It was in the days of Sennacherib, the son of Esarhaddon king of Assyria and Nineveh: I, Ahiqar, was his minister and secretary. And when I was a young man, the magicians and the astrologers and the soothsayers told me: "You will not have a son." I had much property and was owner of great wealth, married sixty women and built for them sixty mighty castles of beautiful design and large houses. I was already sixty years old and still had not been given a son. Then I, Ahiqar, offered sacrifices and offerings to the idols and burned incense before them, gum mastic and cancamum, and said: "Gods! give me a son

with whom I may rejoice, and who will inherit me when I die; and he will close my eyes and bury me. If he were to daily spend a hundredweight of gold from the day I die until the day he dies, my wealth would not be exhausted, nor would my possessions be diminished." But the gods did not respond to me. Then I turned away from them and I became sad, sick and I left them and withdrew my words. I prayed to the God of heaven and there came a voice and said to me: "Since you have trusted in the gods and put your hope in them and offered sacrifices to them, you shall be left without sons and daughters. But there is Nadan, your sister's son, take him for your son and teach him your knowledge, and he shall be your heir." So, I took my sister's son Nadan, who was still a boy,

and gave him to eight wet nurses, to nurse him and raise him up. And I brought him up with oil and honey and cream and clothed him in silk and purple and made him lie on soft carpets and velvets. Nadan grew up, and became tall and stately, like the praised cedar. I taught him to write and [instructed him] in wisdom and philosophy. When King Sennacherib returned from his journey and his march on one day, he sent for me, his secretary and minister Ahiqar, and said to me: 'O praised Lord, honoured friend and skilful wise man; you, seal of my secret[s] and confidant of the things I keep hidden. You are already advanced in years and have grown old, and your death is approaching. Tell me, whom do you wish to serve me after your death?" Then I said to him: "My Lord and King! You shall live forever and ever.

I have a sister's son who is like a son to me. I have taught him my knowledge, and he is a wise man." Then my lord and king said: "Go and bring him here, that I may see him. If he pleases me, he may then stand before me and serve me, and you shall retire and rest from your strenuous work, ending your old age in honour." Then I, Ahiqar, took my sister's son Nadan and presented him to King Sennacherib. When the king saw him, he rejoiced over him and said: "May the Lord take him under His protection. As you have served me and my father Esarhaddon and managed our affairs, so shall your son Nadan [continue] to our affairs after you. I will cherish and honour him for your sake and treat him well." Then I bowed before the king and said: "My lord and king, may you live forever! I pray you, O Lord,

to be merciful to Nadan, my sister's son, and forgive him for his faults, until he serves you as I served you and your father before you." Then Sennacherib held out his right hand to him and swore to him that he would show him all honour and respect. Then I, Ahiqar, kissed the hand of the king, then took Nadan and instructed him by day and by night, until I had filled him with knowledge and wisdom more than with bread and water. So I instructed him and taught him sayings: "My son, and so on! I, Ahiqar, thought that everything I had taught my sister's son Nadan, he also kept it in his heart and derived much benefit from it, and that he too would be in my place

before King Sennacherib and serve him. I did not know that whatever I might teach him he did not keep or profit by it, nor did he listen to my words, nor heed my commands, but began to mock me and said: "Ahiqar has become feeble and old, and his intellect has suffered. He has become stupid and mad and knows nothing." And Nadan began to dispose of Ahiqar's wealth and possessions, he beat the servants and the maids and sold the horses and the mules and squander all that Ahiqar had acquired. When I, Ahiqar, saw that Nadan had no mercy on my wealth and towards the people of my household, I said to him: “Stay away from what I have acquired and do not importune the relatives of my household and my slaves as long as I am alive! And I informed Sennacherib of all that was instigated by Nadan in my house.

Then the king said to him: "While Ahiqar, is alive, no one is to dispose of his house and property, and no one shall have authority on it." Nadan had a younger brother named Nabuzardan. I took him in, brought him up and began to initiate him into my wisdom and knowledge and took him as my son. When Nadan saw this, he envied him and became offended. He got into a violent rage and began to say: "Ahiqar has become mad and dull, his wisdom has suffered, and his intellect and knowledge have exhausted themselves. For he gave his his wealth and his house to my brother Nabuzardan, who is a little boy, without understanding and without knowledge, and he drove me out of his house." When I heard all this from him, I Ahiqar, said: “What a pity for my wisdom! How my son Nadan dragged it into the dust!" Nadan went [from there then] to the court of the king, my lord, while he was very angry.

