Letter from Šu-Suen to Šarrum-bāni about digging a trench
- 1
{m}šar-ru-um-ba-ni u3-na-a-⌈dug4⌉
Say to Šarrum-bāni: this is what Šu-Suen, your lord, says:
- 2
{d}šu-<{d}suen> lugal-zu na-ab-be2-a
- 3
lu2-kiĝ2-gi4-a mu-e-ši-gi-a-ĝu10 dirig šag4-še3 X […]
The messenger whom you have sent to me ……. …… you do not exceed …… my instructions, as I ordered you. (1 line unclear) As for myself, whatever you say to me …….
- 4
ud e3 a2 aĝ2-ĝa2-ĝu10 ĝa2-a-gin7-nam ma-[…] li-bi2-ib-dirig-⌈ge⌉
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ud ed2-da-zu-ne igi nu-⌈?⌉-X-[…]
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ĝe26-e a-na ma-ab-<be2>-en-na-X […]
- 7
šag4 ma-da-ka ĝen-a-zu-[ne]
When you went into the province -- who but you (?) has approached the province? Spending the night ……. When their dignitaries have …… their words, if …… (1 line unclear) Their dignitaries should stand by you in (?) their quarters. When their …… have been cast away, they themselves …… the province.
- 8
ma-da a-? e-te ĝi6 sa2 na-[…]
- 9
lu2 gal-gal-be2-e-ne inim u3-[…]
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tukum-bi niĝ2 te-na-ĝa2 nam-ba-[…]
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KU-ne-ne KUŠ-a-? […]
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lu2 gal-gal-be2-e-ne šubtum6 ḫe2-mu-e-da-sug2-[…]
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TUR-TUR-ne-ne TUR-ne-ne ub-ta-ri
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e-ne-ne-gin7-nam ma-da […]
- 15
tukum-bi u3 lu2-ĝarza2-be2-e-ne
If …… officials should pass by (?), (1 line unclear) By (?) placing the enemy, their cities, their borders ……, until they come down they come out from their fortress , they must not overturn it!
- 16
dib2-be2-de3-aš-am3
- 17
buru3-da-ne-ne nu-e-da-sig10-ge5
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lu2-kur2-ra ĝar-ĝar-bi X
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iri-bi zag-bi u3-ne-eš2
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en-na ib2-ta-ab-ed3-de3 bad3-bi ab-ta-e3-[…] na-ab-ta-bal-e-ne
- 21
nitaḫ-bi u3-gaz
When their men had killed, their women their soldiers passed (?) through your cities of the province; it was not …….
- 22
munus-bi erin2-bi iri ma-da-ka-zu dib2-ba-am3 la-ab-X (X)
- 23
a2-še3 mu-e-da-aĝ2
That was how I instructed you. Why did you not act as I ordered you?
- 24
a-na-aš-am3 ĝa2-a-gin7-nam nu-ak
- 25
lu2 gaz-de3 igi ḫul-ḫul-le-de3
You were not empowered to kill anyone, to blind (?) people or to destroy cities; but I gave you authority to do so.
- 26
⌈iri gul⌉-gul-de3 šu-zu-še3 nu-ĝar-ra
- 27
⌈nam-nir⌉-ĝal2 mu-ra-šum2
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ud bad3 igi TA DA KAM {d}šul-gi ad-da-<ĝu10> mu-un-du3-a
When my father Šulgi built the fortress ……, it was not you people who were involved -- and my throne is not the throne of Šulgi!
- 29
za-e-en-ze2-en in-nu
- 30
{ĝiš}gu-za-ĝa2 {ĝiš}gu-za {d}šul-gi-ra-ka in-nu
- 31
{m}<lu2>-{d}en-ki ensi2 ma-da zi-mu-!{ki}-še3
Concerning Lu-Enki, the ruler of the province of Zimudar, he should come to you, and should bring with him 60 troops. Let them be sent together with …….
- 32
ḫe2-mu-e-ši-du
- 33
60 ugnim-ma-ka ḫe2-tum2
- 34
[…]-⌈ta⌉ ḫe2-mi-ib-gi4-gi4
- 35
[…]-ti ⌈pisaĝ⌉-[dub]-ba bi2-tur-e a2 aĝ2-ta
……, the archivist, made …… limited (?). According to the instructions that have been given to him, he should build that fortress.
- 36
⌈mu⌉-na-an-šum2-ma-ta bad3-bi ḫe2-du3-a
- 37
u3 za-e erin2 šu-zu-ta i3-ĝal2-la
And as for you, with the soldiers who are under your authority, get the trench dug!
- 38
[ḫi]-ri-tum2<{ki}> ba-al-la2
- 39
ma-da dim2-ma-bi nu-kur2-ru-de3
So as not to change the attitude of the province, you people are not to release the workers while the land has not yet been secured.
- 40
nam-ba-šum2-mu-[un]-ze2-en
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en-na ma-da nu-um-gen7-na-ta
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erin2 nam-mu-un-du8-re-ze2-en
- 43
lu2-kiĝ2-gi4-a-e-ne a2 aĝ2-ĝa2 ma-da
Let messengers bring me news about those eastern provinces. This is urgent!
- 44
{d}utu ed2-da-bi ḫa-ma-tum3
- 45
a-ma-ru-kam
The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature (ETCSL), Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. Copyright holders: Jeremy Black, Graham Cunningham, Jarle Ebeling, Esther Flückiger-Hawker, Eleanor Robson, Jon Taylor and Gábor Zólyomi. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0. Source.