Bilingual reading

In the twelfth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, who reigned over the Assyrians in Nineveh, the great city, in the days of Arphaxad, who reigned over the Medes in Ecbatana,

and built around Ecbatana walls of hewn stones three cubits broad and six cubits long, and made the height of the wall seventy cubits, and its breadth fifty cubits,

and set its towers at its gates one hundred cubits high, and its breadth in the foundation was sixty cubits,

and made its gates, even gates that were raised to the height of seventy cubits, and their breadth forty cubits, for his mighty army to go out of, and the setting in array of his footmen—

in those days King Nebuchadnezzar made war with King Arphaxad in the great plain. This plain is on the borders of Ragau.

There came to meet him all that lived in the hill country, and all that lived by Euphrates, Tigris, and Hydaspes, and in the plain of Arioch the king of the Elymaeans. Many nations of the sons of Chelod assembled themselves to the battle.

And Nebuchadnezzar king of the Assyrians sent to all who lived in Persia, and to all who lived westward, to those who lived in Cilicia, Damascus, Libanus, Antilibanus, and to all who lived along the sea coast,

and to those among the nations that were of Carmel and Gilead, and to the higher Galilee and the great plain of Esdraelon,

and to all who were in Samaria and its cities, and beyond Jordan to Jerusalem, Betane, Chellus, Kadesh, the river of Egypt, Tahpanhes, Rameses, and all the land of Goshen,

until you come above Tanis and Memphis, and to all that lived in Egypt, until you come to the borders of Ethiopia.

All those who lived in all the land made light of the commandment of Nebuchadnezzar king of the Assyrians, and didn’t go with him to the war; for they were not afraid of him, but he was before them as one man. They turned away his messengers from their presence without effect, and with disgrace.

And Nebuchadnezzar was exceedingly angry with all this land, and he swore by his throne and kingdom that he would surely be avenged upon all the coasts of Cilicia, Damascus, and Syria, that he would kill with his sword all the inhabitants of the land of Moab, the children of Ammon, all Judea, and all who were in Egypt, until you come to the borders of the two seas.

And he set the battle in array with his army against King Arphaxad in the seventeenth year; and he prevailed in his battle, and turned to flight all the army of Arphaxad, with all his horses and all his chariots.

He took possession of his cities. He came to Ecbatana and took the towers, plundered its streets, and turned its beauty into shame.

He took Arphaxad in the mountains of Ragau, struck him through with his darts, and utterly destroyed him to this day.

He returned with them to Nineveh, he and all his company of sundry nations—an exceedingly great multitude of men of war. There he took his ease and banqueted, he and his army, for one hundred twenty days.

كانَ ما كانَ في السَّنَةِ الثَّانِيَةَ عَشْرَةَ مِن مُلْكِ نَبوكَدْنَصَّرَ الَّذي مَلَكَ على الأَشُّورِيِّينَ في نينَوى المَدينةِ العَظيمة، وفي أَيَّامِ أَرْفَكْشادَ الَّذي مَلَكَ على الميدِيِّينَ في أَحْمَتا

فبَنى حَولَها أَسْوارًا مِن حِجارةٍ مَنحوتةٍ عَرضُها ثَلاثةُ أَذرُعٍ وطولُها سِتَّة، وجَعَلَ ٱرتِفاعَ السُّورِ سَبْعينَ ذِراعًا وعَرضَه خَمْسين

وشَيَّدَ على أَبْوابِها أَبْراجًا بِمائَةِ ذِراع، وأَرْسى أُسُسًا في عَرْضِ سِتِّينَ ذِراعًا

وجَعَلَ أَبْوابَها أَبْوابًا يَبلُغُ ٱرتِفاعُها سَبْعينَ ذِراعًا وعَرْضُها أَرْبَعين، لِخُروجِ مُعظَمِ قُوَّاتِه وٱستِعْراضِ مُشاتِه

