Letter of Hattusili to the King of Babylon

This way says Hattusili, Great King, King of Hatti: Say to Kadashman-Enlil, Great King,
King of Babylonia, my brother:
I am well. My household, my wife, my sons, my infantry, my horses, my (two-wheeled,
horse-drawn vehicles), and everything in my land is well.
May you be well! May your household, your wives, your sons, your infantry, your
horses, your (two-wheeled, horse-drawn vehicles), and everything in your land be very well!
When your father and I established friendly relations and became sweet and kind brothers,
we did not become brothers for a single day. Did we not establish (close emotional bond
between men/organization of men) and friendly
relations forever? We then set down an agreement with one another as follows: "We are
mortal. The survivor will protect the children of the one who goes first to his unavoidable future."
Then when
your father went to his unavoidable future while the gods prepared long life for me, I cried for
him like a
brother. After I had satisfied my suffering (in sadness) responsibilities for your father, I dried my
tears and
immediately dis- patched a messenger, writing to the rich men of Babylonia as follows: "If you
do not protect the child/outcome of my brother relating to/connected to rule, I will become
hateful to you. I will
come and win (by force) Babylonia. But if an enemy somehow rises/comes up against you, or
some matter
becomes troublesome for you, write to me so that I can come to your aid." But my brother was a
child in those days, and they did not read out the tablets in your presence. Now are none of
those
writers still living? Are the tablets not preserved? Let them read those tablets to you now. I wrote
these words to them with good plans/desires but Itti-Marduk-balatu -- whom the gods have
caused
to live far too long, and in whose mouth bad/unhelpful words with the words he wrote to me:
"You
do not write to us like a brother. You pressure us as if we were your subjects."
Let me ask my brother: How did I pressure them as if they were my subjects? Have the
people of Babylonia ever pressured the people of Hatti? (looking at things in the opposite way),
have the people of Hatti
in fact ever pressured the people of Babylonia? I wrote to them with good plans/desires: "The
child/outcome of my brother Kadashman-Turgu will be protected," but Itti-Marduk-balatu wrote
this
to me. How did I write an evil and cruel word to them, that Itti-Marduk-balatu should write these

things to me? In fact, I wrote to them this way: "<lf> you do not protect the son of your lord
in
regard to rule, and if an enemy land rises/comes up against you, I will not come to your aid." I
have by no
means taken the word of Itti-Marduk-balatu to heart. In those days my brother was a child, and
Itti-Marduk-balatu, that evil man, spoke as he pleased. How should I take his word seriously?
What's more, my brother: Because my brother wrote to me: "Concerning my cutting off
my messengers - since the Ahlamu are hateful, I have cut off my messengers." - how can this
be,
that you, my brother, have cut off your messengers on account of the Ahlamu? Is the might of
your kingdom small, my brother? Or has maybe Itti-Marduk-balatu has spoken bad/unhelpful
words before my brother, so that my brother has cut off messengers? In the land of my brother
horses are more (existing in very large amounts) than straw. Should I in fact have sent a
thousand (two-wheeled, horse-drawn vehicles) to
meet your messenger in Tuttul, so that the Ahlamu would have kept their hands off? And if my
brother should say as follows: "The King of Assyria will not allow my messenger to enter his
land" - in infantry and (two-wheeled, horse-drawn vehicle)ry the King of Assyria does not
measure up to the forces of your
land. What is the King of Assyria who holds back your messenger while my messengers cross
over and over again? Does the King of Assyria hold back your messengers so that you, my
brother, cannot
cross to my land? My brother, you are a Great King, and in a long life may you be! Look, my
brother, how I keep sending my messengers out of love for my brother, while my brother does
not send his messenger. Does my brother not know this? Every word which my brother sent me
I
will keep/hold. Only if two kings are hateful do their messengers not travel constantly between
them. Why, my brother, have you cut off your messengers?
What's more, my brother: About the messenger of the King of Egypt of whom my
brother wrote me - I write now as follows to my brother concerning this messenger of the King
of Egypt: When your father and I established friendly relations and became brothers, we spoke
as
follows: "We are brothers. To the enemy of one another we will be hateful, and with the friend of
one another we will be friendly." And when the King of Egypt and I became angry with one
another, I wrote to your father, Kadashman-Turgu: "The King of Egypt has become hateful to
me." And your father wrote to me as follows: "If your troops go against Egypt, then I will go
with you, if you go against Egypt, I will send you whatever infantry and (two-wheeled,
horse-drawn vehicle)ry I have at my
disposal." Now, my brother, ask your rich men. They will tell you whether he would have sent
infantry and (two-wheeled, horse-drawn vehicle)ry to go with me, as many as he promised, if I
had gone. But what did I ever

accept? My enemy who had escaped to another country left and went to the King of Egypt.
When I wrote to him: "Send me my enemy," and he did not send me my enemy, then, because
of
this, I and the King of Egypt became angry with one another. Then I wrote to your father: "The
King of Egypt is coming to the aid of my enemy." At that time your father cut off the messenger
of the King of Egypt. When my brother became King, you sent your messenger to the King of
Egypt, and the matter of the messenger of the King of Egypt... And the King of Egypt accepted
your presents, and you accepted his presents. Now you are an adult. If you send your
messenger
to the King of Egypt, would I limit/hold down you in any way?