my son, He Who gave me life will judge between us.”’ At that hour, he swelled up like a bladder, burst, and died. To the one who does good, good shall be found, and to the one who digs a pit for his friend, he will fall into it himself. The story of Ahiqar, the wise scribe of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, is finished. Glory be to God.