Then the king Esarhaddon turned away his face from me and spoke to Nabushemak, the chief of the executioners, who had been my friend, and said, “Take Ahikar, smite off his head, and remove it a hundred ells from his body.”  And I fell on my face and said, “O king, live for ever!  It is thy will to slay me, yet I know that I have not sinned against thee.  Now, my lord, I beseech thee, command that I may be slain before the door of my own house, and that my body may be given to my wife to be buried.”  And the king gave commandment accordingly.

Now as they were taking me to my house, I sent a messenger before me to my wife Ashfagni, who was a very wise woman.  And she, when she heard what had happened, did not waste time in making lamentation, but hastened and prepared refreshment for Nabushemak and for the slaves that were his helpers.  She came forth to meet them, and accompanied them into the house, and set food and wine before them; and the slaves drank of the wine till they were drunken and fell into a deep sleep, every one in his place.

Then I said to Nabushemak, “Do you remember how, when the father of the king delivered you to me to be put to death, I spared you because I knew that you had not done that for which you were condemned; and how, when the king learned that you were guiltless, he took you into favour again, and rewarded me?  Now I swear to you that I likewise have not conspired against king Esarhaddon, but I have been falsely accused.  Save me therefore; but lest the rumour should be spread abroad that I have not been put to death, do this.  I have a prisoner in my house who is condemned justly to death.  Take my clothes and put them upon him, and smite off his head; behold, your servants are drunken and will perceive nothing, and I will be in hiding until the day when the truth is made known.”

And Nabushemak was glad—­for he was my friend—­and agreed; and it was done as I advised.  The slaves took the prisoner and smote off his head, perceiving nothing, and gave his body to be buried instead of me; and it was published throughout all Nineveh and Assyria that Ahikar was dead.

Then Nabushemak and my wife Ashfagni made a hiding-place in the ground; it was four cubits long and three broad and five in height, and it was covered with a stone.  There they hid me, and gave me bread and water to eat, secretly, and there I abode many days.  But Esarhaddon was grieved in spirit, and said to Nadan, “Go to the house of Ahikar and celebrate his funeral, for he was thy uncle, and served me and my father faithfully for a long time.”  So Nadan came to my house; but he did not celebrate my funeral.  He gathered together strange men and women, and feasted with them, and sang, and drank, and was drunken.  He mocked at my wife Ashfagni, and as for my servants, who loved me and had been long in my house, he stripped them and beat them and ill-treated them until I heard the voice of their weeping and crying in my hiding-place, and I prayed the Most High to deliver us and to reward Nadan according to his works.