To the king, my lord and my sun: Message of Lab'ayu, your servant and the dust under your feet. At the feet of the king, my lord and my sun, sevenfold seven times I fall.
I have heard the words that the king wrote to me. And who am I, that the king should lose his land through my fault? Look, I am a loyal servant of the king; I have not transgressed, nor have I committed fault, and I have not withheld my tribute, nor have I disregarded the demands of his commissioner.
Now, he wrongly denounces me, and the king, my lord, does not examine my crime.
Furthermore, is my crime that I entered the city of Gezer and I declared, “Will the king take my property and not the property of Milk-ilu?” He knows the deeds that Milk-ilu has done against me!
Another matter: the king sent for my son. I did not know that my son was carrying on with the Hapiru. I herewith hand him over to Addaya.
Furthermore, even if the king sent for my wife, (heaven forbid) that I should withhold her. Even if the king wrote to me, "Sink a bronze dagger in your heart and die," (heaven forbid) that I should not execute the king's command!
