Scholarship on Letter: T-S 13J13.16

1. ‘The Lord answer you in the day of trouble! The name of the God of  Jacob protect you!’ (Pss 20:2).  
2. ‘May He send you help from the sanctuary, and give you support from  Zion’ (Pss 20:3).  
3. ‘He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the  needy’ (Pss 72:13).  
4. To the honourable, great and holy, glorious crown and diadem, a good  name from above.  
5. To our master and teacher, our lord David the Great Prince, Head of all  Israel in Exile,  
6. may our God keep him and our Lord preserve him and our Creator protect him, and may God allow him  
7. to see male offspring from his loins, to take his place and the place of  his righteous ancestors.  
8. May He extend his days and his years in delight. Amen.
9. Your poor maidservant – pathetic, grief-stricken, wretched, worried and impoverished  
10. by my sins – I hereby present my supplication [before the Lord and]  before you, that you may pay heed to the words of  
11. your maidservant, ‘because my sighs are many and my heart is [faint]’ (Lam 1:22), for I am all alone: I have neither  
12. husband, nor son, nor daughter, nor brother, nor sister. I am ‘like a  lonely bird  
13. on a rooftop’ (Pss 102:8). As my sins and my transgressions increased,  I developed a serious affliction upon my nose,  
14. and the infection spread, and it festered and my face was eaten away. This disease is worsening,  
15. and I cannot perform any work. I am naked, thirsty, and I lack
16. everything. I am powerless. There is no one to take care of me, even if  I were to die.  
17. Now then, [I] throw myself down before the Lord and before my lord,  that you might show pity to me, according to your kindness,  
18. and take action for me, for the sake of the Lord and the sake of the  merit of your righteous,  
19. pious and pure ancestors. ‘You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you, and light [will shine] on your ways’ (Job 22:28).
20. And may my lord order a charitable collection in any place that our  lord desires,  
21. either in Cairo or the city, that I may find compassion and respite  from the Lord and from you.  
22. And let my lord not send me back empty-handed […] and humiliated from him. I shall be praying  
23. to the Lord for your pleasant and good name. And may God Almighty bless you, make you fruitful  
24. and multiply you, so that you become a congregation of nations, and  may He give Abraham’s blessing to you  
25. and to your descendants with you. And may your wellbeing increase and grow, and may your honour accrue  
26. and become greater than all others’, forever and for all eternity.  Amen. 

Recto

1. "May the Lord answer you in time of trouble, the name of Jacob's God keep you safe" (Psalm 20:2). 
2. "May He send you help from the sanctuary, and sustain you from Zion" (Psalm 20:3).
3. "He cares about the poor and the needy; He brings the needy deliverance” (Psalm 72:13). 
4. To your honor, greatness, and holiness, the excellent diadem and crown and good name from on high.
5. To our master and teacher our lord David the great nasi, head of the diasporas of all Israel,
6. may God protect you and grant long life to our lord and may our Creator guard you and may God grant
7. that you see sons from your loins taking your place and the place of your righteous
8. fathers, and may He lengthen your days and years with pleasantness, amen.
9. Your slave woman, poor, wretched, woeful, worried, and afflicted
10. on account of my sins—I cast my entrea[t]y  [...] before you, so that you heed the words of
11. your slave, for many are my sighs and my he[ar]t is sick. I am on my own. I have neither
12. husband nor son nor daughter nor brother nor sister, and I wander about like a lonesome bird
13. on a rooftop. Because my sins and iniquities multiplied I became afflicted on my nose, then the
14. malady spread and my face became wasted and eaten away. The disease gets worse and worse
15. and I cannot work. Meanwhile I am naked, thirsty, destitute,
16. and have no means of sustenance. Nobody takes care of me, even if I were to die.
17. Therefore, I cast myself down before the Lord and before my lord, so that you might take pity on me in your kindness
18. and act toward me for the sake of the Lord and for the sake of the merit of your righteous and pious
19. fathers, "and d[ecr]ee and it will be fulfilled, and light
20. will shine upon your affairs" (Job 22:28). May my lord order a pe[s]iqa in every place our lord wishes,
21. whether in Cairo or in "the city," so that I may be given compassion and respite by the Lord and by you.
22. Do not turn me away empty-hande[d ... and d]isappointed by you. I shall pray
23. to [the Lord] and for your generou[s ... ] name. [... May] Almighty God bless you and make you flourish
24. and great, so that you become a congregation of peoples, and may He give [y]ou and your descendants
25. the blessing of Abraham, and may your welfare grow and in[cr]ease and [may your] hono[r] grow great,
26. and for everything, may it become great foreve[r and] ever. Amen.