There, he sat down, and wrote an accusation against Ahiqar, and devised lies and deceit against him. He wrote two letters to kings, enemies of Sennacherib; one letter to king Akhish, son of Samhelim, king of the Persians. He wrote in it as follows: “From King Sennacherib and his scribe and minister Ahiqar, firm greeting! Peace, respect and a kiss to hand and foot. Peace between me and you, o mighty King! At the moment when this letter reaches you, make haste, do not wait and come to me in Assyria and I will hand over the kingdom to you without effort." Then he wrote another letter in the name of Ahiqar to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. He wrote in it as follows: "Peace be between me and you, o King! At the moment when this letter reaches

you, go down with me to the Eagle Valley on the 25th of the month of August, ⟨that is Tebbakh⟩ and I will lead you to Assyria and Nineveh, and hand over to you the kingdom without effort." He made his handwriting like that of Ahiqar and sealed the letter with the seal and the ring of Ahiqar. Then he threw it into the king's house, where the inhabitants of the king’s house could find it, so that they could show it to the king. He then wrote another letter in the name of King Sennacherib: "Greetings to the esteemed Ahiqar, minister, scribe, and the seal of my secret. At the moment when this letter has reached you, gather the troops that are with you, and meet us at the mountain of Wakho. Go ahead of me to the Eagle Valley on the 25th of August. When you see that I have come close to you, gather the troops before me

as someone who would fight against me and engage in battle. There is a messenger of the king of Egypt, from the Pharaoh, who is staying with me, and they shall see, take a look, and know the power of our troops. They shall be afraid of us, for they are our enemies who are envying us." This letter he sent by one of the servants of the king, my lord. Afterwards, he took the letter which he had written to Pharaoh with my words, as one who had just found it, and Nadan read it to Sennacherib the king. When the king heard the contents of the letter, he was very distraught, and very sorrowful, and exclaimed: "My God! What have I sinned against Ahiqar, that he should write these lines to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, my enemy, that he should thus repay me?” Then Nadan said to King Sennacherib: "Do not be grieved, but

come with us, so that we go to the Eagle Valley on the day that we know from the letter. Then we shall know whether the message is true or not." King Sennacherib and my son Nadan went to the Eagle's Nest and saw me there, and the army gathered around me. When I, Ahiqar, saw and looked at them as they were approaching, and that they had already come near us, I did as he had written and commanded in the letter. I ordered and arranged the army so that it might strike a blow at him. When my lord the king Sennacherib saw me doing this, he was in great fear of me and thought that I had rebelled and plotted an intrigue against him, and it was certain in his mind that I was in league with his enemies. I did not know the betrayal that Nadan had made and done against me. [Then] Nadan said to the king: "Now,

I know that the tidings were perfectly true; but do not be saddened. Return to your castle and your government and be without fear. I will bring you Ahiqar bound and in chains. The place where he shall come to you, you should not take your eyes off him. King Sennacherib returned home sad and grieved, and my son Nadan came and said to me: "The king rejoiced greatly over you and praised and extolled you because you have done what he commanded in his letter. However, now he has sent me after you, that you and I alone may appear before him. Dismiss the army and let every man go to his home in peace." I dismissed the army, and I and my son Nadan came to the king, and I greeted him. When the king saw me, he said to me: "You

have come, Ahiqar, my scribe and administrator of my kingdom. You, who have been loved by me and whom I have bidden farewell, so that you might to retire: and now you have risen up against me and joined my enemies!" Then he took out the letters which my son Nadan had written in my name, imitating my handwriting, and sealed them with my seal. When I read them, I blushed, my limbs went limp, I began to tremble; I was terrified, and my tongue became paralysed. I searched for a word of the words of knowledge and wisdom, but I could not [find it]. Then Nadan shouted and said to me: "Keep away from the king, you foolish old man! Let your hands be put in fetters, and your fists in bands." And he bound me with chains, and the king turned away his face from me

and was angry with me. Then he said to the executioner: "Stand up, go and execute him at the gate of his house, and place his head a hundred cubits from his body." Afterwards, I, Ahiqar knelt down before the king and said to him: "You shall live forever! You have decreed my death: yes, God's will shall be done. I know that I have committed no sin or crime against my lord and king, but I beseech the king to give the order that [the executioner] execute me at the door of my house and send my body to my body to my servants and my relatives, that they may bury me, and that [I] may be a ransom for you. The king said to the executioner: "Execute Ahiqar at the gate of his house and then hand over his body to be buried." When I, Ahiqar, left the

