Scholarship on Letter: T-S 16.251

Recto

1. In the Name of the Merciful One
2. God … peace unto his people, may He spread the canopy of His peace, in which all those who seek refuge in Him will be protected. On it
3. will be…all the sacrifices, and in it will be fulfilled all the blessings on our brethren, our beloved ones, the ones dear to us, and [colleagues]
4. of our hearts, [we long to see you] … the holy congregation of those living in the land of Greece, (they are the holy congregation, the community of M[ara]thea) who are dispersed in the field of the Edomites, subject
5. to the power of the enemy, handed over to the yoke of the persecutors, bearing the [brunt] of the taskmasters’ staffs. May God help them and bless them.
6. May He have mercy on them and shine His countenance upon them, selah. May He hoist a banner before the nations, to gather them in to His [i.e., their] inheritance and to His place of repose, there
7. where He yearned for it [i.e., His seat] to be, with all that is written [in Scripture] for a life of joy and happiness for the redeemed ones of the Lord, as He reassured [us in Scripture:]
8. “Now, the redeemed ones of the Lord will return, and they will go to Zion in joy,” etc. Accept my greetings … love, joy, compassion
9. and grace … on His people and His dwelling … [our generation] in holiness, the inheritance of
10. your forefathers … Jacob, and from the messengers of peace who are pure, mighty like … of his word, and afterwards
11. from us and from the [j]udges. our colleagues,men of repute, dignitaries, representatives of the congregation, and bailiffs of the [chari]ty funds
12. … on our entire community, the community of No-Amon, which is the city of Alexandria in Eg[ypt] …
13. May the countenance of the Lord always shine upon you, to perpetuate and to continue His blessings upon you. May it be His will …
14. our prayer on your behalf … we have been forced, our brethren, to renew …
15. on account of our brothers held captive, from among your community, on account of the hardships of the [recent] years, and on account of the magnitude of the troubles and the commotion …
16. with us, and they are Eliah and Leo, the sons of … and just now this Eliah, son of R …, came to us …
17. and he informed us of your kindness and your protection to …
18. this same Leo while he was with you, and he communicated our greetings …
19. … and he, with the help of Heaven will dep[art] …
20. they ask you, and you should be gathered together until …
21. the property, and you will see her …
22. until Leo comes to you …
23. His mercy …
24. “And I will plant them in th[eir land, and they will not be displaced again from their land which I gave him, said]
25. the Lord your God.” …
26. …
27. from the creation of the universe
28. to include …
29. the heads …
30. …