A Prophetic Letter from Mari

Tell my lord: Addu-duri, your servant, sends this message.

Dreams of the Empty Temple

Since your father’s household fell, I have not experienced a dream like this. These are the two signs I had before: In my dream I went into Belet-ekallim’s temple. Belet-ekallim was not sitting there, and the statues before her were gone. I saw this and started crying. I had this dream during the first watch of the night. As I turned back, Dada, the priest of Ishtar of Bishra, was standing at Belet-ekallim’s gate. A strange voice was repeatedly crying, “Return, Dagan! Return, Dagan!” It went on crying these words.

An Oracle for Zimri-Lim

On another matter, a female ecstatic stood up in Annunitum’s temple and said, “Zimri-Lim, do not leave on a military expedition. Stay in Mari, and I will keep giving you answers.”

A Warning and Enclosures

My lord must take care to protect himself. Now I have sealed up a lock of my hair and the fringe of my garment and sent them to my lord.