king, I sent [a message] to my wife Eshfaghni and told her to come and meet me and bring with her a thousand virgins, dressed in silk and purple clothes, that they would weep, lament and mourn me before my death. And you, my spouse, return to my house and prepare a table with bread for the executioner, the Persians and Assyrians who are accompanying him. [When they] enter my house, set [before] them delicious food and pleasant drink, mix it with wine and give them to drink. Serve them yourself." My wife Eshfaghni was an intelligent and alert woman of great knowledge. She immediately did everything what I had ordered her to do, set a table before them and mixed

wine for them. And they ate and drank while she served them, and they became drunk and fell asleep on their seats. Then I, Ahiqar, said to the executioner, whose name was Nabusemakh: 'Lift your gaze to me and to heaven and remember the bread and salt, which we have shared together. Know that I have committed no sin and no crime. However, my son Nadan who has been exalted by me and has deceived me. Do not commit sin against me by killing me, who has been wronged. Remember also the day when king Esarhaddon, the father of the present king, was angry with you and commanded me to kill you. Knowing that you were innocent, I hid you and did not kill you, but let you live until the king's wrath had subsided and departed.

He, inclining to you again, commanded me to bring you before him, and he did you good, and gave you abundant gifts. Now hide me, and repay me for the good and the kindness which I have done to you.” [He replied:] “Behold, I have a guilty slave who is thrown into prison and he deserves execution and death, for a great crime. Let this one be led out, put my clothes on him and say to the people who are with you, intoxicated as they are, come out and kill him. So they will not know whom they have killed. Remove his head a hundred cubits from the body, and then his body shall be buried, so that they may spread the rumour in Assyria and Niniveh and throughout the land that Ahiqar has been been executed. Nabusemakh stood up with my wife up and prepared for me a place hidden under the earth. They dug a cellar

fourteen cubits long, seven cubits wide and five cubits high. They dug it under the threshold of my house and they led me into it. Then they brought a lot of food and water to me and hid me in the hole they had dug. Then they went away. After they had killed the slave, and they told my lord the king, that "Ahiqar has been executed according to your command." When the rumour spread that I had been executed, and all the people of the town heard it, they all scratched and tore their faces and lamented, crying out: 'What a very pity for you, you skilful scribe, knower of mysteries and interpreter of difficult words with hidden meanings! Woe is us for you! Where shall we find the like of thee? Where shall we have a comprehending, knowledgeable and wise man like you?

[and] take your place!" The king then called my son Nadan and said to him: "Go, weep and arrange mourning for your father and teacher, Ahiqar. Lament and grieve for him." But he did not do as the king commanded: When the foolish Nadan came [to my house], he neither wept nor mourned, nor did he speaky my name in remembrance. Instead, he gathered around him heartless, licentious and immoral people like himself. They began to eat, drink, dance, and sing. [Then] Nadan seized my servants and maids and made them undress, whipped them, beat them, inflicted the severest punishments on them, and made them taste every hardship. He was not [even] ashamed before my wife, who had brought him up like her [own] son, but the immoral [man] wanted to commit a sin with her. I,

Ahiqar, hiding in the hole, heard the whipping of my servants, their weeping, and the torments they endured at the hands of my son Nadan. I heard it, suffered it and wept and was sad for them, and I myself became frozen by what had happened and had befallen me. Then I turned to the Lord again and cried out: “ O Lord, relieve my anguish!" And I wept bitterly. After a few days, the executioner Nabusemakh came to me, asked about my condition, examined my heart, and comforted me. He came back and brought me bread and water, and when he was about to leave me, I said to him, "Make supplication and pray to God for me." When Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, later heard that Ahiqar had been executed, he rejoiced greatly and wrote a letter, in which he said: "From Pharaoh,

king of Egypt, to the king of Assyria and Nineveh. Greetings and peace to you! Know, O king, that I have a castle built between heaven and earth, and I desire that you send me a master builder from you[r court] to construct it according to my wishes. He must also know how to answer any question that I wish to ask him. If you are able to send me someone who can build the castle for me and carry out my instructions, then I will pay you, along with him, the tribute of Egypt and all the bordering territories for three years. But if not, send with the messenger whom we have sent to you the tribute of Assyria and Nineveh for three years." When the letter arrived and was read to the king, he gathered

