Fertile Crescent Travel
(Texts: All Artifacts, Color Coding, & Writings in Bold Type With Italics Inside Parenthesis, are Added by Editor R. Brown, not the Authors, Translators, or Publishers!)
(gods in blue …mixed-breed demigods in teal...)
Abraham hired an ox, Abraham leased a farm, Abraham paid part of his rent, how Abraham might have moved to Canaan. This Abraham is probably not the Biblical Abraham but from the account “books” we can understand something of his time. The Biblical Abraham had a different father and worshipped only one god. (1 of many in Sumer)
This version is from George Barton, Archaeology and the Bible.
Abraham Hired an Ox
1. One ox broken to the yoke,
2. An ox from Ibri-sin, son of Sin-imgurani,
3. From Ibni-sin
4. through the agency of Kishti-Nabium,
5. son of Eteru,
6. Abarama, son of Awel-Ishtar,
7. for one month has hired.
8. For one month
9. one shekel of silver
10. he will pay.
11. Of it 1/2 shekel of silver
12. from the hand of
13. Abarama
14. Kisti-Nabium
15. has received.
16. In the presence of Idin-Urash, son of Idin-Labibaal,
17. In the presence of Awele, son of Urri-bani,
18. in the presence of Beliyatum, scribe.
19. Month of the mission of Ishtar (i.e., Ammizadugga’s 11th year).
20. The year of Ammizadugga, the king (built)
21. The wall of Ammizadugga, (i.e., Ammizadugga’s 11th year).
22. Tablet of Kisti-Nabium.
This is a copy made for Kishti-Nabium, the agent. The date is 1965 B.C.
Ammizadugga was the tenth king of that first dynasty of Babylon, of which Hammurabi was the sixth
Abraham Leased a Farm
1. To the patrician
2. speak,
3. Saying, Gimil-Marduk (wishes that)
4. Shamash and Marduk may give thee health!
5. Mayest thou have peace, mayest thou have health!
6. May the god who protects thee thy head in luck
7. Hold!
8. (To enquire) concerning thy health I am sending.
9. May thy welfare before Shamash and Marduk
10. be eternal!
11. Concerning the 400 shars of land, the field of Sin-idinam,
12. Which to Abamrama
13. To lease, thou hast sent;
14. The land-steward (?) the scribe
15. Appeared and
16. On behalf of Sin-idinam
17. I took that up.
18. The 400 shars of land to Abamrama
19. as thou hast directed
20. I have leased.
21. Concerning thy dispatches I shall not be negligent.
Abraham Paid His Rent
1. 1 Shekel of silver
2. of the rent (?) of his field,
3. for the year Ammizadugga, the king,
4. a lordly, splendid statu (set up),
5. brought
6. Abamrama,
7. received
8. Sin-idinam
9. and Iddatum
10. Month Siman, 28th day,
11. The year Ammizadugga, the king,
12. a lordly, splendid statu (set up)
This was Amizadugga’s 13th year. Abraham is reported as paying part of his rent two years after he hired an ox.
Travel between Babylonia and Palestine
1. A wagon
2. from Mannum-balum-Shamash,
3. son of Shelibia,
4. Khabilkinum,
5. son of Appani[bi],
6. on a lease
7. for 1 year
8. has hired.
9. As a yearly rental
10. 2/3 of a shekel of silver
11. he will pay.
12. As the first of the rent
13. 1/6 of a shekel of silver
14. he has received.
15. Unto the land of Kittim
16. he shall not drive it.
17. In the presence of Ibku-Adad,
18. Son of Abiatum;
19. in the presence of Ilukasha,
20. son of Arad-ilishu;
21. in the presence of ilishu….
22. Month Ululu, day 25,
23. the year the king Erech (Uruk) from the flood
24. of the river as a friend protected.
This tablet is dated to the time of the migration of Abraham. Kittim is used in Jeremiah 2:10 and Ezekiel 27:6 of the coast lands of the Mediterranean. The contract protects the owner’s wagon from being driven the long, scenic route along the coast. This was like a mileage limit on renting a U-Haul for a time period.