في تِلكَ الأَيَّامِ شَنَّ نَبوكَدْنَصَّرُ المَلِكُ حَرْبًا على أَرْفَكْشادَ المَلِكِ في السَّهْلِ الكَبير وهو السَّهْلُ الَّذي في أَرضِ رَعاوى

فٱنضَمَّ إِلَيه جَميعُ سُكَّانِ النَّاحِيَةِ الجَبَلِيَّة وجَميعُ السَّاكِنينَ على الفُراتِ ودِجلةَ ويادَسون وفي سُهولِ أَرْيوكَ مَلِكِ عَليم. فٱجتَمَعَت أُمَمٌ كَثيرةٌ لِمُحاربَةِ بَني كَلْعود

فأَوفَدَ نَبوكَدْنَصَّر، مَلِكُ أَشُّور، إِلى جَميعِ سُكَّانِ بِلادِ فارِس وجَميعِ سُكَّانِ النَّاحِيَةِ الغَربِيَّة وسُكَّانِ قيلِيقية ودِمَشْقَ ولُبْنان ولُبْنانَ الشَّرقِيِّ وجَميعِ سُكَّانِ السَّاحِل

والَّذينَ مِن أُمَمِ الكَرمَلِ وجِلْعاد والجَليلِ الأَعْلى وسَهْلِ يِزْرَعيلَ الواسِع

وجَميعِ الَّذينَ مِنَ السَّامِرَةِ ومُدُنِها وعِبْرِ الأُردُنِّ إِلى أُورَشَليم وبَيتَ عَنوت وكِلُّود وقادِش ونَهْرِ مِصْرَ وتَحْفَنْحيس ورَمْسيس وأَرضِ جاسانَ كُلِّها

إِلى ما وَراءَ صوعَن ونُوف وجَميعِ سُكَّانِ مِصْرَ إِلى حُدودِ الحَبَشة

وٱستَهانَ جَميعُ سُكَّانِ الأَرضِ كُلِّها بِأَوامِرِ نَبوكَدْنَصَّرَ مَلِكِ أَشُّور ولم يَنضَمُّوا إِلَيه لِلقِتال، لِأَنَّهم لم يَكونوا يَخافونَه، بل قاوَموه مُقاوَمةَ رَجُلٍ واحِد، ورَدُّوا الرُّسُلَ فارِغي الأَيدي خَزايا الوُجوه

فغضبَ نَبوكَدْنَصَّرُ غَضَبًا شَديدًا على تِلكَ الأَرضِ كُلِّها وحَلَفَ بِعَرْشِه ومُلكِه لَيَنْتَقِمَنَّ مِن جَميعِ بِلادِ قيليقية والشَّامِ وسورية ويُهلِكَنَّ أَيضًا بِسَيفِه جَميعَ السَّاكِنينَ في أَرضِ موآب وبَني عَمُّون وكُلِّ اليَهودِيَّة وجَميعَ الَّذينَ في مِصْرَ إِلى حُدودِ البَحْرَين

وصَفَّ جَيشَه لِمُحارَبَةِ أَرْفَكْشادَ المَلِكِ في السَّنَةِ السَّابِعَةَ عَشرَةَ، فغَلَبَه في القِتال ودَحَرَ جَيشَ أَرْفَكْشادَ كُلَّه وجَميعَ فُرْسانِه وجَميعَ مَركَباتِه

وأَخضَعَ مُدُنَه وزَحَفَ على أَحْمَتا فٱستَولى على أَبْراجِها ونَهَبَ ساحاتِها وحَوَّلَ زينَتَها إلى عار

وقَبَضَ على أَرْفَكْشادَ في جِبالِ رَعاوى وطَعَنَه بِرِماحِه وأَبادَه لِلأَبَد

ثُمَّ عادَ مع جَيشِه الخَليطِ الغَفيرِ جِدًّا من المُحارِبينَ الَّذينَ ٱنضَمُّوا إِلَيه، وأَقامَ هُناكَ مائةً وعِشْرينَ يَومًا لا يُبالي بِشَيء ويَتَنَعَّمُ بِالمآكِلِ هو وجَيشُه