all the philosophers, wise men, and astrologers in his kingdom. And this letter was read to them. Then he said to them: "Which of you can go to Egypt and respond to Pharaoh?” They answered and said: “Our lord and king, there is no one in your time and in your days [who] can answer these questions. Only in the days of your father, the wise Ahiqar alone understood all questions and difficult words, and he solved and interpreted them. We, however, do not understand as he did, and we do not reach his deeds or his knowledge. [But] behold, there is his sister's son, Nadan! He has taught him his knowledge and his wisdom. Call him and ask him; he will solve these questions, but we do not know their meaning. Then the king summoned Nadan, and when Nadan appeared

before the king and read the letter, he replied and said to the king: “Let the people talk nonsense and foolishness!” and then “who can erect a building between heaven and earth? Not even the gods can do that. This letter is nonsense." When the king heard the words of Nadan, he became very sad and wept very bitterly. He descended from the throne, sat down on sackclothes and ashes, wept and said: "What a pity for you, Ahiqar, you skillful sage, knower of mysteries and questions! Pity on you, teacher of my country and leader of my kingdom. Where shall I find the like of you, and where shall I seek you? Woe is me for you, how could I have killed and destroyed you by the talk of a foolish, stupid boy without

knowledge, without education, without faith, without manhood. Now I shall mourn for you until death. Now, whoever gives me a man like you or tells me that Ahiqar is still alive and well, I would give him half my kingdom." When I, the executioner Nabusemakh, heard this and saw the king's mourning, sadness and weeping for Ahiqar, I came forward, bowed to the king, and said to him: “O my lord and king! Command your servants to crucify me, your guilty servant, for I have acted contrary to your commandment and instruction, and every servant who goes against the order and the command of his master deserves to be crucified. In your anger, you commanded that Ahiqar be killed and made no enquiry into his guilt. But I knew that you would regret his execution. I also knew

that he was not guilty, and now he still lives, hidden and concealed under the earth, in a cave, as in a tomb. But I have sinned by acting against your command. Now, let me be crucified or forgive me and excuse my offence." When the king heard this, he felt great joy and said: "You excellent servant! If your message is true, I want to make you rich. Yes, if only you show me Ahiqar alive, I will give you half of my kingdom, one hundred centners of gold and fifty centners of purple and silk robes." Then the executioner Nabusemakh said to the king: "My lord, swear to me by the living God that you will not hold this sin and this offence [against me]." Then the king swore to him and promised that he would do

him no harm. And in the same hour, Nabusemakh rode away like the wind that roars, he hastened and came to me, opened the cave, and brought me out. I, Ahiqar, came out of my hiding place; I thanked God and had hope [again], and I was not ashamed. Nabusemakh took me and brought me before the king, and when I appeared before the king, I fell to the ground and bowed. The hair of my head had grown long and reached my shoulders, and my beard fell to my chest. My nails were like eagle's claws, and my body was soiled and sodden. The colour of my face had changed; it was withered and had become like the colour of ashes. Thus, I remained only a shadow of my [former] self. When the king looked long at me and saw that my beauty

was gone, he was sad for me, wept, and was ashamed. He could not speak to me, he wept so much. [But then] he said to me: "O Ahiqar, it is not I who have done evil to you, but Nadan, whom you raised as your son; he has done evil to you." Then I said to the king: "May you live forever, O my lord! After God has allowed me to look upon your face again, it is as if no harm or evil had [ever] befallen me." "Blessed be the Lord!" answered the king. Then he said to me: "Go, O Ahiqar, go, O sufferer, wash yourself in the bath, shave the hair from your head, trim your nails, eat and drink, and live well for forty days, until your soul is strengthened and your strength and the colour of your face are restored; then come here again." So, I went to my house and did as the king had said. I waited

twenty days, for the king's affairs and business required haste. Now when I appeared before the king and greeted him, he brought up the questions which the Egyptians had sent to him, and said to me: "Take [this], Ahiqar, and see what the Egyptians have sent us after your death. They have thrown us and all our people into grief and mourning, and all our people rose up and fled to Egypt at the the news of the great sum of money and high tribute they demand from us." When Ahiqar read the letters, he understood their contents and replied to the king: "Do not be grieved. I will go to Egypt, give Pharaoh an answer and solve these riddles for him. I will bring you tribute and money from Egypt and its provinces, and bring back all who fled to Egypt to their

homes. With God's help, and that of your country and yourself, I will put all your enemies to shame." When the king heard these words, he rejoiced greatly and gave me and the princes and nobles many gifts. To the executioner Nabusemakh, however, he conferred a high rank and gave him great gifts. After one day I, the humble Ahiqar, wrote letters and sent them to my wife Eshfaghni, telling her: “As soon as these letters reach you, order the hunters to catch us two eaglets, and tell the cotton workers to twist two ropes of cotton for us, each as thick as a finger; let each be two thousand cubits long. Also, tell the carpenters to make large boxes for us. Then Nabulhal and Tabshalem, the boys who belong to us, shall be nursed and raised by seven

