منحة في رسالة: T-S 10J27.8

Recto

1. the love …
2. us the sea …
3. all of us in Alexandr[ia] …
4. their women, because they lacked the strength
5. and when our captors and our scoffers saw that they were unable …,then the first barrier was breached; they laid us out
6. in the market and we were sold for 40 gold pieces, [and] for 50, 70, 87 and 100 to the Muslims
7. and to the Chr[istia]ns. We remained in the custody of those who bought us for about five days, after which the heads of the [Jewish] community approached in bitter tears and supplicated7
8. before the [leader]s of the city. God, who succors, helped them [i.e., the Jewish supplicants]. However, they were forced to return us to the brigands. Then the pirates, on account of the depth of
9. their anger, said they would kill us, and they acted very cruelly towards us. The tied our hands behind us so tightly that blood spilled from
10. our arms. They bound our legs together in irons and beat us mercilessly. Then came the heads of the [Jewish] community and took us on
11. the following condition: If they [i.e., the representatives of the community] did not pay the money by a certain time, they would return us to them [i.e., the pirates]. So, our masters, lift up your eyes to the Holy One, Blessed be He,
12. and have mercy on us and save our lives from the sword, for the pirates who seized us cannot take us
13. and sell us elsewhere, because they have a band prepared to go to plunder in the land of Greece, and the strength of this community is already diminished
14. and they cannot even attend to our sus[ten]ance. Meanwhile, the brigands have promised that, come the time, they will either cut off our heads before
15. the community, or they will sell us to the Christians or Muslims. Therefore, our Masters, make every effort on our behalf, according to your noble
16. custom, for God’s sake, lest we die and the barrier be breached. Do not give up on us, rather hurry and save us.

Margin

For there is no help or support except the Holy One, Blessed be He, and you, for the Lord does not withhold the wages of any one who does …

Verso address (two columns)

…ryah, the honorable R. Bir…shalom / Eliah vrzyds…/ [Ger]shom the younger, son of R. Is[rael] May this letter be brought to the honorable man of holiness our teacher and master, Judah, head of the community and prince of the treasured nation / … son of the honorable man of holiness, our teacher and master, Sa‘adyah (may his soul be bound in the bond of life) עשכשצבש