Today’s letter is pretty great. It’s one of a handful of letters we have from Israel during biblical times, written on shards of broken pottery. This one was sent around 625 BCE and found about ten miles south of modern Tel Aviv.
The deteriorated state of the letter’s ending makes its interpretation tentative, but it may connect to this biblical law. The nameless sender apparently made a deal with Hoshayahu, fulfilled his end of it, but still lost his shirt, so he asks for justice to be enforced. He cites his “brothers” (i.e. fellow workers) as witnesses.
The style of the letter is a little odd. One theory is that the crop worker got a scribe to write the letter for him, and the scribe phrased it in formal legal language — but, to illustrate the urgent desperation of his client, the scribe also quoted from him directly. (My quotation marks, along with any words in brackets, are speculative.)
May my lord, the administrator, hear his servant’s plea.
Your servant is a crop worker. Your servant is from Haṣar Asam.
When your servant finished harvesting, he stored it up in timely fashion, then took a break.
After your servant had finished the harvesting and storage in timely fashion, Hoshayahu ben Shobay came and took your servant’s tunic.
“After I had finished my harvesting — that was when he took your servant’s tunic! Now, all of my brothers can testify for me, since they harvested with me in the heat of the sun. My brothers can testify for me, I swear! I’m innocent of bre[aching contract. As collateral, I had promised] my tunic, but then I fulfilled (my vow).”
The administrator has the power to ret[urn] the serv[ant’s garment] and show him mercy. You must [list]en to your servan[t’s plea] and not be silent.
(To the tune of the Toreador March) He wants his shirt, he wa-ants his shirt! He wants his shirt! He wants his shirt!
Mooncustafer 