wet nurses. Slaughter for them daily a lamb and feed the two eagles so that they will grow big and strong. [Then, every day,] let the two boys ride on the backs of the two eagles, as long as they are small and without weight; tie the two ropes to the feet of the two eagles and let them fly up in an open plain while the boys are riding on their backs; in this way, they will gradually get used to carrying them. When the two eagles rise to fly in the air over the plain, teach the two boys that during the flight, while they are flying on the two eagles' backs, [they should] cry out and shout: "Give us plaster, lime, clay, bricks, and stones, for the builders and labourers are standing idle and want to build the king a castle

between heaven and earth. Then draw down to you the birds and the lads until I come." My wife Eshfaghni was a clever, skillful woman, the like of whom was not to be found among the women of the land. She did and performed [what I had ordered her to do]. After a few days, I, Ahiqar, said to the king: "Permit me, my lord, to go to Egypt, for the time has come for me to go." When he gave me the command, I took with me a mighty army and marched for a day. I said to the army: “We are now in a very wide, extremely beautiful plain.” And I took the two eagles out of the boxes, tied the two ropes to their feet, and put the boys on their backs. And the eagles flew up into the plain and reached a mighty height, so that they were no longer seen

by the people. As they ascended, the boys cried out and shouted: "Hand us up plaster, lime, bricks, and stones, for the builders are standing [idle] and want to build the king a castle between heaven and earth." So, I tested them, and afterwards I let them descend to me and found that they [did] as my heart desired. Then I praised my wife Eshfaghni who did everything as I had told her to do, and had carried out every order I had given her in the best way. When the Assyrians and the people of Nineveh, who had fled to Egypt, saw all that I had done and executed, they returned to their homeland.

Narrative of the appearance of Ahiqar in Egypt before King Pharaoh. When I, Ahiqar, and my army came to Egypt, I went to the gate of King Pharaoh and his nobles; I informed him of me and said to him, the king: “King Sennacherib has sent you a man such as you desired from him. What is your command?" So the king commanded, and they directed me to a place, and I and all the army that was with me encamped there. Pharaoh gave orders, and they brought me before him. When I appeared before him, I bowed to him and saluted him. He said to me: "What is your name, man?" and I replied to him: "Your servant Abiqam, one of my lord Sennacherib's ants!" When Pharaoh heard these words, he was angry and said:

"Am I so despised by your lord that he sends an ant to answer me?" Then he said: "Go, Abiqam, to your place and your dwelling, and come back tomorrow." I went away, and Pharaoh ordered all his nobles: "Tomorrow, dress yourselves all in red and come to me." When morning came, the king put on a purple robe and sat on his throne, and all his nobles lined up before and around him. Then he gave the order and I was led to him. Pharaoh said to me: “O Abiqam, to whom do I resemble, and to whom do my nobles resemble?" I replied to him: "You, my lord, are like the idol Bel, and your nobles are like his servants." Then he said to me: "Abiqam, go to your place

today and come to me tomorrow." And Pharaoh said to his nobles: "Tomorrow clothe yourselves, all of you, in white linen robes and come to me." Pharaoh put on silken robes and sat on his throne, and his nobles stood before him. After that he asked for me and I came in to him, and then he asked me: "Abiqam, whom do I resemble, and whom do my great ones resemble?" I answered him: "You are like the sun, and your nobles are like its rays." Then he said to me: "Go home today and come to me tomorrow." Then Pharaoh wrote to his nobles the order: "Tomorrow clothe yourselves in black robes of silk." Pharaoh wore red robes and sat down on his throne and ordered that I be led in to him.

He asked me: "Who do I resemble, and who are my nobles like?” I said: "You are like the moon, and your great ones are like the stars." The Pharaoh said to me: "Go, Abiqam, to your place and tomorrow come to me." Now the king gave the order to his nobles: “Tomorrow, put on colourful robes of all colours and shades. The curtains of the hall shall be red." The Pharaoh put on a brocade robe and sat down on his throne, and he gave an order, and I was led in to him. He said to me: "Who am I like, and who are my nobles like?” I said: “You are like the month of April, and your nobles are like its buds and its roses." When Pharaoh heard this, he was very happy

