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ARAMAIC PAPYRI—SACHAU. : 607 
TRANSLATION. 
- To our Lord Bagohi, governor of Judea, thy servants, Jedoniah and his 
companions, the priests in the fortress Yeb; Greeting: 
. May our Lord, the God of Heaven, grant thee peace abundantly at all times, 
and give thee favor before King Darius and 
. the sons of the royal house a thousandfold more than now, and give thee 
long life! May joy and health be thine at all times! 
. Now thy servants, Jedoniah and his companions, speak thus: In the month 
of Tammuz (July-August), in the 14th year of King Darius, when Arsam 
. departed and went to the King, the priests of the god Hnub in the fortress 
Yeb entered a conspiracy with Waidrang, who was the governor here, as 
follows: 
. “The temple of the God Jahu (Yahu) in the fortress Yeb shall be re- 
moved.” Thereupon Waidrang sent 
. letters to his son Nephayan, who was commander of the fortress Syene, 
Saying: “ The temple in the fortress 
Yeb shall be destroyed.” Thereupon Nephayan brought Egyptians together 
with other soldiers. They came to the fortress Yeb with their * * * 
. They entered into that temple and destroyed it to the ground, and broke to 
pieces the pillars of stone that were there. 
They destroyed also the five gates, built of hewn stone, which were in the 
temple, and their tops (?) * * * and bronze hinges 
in marble slabs (?) and the roof, made wholly of cedar wood together with 
the stucco (?) of the wall (?) and other things that were there, 
all this they burnt with fire. And the bowls of gold and silver and what- 
ever was in the temple they took 
and appropriated to themselves. And since (already in) the days of the 
Kings of Egypt had our fathers built this temple in the fortress Yeb. 
And when Cambyses entered Egypt 
he found this temple built, and while the temples of the gods of Egypt 
were then all overthrown, no one injured anything in this temple. 
And since they [Waidrang and the priests of Hnub] have done this, we with 
our wives and children have put on sackcloth and fasted and prayed to 
Jahu, the Lord of Heaven 
who gave us cognizance of Waidrang [%7. e., punished him]. The chain was 
. removed from his feet, and all the possessions which he acquired per- 
ished and all the men 
who wished ill to his temple were slain, and we saw it ourselves to our 
satisfaction. And before this, at the time when this evil was done us, 
have we sent a letter to our Lord (Bagohi) and to Jehohanan (John), 
the High priest, and his companions, the priests in Jerusalem, and his 
brother Ostan, 
. that is, Anani [Hannani] and the nobles of the Jews, but they sent us no 
answer. Also since the Tammuz day of the 14th year of King Darius 
to this day we wear sackcloth and are fasting. Our wives have become like 
widows. We have not anointed ourselves with oil 
. nor drank wine. Neither from that day to this day of the 17th year of 
King Darius have meal-offerings, frankincense or burnt-offerings 
. been offered in this temple. Now thy servants, Jedoniah, and his com- 
panions, and the Jews, all the citizens of Yeb, speak thus: 
If it seem good to our lord, mayest thou tbink about this temple to rebuild 
it, since we are not permitted to build it, and look upon the recipients 
