How closely the Moabite Stele belongs into the El Amarna period may be surmised by the naming of cities outside the borders of Israel which were destroyed by the rebels of Mesha. These cities were: Mahzibti, Giluni, Magdali, Uste, Tahsi and Ubi. See EA#185 & 189.

For our young readers, the Mesha Stele is written in Ugaritic Hebrew script.

Translation as given in Andre Lemaire article:

1. I am Mesha, the son of Kemosh[ît], king of Mesha, the
2. Dibonite. My father ruled over Moab for 30 years, and I ruled
3. after my father. I made this high place for Kamosh in Qeriho, the high pla[ce of the Sa]
4. vior, for he saved me from all the kings and let me enjoy the sight of all my enemies. Omri
5. (was) king of Israel, and he oppressed Moab many days, for Kamosh was angry with his
6. land. And his son succeeded him, and he too said: "I will oppress Moab." In my days, he said so,
7. but I enjoyed his sight and that of his house. And Israel perished utterly forever. And Omri had taken possession of the land of
8. Medeba. And he dwelt in it in his days and the sum of the days of his sons: 40 years; but Kamosh
9. restored it in my days. And I built Baal-meon, and I made a reservoire in it; and I built
10. Qiryatên. And the men of Gad had dwelt in the land of Atarot from of old, and the king of Israel built
11. Atarot for himself; but I fought against the town and took it, and I slew all the people:
12. the town belonged to Kamosh and to Moab. And I brought thence the altar-hearth of his Beloved, and I dragged
13. it before Kamosh in Qirat/my town. And I settled in it the men of Sharon and the men of
14. Maharat. And Kamosh said to me: "Go! Take Nebo against Israel." And I
15. went by night and fought against it from break of dawn till noon. And I
16. took it and slew all: 7,000 men, boys, women, girls,
17. and pregnant women, because I had devoted it to Ashtar-Kamosh. And I took thence the altar-
18. hearths of YHWH, and I dragged them before Kamosh. And the King of Israel had built
19. Yahaz, and dwelt therein while he fought against me; but Kamosh drove him out before me, and
20. I took from Moab two hundred men, all the chiefs thereof, and I established them in Yahaz; and I took it
21. to add it to Dibon. I built Qeriho: the wall of the parkland and the wall
22. of the acropolis; and I built its gates, and I built its towers; and
23. I built the king's house; and I made banks for the water reservoir inside
24. the town; and there was no cistern inside the town, in Qeriho, and I said to all the people: "Make yourself
25. each a cistern in his house"; and I dug the ditches for Qeriho with prisoners
26. of Israel. I built Aroer, and I made the highway through the Arnon.
27. I built Bet-bamot, for it was destroyed; and I built Bezer, for it was in ruins.
28. [And] the men of Dibon were fitted out for war because all Dibon was obedient. And i ruled
29. [over a] hundred of towns that I added to the land. And I built
30. [the temple of Made]ba and the temple of Diblaten and the temple of Baal-meon; and I established there
31. [............] the sheep of the land. And the house [of Da]vid^*) dwellt in Horonên
32. [............] and Kamosh said to me: "God down! Fight against Horonên." And I went down, and [I
33. [fought against the town, and took it; and] Kamosh [resto]red it in my days. And I took up thence ten
34. [.............] .... And I [..... [BAR, May/June 1994]


*) On an inquiry if other letters then `d' could have been written in line 31, A. Lemaire answered: "Mr. Todd's suggestion to study other possible restorations is natural. From the paleographic point of view, the missing letter could be almost any Moabite letter. However, there are not many north-west Semitic words in the form "-WD". After trying to find other solutions that would fit contextually, I saw none other than "[D]WD ([])". Since meeting several colleagues during the last five months, none has proposed another letter. I am waiting for any proposition of another reasonable restoration." [BAR, Nov/Dec, p. 72]{Presumably the sought for letters may be above the red line(?).}



The Translation of George Barton:

I am Mesha, son of Kemoshmelek, the king of Moab, the Dibonite. My father was king over Moab for thirty years, and I became king after my father.

And I made this high place for Kemosh in Qarhar . . . because of the deliverance of Mesha, and because he has saved me from all the kings and because he caused me to see [my desire] upon all who hated me. Omri, king of Israel -- he oppressed Moab many days, because Chemosh was angry with his land.

And his son succeeded him, and he also said I will oppress Moab. In my day he spoke according to this word, but I saw my desire upon him and upon his house, and Israel utterly perished forever.

Now Omri had possessed all the land of Medeba and dwelt in it his days and half the days of his son, forty years, but Chemosh restored it in my day. And I built Baal-meon and I made in it the reservoir and I built Kiryathaim. And the men of Gad had dwelt in the land of Ataroth from of old and the king of Israel had built for himself Ataroth. And I foutht against the city and took it, and I slew all the people of the city, a sight pleasing to Chemosh and to Moab.

And I brought back from there the altar-hearth of Duda and I dragged it before Chemosh in Kiryoth. And I caused to dwell in it the men of Sharon and the men of Meharoth (?).

And Chemosh said to me: "Go take Nebo against Israel"; and I went by night and fought against it from break of dawn till noon, and I took it and slew all, seven thousand men, boys (?), and women, and girls, for I had devoted it to Ashtar-Chemosh.

And I took from there the altar-hearths of Yahweh, and I dragged them before Chemosh. And the king of Israel built Jabaz and dwelt in it while he fought with me and Chemosh drove him out from before me. And I took from Moab two hundred men, all its chiefs, and I led them against Jahaz and took it to add unto Dibon.

And I built Qarhar (?), the wall of the forests and the wall of the hill; and I built its gates and I built its towers, and I built the kings house, and I made the sluices (?) for the reservoir of water in the midst of the city.

And there was no cistern in the midst of the city, in Qarhar (?); and I said to all the people: "Make you each a cistern in his house;" and I cut the cuttings for Qarhar (?) with the help of the prisoners of Israel. I built Aroer and I made the highway by the Arnon. And I built Beth-bamoth, for it had been destroyed. And I built Bezer, for it was in ruins....(Chi) of Dibon were fifty, for all Dibon was obedient. And I ruled. And I ruled a hundred....in the cities which I had added to the land. And I built [Mede]ba and Beth-diblathan. And [as for] Beth-baal-meon, there I placed sheep-raisers....sheep of the land... And [as for] Horonaim there dwelt in it....and.....Chemosh said unto me: "Go down, fight against Horonaim," and I went down and....Chemosh in my day, and from there.....and I.......

[George A Barton, `Archaeology and the Bible', Seventh Edition, p. 460-461]