and said to me: "O Abiqam, the first time you compared me, you compared me to the idol Bel and my nobles to his servants; the second time to the sun and my nobles to its rays; the third time to the moon and my mercenaries to the stars, and the fourth time to the month of April and my nobles to its flowers. Now, tell me, to whom does your lord Sennacherib resemble, and to whom do his nobles [resemble]?" [Then] I cried with a loud voice: “Far be it from me that I should remember my lord king Sennacherib while you sit on your throne. Rather, stand up on your feet, and then I will tell you to whom my lord is like." Then Pharaoh stood up from his throne, and I said: "My lord is like the god of heaven, and his nobles are like the lightnings. When he wants, the wind blows,

and he sends down rain. He loosens the clay and lets good things come upon his kingdom. Also, thunder and lightning are at his command. He darkens the sun so that it is not shining, and the rays so that they are not seen. He can prevent the idol Bel and his nobles from passing through the streets, and he can lead the moon and the stars to stray from shining. And if he wants, he commands the north wind, and it blows, it rains, and winds and storms beat in it. When he commands, there comes the rain and the cold, and April is leafless and scatters its flowers and buds." When Pharaoh heard this from me, he was greatly astonished, became displeased and angry, and said, "Report and tell me the truth and the reality—what is your name?" Then I said to him: "I am Ahiqar, the scribe of my master, king Sennacherib."

The Pharaoh replied: “We have heard that Ahiqar has been put to death, and [yet] you are alive now." I said to him: "I thank the merciful God, who hears the prayer of the brokenhearted, frees the oppressed, and puts the oppressors to shame. For a worthless plot had been spun against me by wicked, lying men, and they slandered me in the presence of my lord, and he commanded me to be put to death. But my God saved me from death. Blessed is he who puts his trust and hope in Him and asks Him for help, for He will deliver him and save him." Then Pharaoh answered and said to me: "Go to your dwelling place today, and come to me tomorrow, and tell me a word which neither I nor any of the people of my land have heard, nor has it ever been heard in my land.”

I went to my dwelling place and thought to myself, what word I should say to these people that they had never heard. So, I sat down and wrote a letter: "From Pharaoh to Sennacherib. Greeting! You know, O my brother, that brothers are in need of [their] brothers, and kings need kings. Now, in this time, I need to make an expenditure and turn to your friendship, that you may lend me nine hundred centners of gold. After a short time, I will return them [to you along with] your gold.” I folded up the letter, and on the next day, I appeared before him. Then the Pharao said to me: "Tell me, O Ahiqar, a word that I have never heard in my country." [So,] I took out the letter and gave it to him. When they had read it,

they were astonished and said: "Truly, we have never heard this word before." I said to him: "Rightly, Assyria and Nineveh still owe a debt to Egypt.” When they heard this, they were astonished, and their minds became confused. So, it became truely a debt for them, and they accepted it at that time. Then Pharaoh took the floor again and said to me: "O Ahiqar, I wish only from you that you build me a marvellous, glorious castle between heaven and earth; and it shall be two thousand cubits above the earth." I said to him: ”At your command, O my lord and king, I will build you a castle as you wish, but, my lord, I wish that the builders be mine, while the plaster, the lime, the clay, the stones and the other necessities be supplied by you.”

The Pharaoh said: "So shall it be." Immediately, I took the two eagles out of the boxes, tied the two ropes to their feet, placed the boys on their backs, and the two eagles flew up with the boys on their backs and soared to such a height that no one saw them anymore. Then the boys began to shout: "Bring us plaster, lime, clay, and stones, for the king's workmen and builders are standing idle and would like to build the king a castle between heaven and earth." They also cried: "Servants, mix us some wine, and we will drink." When Pharaoh and his nobles saw this, their minds were confused, they were astonished and blushed. Then I and my army took staves in our hands

and beat the nobles so that they brought up stones and all the labourers needed, for the builders were weary. We beat them until they could bear it no longer and fled from us and took refuge in their houses. Then Pharaoh became confused and said: "in you, Ahiqar, a demon is driven; who can carry something up to this height, as these want to do!" I said to him: “You are the madmen. If my lord Sennacherib were here, he would have built two castles in one day." Pharaoh replied and said to me: "Leave off the building, we do not need it. We are convinced that you can build many castles. However, go to your dwelling-place and come to me tomorrow.” I went, and when it was morning,

