(II.) “To the king my lord thus speaks Ebed-Tob thy servant:  at the feet of the king my lord seven times seven I prostrate myself.  What have I done against the king my lord?  They have slandered me, laying wait for me in the presence of the king, the lord, saying:  Ebed-Tob has revolted from the king his lord.  Behold, neither my father nor my mother has exalted me in this place; the prophecy of the Mighty King has caused me to enter the house of my father.  Why should I have committed a sin against the king the lord?  With the king my lord is life.  I say to the officer of the king [my] lord:  Why dost thou love the Confederates and hate the governors?  And constantly I am sending to the presence of the king my lord to say that the countries of the king my lord are being destroyed.  Constantly I am sending to the king my lord, and let the king my lord consider, since the king my lord has appointed the men of the guard who have taken the fortresses.  Let Yikhbil-Khamu [be sent]....  Let the king send help to his country. [Let him send troops] to his country which protects the fortresses of the king my lord, all of them, since Elimelech is destroying all the country of the king; and let the king send help to his country.  Behold, I have gone down along with the king my lord, and I have not seen the tears of the king my lord; but hostility is strong against me, yet I have not taken anything whatever from the king my lord; and let the king incline towards my face; let him despatch a guard [for me], and let him appoint a commissioner, and I shall not see the tears of the king my lord, since the king [my] lord shall live when the commissioner has departed.  Behold, the countries of the king [my lord] are being destroyed, yet thou dost not listen to me.  All the governors are destroyed; no governor remains to the king the lord.  Let the king turn his face to his subjects, and let him send auxiliaries, even the troops of the king my lord.  No provinces remain unto the king; the confederates have wasted all the provinces of the king.  If auxiliaries come this year, the provinces of the king the lord will be preserved; but if no auxiliaries come the provinces of the king my lord are destroyed.—­[To] the secretary of the king my lord Ebed-Tob [says:] Give a report of my words to the king my lord:  the provinces of the king my lord are being destroyed by the enemy.”

(III.) “[To] the king my lord [speaks] Ebed-Tob [thy] servant:  [at the feet of the king] my lord seven [times seven I prostrate myself.  Behold, let] the king [listen to] the words [of his servant]....  Let [the king] consider all the districts which are leagued in hostility against me, and let the king send help to his country.  Behold, the country of the city of Gezer, the country of the city of Ashkelon and the city of La[chish] have given as their peace offerings food and oil and whatsoever the fortress needs.  And let the king send help to his troops; let him despatch troops against the men who have rebelled