o) and I will see my desire on him and
his house, and I will destroy Israel with an everlasting
destruction. Now Omri took the land of Medeba, and (the enemy)
occupied it in (his days and in) the days of his son, forty years.
And Chemosh (had mercy) on it in my days; and I fortified Baal-Meon,
and made therein the tank, and I fortified Kiriathaim. For the men
of Gad dwelt in the land of (Atar)oth from of old, and the king (of)
Israel fortified for himself Ataroth, and I assaulted the wall and
captured it, and killed all the warriors of the wall for the
well-pleasing of Chemosh and Moab; and I removed from it all the
spoil, and I (offered) it before Chemosh in Kirjath; and I placed
therein the men of Siran and the men of Mochrath. And Chemosh said
to me, Go take Nebo against Israel. (And I) went in the night, and
I fought against it from the break of dawn till noon, and I took it
and slew in all seven thousand (men, but I did not kill) the women
(and) maidens, for (I) devoted them to Ashtar-Chemosh; and I took
from it the vessels of Yahveh, and offered them before Chemosh. And
the king of Israel fortified Jahaz and occupied it, when he made war
against me; and Chemosh drove him out before (me, and) I took from
Moab two hundred men, all its poor, and placed them in Jahaz, and
took it to annex it to Dibon. I built Kirkha, the wall of the
forest, and the wall of the city, and I built the gates thereof, and
I built the towers thereof, and I built the palace, and I made the
prisons for the criminals within the walls. And there was no cistern
in the wall at Kirkha, and I said to all the people, Make for
yourselves, every man, a cistern in his house. And I dug the ditch
for Kirkha by means of the (captive) men of Israel. I built Aroer,
and I made the road across the Arnon. I built Beth-Bamoth, for it
was destroyed; I built Bezer, for it was cut (down) by the armed men
of Dibon, for all Dibon was now loyal; and I reigned from Bikran,
which I added to my land, and I built (Beth-Gamul) and
Beth-Diblathaim and Beth-Baal-Meon, and I placed there the poor
(people) of the land. And as to Horonaim, (the men of Edom) dwelt
therein (from of old). And Chemosh said to me, Go down, make war
against Horonaim and take (it. And I assaulted it, and I took it,
and) Chemosh (restored it) in my days. Wherefore I made . . . . year
. . . . and I . . . ."

{377}

AHAB.

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