I came to him. Then Pharaoh said to me: “Ahiqar, how is it that the stallion of your master neighs there in Assyria and Nineveh, and our mares here hear his voice and abort their foetuses?” I left him and went away from him. I ordered my servants to find me one of the cats in Pharaoh's house. Then I commanded the servants to whip her until she raised a fearful cry, and all the Egyptians heard [her voice] and told Pharaoh. [Then] Pharaoh called me and said to me: "Why do you whip this cat?” I answered: “O my lord and king, this wicked one has done much evil and harmed me greatly. I had

a wonderful cock with a pleasant voice, which my lord, the king Senacherib, had given me and which told me the hours of the night and of the day. Then that wicked one went that night to Assyria and Nineveh, tore off the head of the cock, and returned." The Pharaoh answered me and said: "Ahiqar, I see that the older you get, the more your wisdom decreases and your knowledge diminishes. For from Assyria and Nineveh to Egypt is over three hundred thousand miles. How could this cat go such a distance in one night, tear off the head of the cock in one night, and return?” I replied to him: “When there is such a distance between Assyria and Nineveh to Egypt, how

how can the stallion of my lord, the king, neigh, and your mares abort here?” When Pharaoh heard this, he blushed and saw that he had been answered. Afterwards, he said to me: "Solve me the following riddle: Someone built himself a hall of 8,763 stones. He connected these by 365 bricks, over which he planted 12 cedars, and he put in each cedar 30 branches. On each branch, there are two panicles of fruit, one white and the other black." I said to Pharaoh: “This riddle is known by the cattle herdsmen in Assyria and Nineveh: The builder is the truth—praise be to God, who created the world.

The hall is the year. He made the hours of the year 8,763 hours and the days of the year 365. The 12 cedars are the twelve months. On each branch, there are two branches, one black and one white—these are day and night." [Then] Pharaoh said to me: “O Ahiqar, twist me two ropes of sea sand." I said to him: "Give orders that one of the ropes be brought out to me from the treasury, that I may make them like unto him." The Pharaoh said to me: "Cease these speeches. If you do not make these ropes, then I will not give you the tribute of Egypt." I thought in my heart and went behind the king's house. [There,] I bored two holes in the wall and let

the sun shine in both holes. Then I went, took my hands full of sea sand, and stuffed them into the two holes so that they could see it turning. I said to Pharaoh: "Command your servants to take these ropes, and what you will, I will twist for you." At this, Pharaoh and his nobles were astonished. Pharaoh said: "Here we have a millstone, it is a marvellous thing, and it is broken. I demand of you that you sew it together." He ordered his servants to bring it before me. Then I saw another stone near them, broken like the other one. I went and lifted it up and threw it before Pharaoh. Then I said: "You know, my lord, that I am a stranger here and have not brought a cobbler's tools with me. I beseech thee, therefore, to give to your friends,

the cobblers, whom you have in the city, that they cut me out of this stone [threads], that I may sew together the stone which ye set before me." The king and all his great nobles laughed and said to me: “Blessed be the Lord who has given you knowledge and skill.” Ahiqar’s departure from Egypt and return to Assyria and Nineveh: When the king and his nobles saw that they had been overcome and that I, Ahiqar, had solved all their riddles, Pharaoh gave me money and the tribute of Egypt and its provinces for the term of three years. He also gave me the nine hundred centners of gold, as it was written in the letter that they wanted to borrow

from my lord. They also gave me many gifts for myself and for my lord, and they honoured me and all the army that accompanied me with garments. Then I kissed Pharaoh's hand and returned to my master. When he heard the news that I had returned, he went out to meet me and rejoiced over me. He made me sit by his throne at his right hand and said to me: "Ask for anything you want; I will give it to you." I said to him: "All the favours that you wish to do to me, do to Nabusemakh, for next to God he has given me this life." The king began to ask me about everything I had done before Pharaoh; I began to tell him, and he listened to me and was amazed.

And I took out the money, the tribute, and the gifts, the robes and the gold that I had brought to him. Afterwards, he rejoiced and said unto me: “Tell me, what I shall thee of these things." And I said to him: "I wish for your well-being; I need none of this. But listen—give me my sister’s son Nadan, that I may dispose of him as I please, and you shall not reclaim his blood from me." So he ordered [li. write] and commanded that they give me Nadan. I took him and went home and bound and tied him with iron chains, and began to whip him harshly, bitterly, and violently: a thousand strokes upon his shoulders, a thousand on his back, a thousand on his feet, and a thousand on his heart. Then I cast him into the privy so he could smell the stench.

