city of Keilah. They have seized the district of the city of Rabbah. The
country of the king has gone over to the Confederates. And now at this
moment the city of the mountain of Jerusalem, the city of the temple of
the god Nin-ip, whose name is Salim (?)," (Or, adopting the reading of
Dr. Zimmern, "The city whose name is Bit-Nin-ip.") "the city of the
king, is gone over to the side of the men of Keilah. Let the king listen
to Ebed-Tob thy servant, and let him despatch troops and restore the
country of the king to the king. But if no troops arrive, the country of
the king is gone over to the men even to the Confederates. This is the
deed [of Su-ar]datun and Malchiel...."

The loyalty of Ebed-Tob, however, seems to have been doubted at the
Egyptian court, where more confidence was placed in his rival and enemy
Su-ardata (or Su-yardata, as the owner of the name himself writes it).
Possibly the claim of the vassal-king of Jerusalem to have been
appointed to his royal office by the "Mighty King" rather than by the
"great king" of Egypt, and consequently to be an ally of the Pharaoh and
not an ordinary governor, may have had something to do with the
suspicions that were entertained of him. At all events we learn from a
letter of Su-yardata that the occupation of Keilah by Ebed-Tob's
enemies, of which the latter complains so bitterly, was due to the
orders of the Egyptian government itself. Su-yardata there says--"The
king [my lord] directed me to make war in the city of Keilah: war was
made; (and now) a complaint is brought against me. My city against
myself has risen upon me. Ebed-Tob sends to the men of the city of
Keilah; he sends silver, and they have marched against my rear. And the
king knows that Ebed-Tob has taken my city from my hand." The writer
adds that "now Labai has taken Ebed-Tob and they have taken our cities."
In his subsequent despatches to the home government Su-yardata complains
that he is "alone," and asks that troops should be sent to him, saying