01 · Original text
Sabaic
Ancient South ArabianComplete surviving text
Normalized Unicode reading from the cited edition; editorial brackets and uncertain readings are retained.
Scholarly transliteration
Wfym ʾḏrḥ bn Kbs¹ym w-Fwlm w-Ddn ʾqwl s²ʿbn Tnʿmm w-Tnʿm— t hqny ʾlmqh Ṯhwn bʿl ʾwm ḏn ṣlm— n ḏ-ḏhb*n* ḥmdm b-ḏt ḫmr-hw ʾlmqh bʿl ʾwm hwfy-hw b-ʾmlʾ w-tbs²rt tbs²r-h— w b-kn s¹tydʿ mrʾ-hw Lḥyʿṯt Yrḫm mlk S¹bʾ w-ḏ-Rydn l-s¹bʾ w-tq<d>mn b-ḥrbt ḥr— bw ʾḥbs²n ʾdm-hw w-bqr-hw b-S¹hm w-b- mw wrḫn ḏ-b-hw ḥrb<w> ʾdm-hw w-bqr-hw f-s¹bʾ Wfym ʾḏrḥ bn Kbs¹ym w-b-ʿm-hw Ḥmlt ḏ-Grfm w-ḏ-bn ʾs²s²n w-ḏ-bn ʾhl Ḥs²— dm w-s²ʿb-hw Tn*ʿ*mm ms³rm w-ḥgrm w-ḏ-bn ʾʿrbn w-Ḫwln Gddn w-ḫmr-hmw ʾlmqh bʿ— l ʾwm s¹bʾ s¹bʾt ṣdqm w-b-mw hwt wr— ḫn f-b-hw ḥrbw ʾdm-hw w-bqr-hw f-tnq— m Wfym ʾḏrḥ bn Kbys¹m ʾzwd ʾḥbs²— n b-wdyn ḏ-Ḥrḍ b-ʾs¹m ḏ-ys¹myn Rydtm w-l— fyw b-hw ʾḥllm w-s¹bym w-ġnmm ḏ-hrḍ— w-hmw w-tʾwl Wfym ʾḏrḥ w-gys²-hw b-wfy— m w-ḥmd ḫyl w-mqm ʾlmqh bʿl ʾwm b-ḏt hwfy-hw b-kl ʾʾrḫ s¹ṭry b-ḏt hqnytn w-l-wzʾ ʾlmqh hwfy-hw b-kl ʾmlʾ ys¹tm— lʾn b-ʿm-hw w-l-s¹ʿd-hw ʾlmqh ḥẓy w-rḍw mrʾ-hw Lḥyʿṯt Yrḫm mlk S¹bʾ w-ḏ-Rydn w-l-ḫryn-hw ʾlmqh bn nḍʿ w-s²ṣy s²nʾm | qrb w-rḥq b-ʾlmqh Ṯhwn bʿl ʾwm
02 · Translation
English translation
1–8
Wafī Adhraḥ ibn Kabsī, Fawlum and Dadān, qayls of the tribe Tanʿim and Tanʿimat, dedicated this bronze statue to Almaqah Thawān, lord of Awwām, in gratitude because Almaqah, lord of Awwām, granted him all the oracles and good news that he had announced to him, when his lord Laḥayʿathat Yarkham, king of Sabaʾ and dhū-Raydān, ordered him to campaign and take command after the Abyssinians had plundered his vassals and livestock in Sihām.
9–14
When they plundered his vassals and livestock, Wafī Adhraḥ ibn Kabsī went on campaign, accompanied by Ḥamalat dhū-Garaf, some Nashshānites, some men of Ḥashid, the tribe of Tanʿin—recruits and commanders (?)—some Arabs, and Khawlān Gudādān. Almaqah, lord of Awwām, granted them a successful expedition.
14–21
At the time when the Abyssinians plundered his vassals and livestock, Wafī Adhraḥ ibn Kabsī retaliated against the Abyssinians’ supplies in Wādī Ḥaraḍ with a leader named Raydat. There they obtained spoils, prisoners and booty to their satisfaction. Wafī Adhraḥ and his troop returned safely and praised the authority and power of Almaqah, lord of Awwām, because he had protected him throughout all the events recorded in this dedication.
22–26
May Almaqah continue to grant him every favour he asks of him. May Almaqah grant him the favour and goodwill of his lord Laḥayʿathat Yarkham, king of Sabaʾ and dhū-Raydān, and protect him from the harmful magic and malice of any enemy, near or far. By Almaqah Thawān, lord of Awwām.
English rendering of François Bron’s French translation (2012), as edited in DASI, FB-Maḥram Bilqīs 2; Semitica 54, pp. 82–87. CC BY 4.0 record data.
Fawlum and Dadān’s relationship to the dedicant is left unresolved. Robin (2014), pp. 188–189, interprets the attacked dependants and cattle as the king’s and places the response in the same month.