The exit was at the door of the dwelling. And I gave him bread and water, [but] only a little in weight, and I put him under the watch of the boy Nabulhal. And I said to the boy: "Write down every word that I shall say to the foolish Nadan, whom I have honoured, but who did not value it, and sought to kill me and wipe me out of existence." And whenever I went in and out, I reviled him. Then I, Ahiqar, began to say to him: ‘"O my son, as the proverb says: he who does not listen with his ears will be made to listen through the throat."’ ‘He said to me: "Why are you angry with me?" I answered: "Because I raised you and made you great. I placed you on the throne of the kingdom, but you cast me down ’

‘from my position and sought my death. Yet God had mercy on me and saved me.’ ‘O, my son! You acted towards me like a man who takes a stone and throws it at the sky to strike God. The stone does not reach the heaven, but he has sinned against God. ’ ‘O my son! You behaved against me like someone who sees his friend shivering from cold and pours a bucket of cold water on him. ’ ‘O my son! If you had killed me, then you would have taken my place, inherited and succeeded me and become my successor. O my son! Know this: if the tail of a wild boar and of the swine were seven cubits long, it could not take the place of a horse or do its work, even if its hair were as soft as velvet and silk.’ ‘O my son! ’

‘I always said to myself that you would take my place, and [my] house, and inherit what I possessed—my knowledge and my wisdom. But you did not accept my teachings and did not learn my instruction or my knowledge.’ ‘My son! You behave toward me like the trap set up on a dunghill. A little bird came and bent down to the upright bird-stick and said to it: "What are you doing here?" The trap answered: "I am praying to God." "What is that stick you are holding?” asked the little bird. The trap said: “This is my stick, I lean on it when I pray." The little bird asked: "And what do you have in your mouth?" The trap said: "This is the bread and meat, which I give to all the hungry and the poor’

‘who come to me and visit me." The little bird said: “I will now come near and eat, for I am hungry." The trap said: "Come near." The little bird came and approached to eat, but the trap grabbed and caught the bird by the neck. The bird said to the trap: "If this is your bread for the hungry, [then] God will not accept your alm[s] and good deeds; and if this is your fasting and prayer, [then] God will not grant [them] any benefit."’ ‘O my son! You acted against me like the caged partridge that can no longer save itself from the hunter, but with its lovely voice, gathers many partridges around it, so they may also be caught like itself.’ ‘O my son! You behaved toward me like the dog that was cold and went into the ’

‘potter's house, to warm itself. But when it came near, it began to bark at the people of the house; so they drove it out, so it would not bite them.’ ‘O my son! I presented you to the king and raised you to great honours, and you repaid your benefactor with evil. How would you repay someone who did you harm! ’ ‘O my son! You acted against me like the cat, to whom someone said: "Stop stealing, and the king will make you golden earrings and necklaces of silver and pearls, and he will feed you well, and you will be full. But she answered: 'I will never give up the craft my father and mother taught me.’ ‘O my son! I feed you delicious, good food, and you did not satisfy my hunger even with bread,’

‘but you made me sit on the ground and in a pit, and you plotted to kill me.’ ‘O my son, I raised you up like a cedar tree, but you have buried and degraded me alive and brought me down to a grave.’ ‘I thought I had built [in you] a strong fortress to protect me from my enemies. My son! I gave you all good things, but you repaid me with evil. Therefore, I will gouge out your eyes, cut out your tongue, and with the sword, I will cut off your head.’ ‘Nadan replied and said: "Far be it from you to do evil and wickedness, but treat me with goodness and mercy, and forgive’

‘what I have done against you. For God also forgives sinners if they repent. Accept me, so I may serve your horses, watch over the pigs in your house, and sweep out the dung from your house."’ ‘Ahiqar replied: “O my son! They brought the wolf to school to learn. The teacher said to him: "Say Aleph." The wolf replied and said: "Lamb.” [Then] the teacher said: “Say Beth.” The wolf said: “Goat.” He spoke what was on his mind.’ ‘O my son! Someone said to the wolf: “Stay away from the sheep, lest their dust settle on you!” [Then] it said: "I will not leave, for their dust is good for my eyes.”’ ‘O my son! You have proven the proverb: 'Call the one you have begotten your son, but the one you have raised, you’

‘slave.” O my son, truly nothing is more beautiful and cruel than this saying: “Take your sister’s son, smash him on the ground, and push him from one wall to the other.'’ At that moment, when Nadan heard these words, he swelled up and became like a leather bottle; all his limbs and bones stretched, he tore at the side and burst. Thus, he met [his] end and died. So it came to pass, as said in the book of Proverbs, that evil befalls the evildoer; the one who digs a pit for his friend falls into it, and he who sets a trap for his friend catches himself in it.