099 Translation of the Inscription on the Moabite Stone
Translation of the Inscription on the Moabite Stone This ancient and interesting stone has been very carefully examined and the inscription deciphered by various Oriental scholars. It was brought to light by the Rev. F. A. Klein, at Dibon, in the country of Moab, in the month of August, 1868, who took a sketch of it. The stone is about 41 inches in length, and about 21 inches thick, and the same in breadth. The jealous Arabs, suspicious of the European consuls who sought possession of the stone for their respective governments, calcined it, and broke it in pieces; being, however, carefully collected, the most of the valuable inscription was preserved. Here is indeed an ancient and valuable monument recording some of the stirring scenes in which king Mesha of Moab figures in relation to Israel. The stone is as old as 896 B.C. and consists of 34 lines in the old Hebrew characters. The various names of places will be found in Jeremiah 48:1-47, and the names of the kings of Israel in the second Book of Kings. vTRANSLATION.
LINE 1. "I, Mesha, son of Chemosh-gad, king of Moab, the Di 2. bonite - my father reigned over Moab thirty years and I reign 3. ed after my father. And I made the high-place for Chemosh in Korchoh, a high place of de 4. liverance, because he delivered me from all enemies, and let me see my desire upon all my haters. Then arose Om 5. ri, king of Israel, and he oppressed Moab many days, because Chemosh was angry with his 6. land. And his son (1:e. Ahab) succeeded him, and he, too, said, I will oppress Moab. In my days he said this
7. But I looked upon (the ruin of) him and his house, and Israel perished forever. And Omri had taken possession of the plain 8. of Medeba, and dwelt in it, and they oppressed Moab, he and his son, forty years, but looked 9. upon him (1:e. Moab), Chemosh, in my days. And I built Baal-Meon and constructed in it the moat, and I built 10. Kirjathaim. And the men of Gad were dwelling in the land of Ataroth from of old, and the king of Is 11. rael had built for himself the city; and I fought against the city, and took it, and slew all the inhabitants of 12. the city (as) a (pleasing) sight to Chemosh and to Moab, and carried off thence the . . . of Jehovah, and drag
13, ged it (or them) before Chemosh at Kirjath. And I made dwell in it (1:e. Ataroth) the people of Shirun, and the people of 14. M‒ch‒rath (?) And Chemosh said to me, "Go, take Nebo from Israel." And I 15. went by night and fought against it from the dawning of the morning until midday, and I 16. took it, and slew the whole of it, seven thousand (men; but I did not kill the women 17. and maidens), for to Ashtar Chemosh I had devoted them, and I took away thence the 18. vessels of Jehovah, and dragged them before Chemosh. And the king of Israel built 19. Yahaz, and abode in it while he was fighting against me; but Chemosh drove him out before my face, 20. and I took of Moab two hundred men with all chiefs, and I led them up to Yahaz and took it 21. in addition to Dibon. I built Korchoh, the wall of the woods and the wall of 22. the mound; and I built its gates, and I built its towers, and 23. I built the palace; and I made the reservoirs for rain-water (?) in the midst of
24. the city. And there was not a cistern in the midst of the city, in Korchoh; and I said to the whole people, "Make for 25. yourselves each a cistern in his house." And I cut the moat for Korchoh with (the labor of) the captives 26. of Israel. I built Aroer; and I made the road over the Arnon.
27. I rebuilt Beth-Bamoth, for it had been pulled down. I built Bezer, for...
28..... men of Dibon, fifty (in number) for all Dibon was submission. And I 29.. . .. . in the cities (?) which I added to the land. And I built 30. (Beth-gamul), and Beth Diblathaim, and Beth-Baal-Meon, and I took up (?) thither the Moabites 31. to take possession of the land. And Horonaim dwelt there.
32. And Chemosh said to me, go down and make war against Horonaim and take it.
33. Chemosh in my days......
34. Year and I ".......