The Yehawmilk stele, de Clercq stele, or Byblos stele, also known as KAI 10 and CIS I 1, is a Phoenician inscription from c.450 BC found in Byblos at the end of Ernest Renan's Mission de Phénicie.[1] Yehawmilk (Phoenician [1]), king of Byblos, dedicated the stele to the city’s protective goddess Ba'alat Gebal.[2]
It was first published in full by Melchior de Vogüé in 1875. In the early 1930s, the bottom right corner of the stele was discovered by Maurice Dunand.[3] The main part of the stele is in the Louvre, whilst the bottom right part is in the storerooms of the National Museum of Beirut[4] and has never been on public display.[5]
| (line 1-2) | ’NK YḤWMLK MLK GBL BN YḤRB‘L BN BN ’RMLK MLK / GBL | I am Yehawmilk, King of Byblos, the son of Yeharbaal, grandson of Urimilk,[8] King of Byblos, | |
| (2) | ’Š P‘LTN HRBT B‘LT GBL MMLKT ‘L GBL | whom Baalat Gebal made king of Byblos. | |
| (2-3) | WQR’ ’NK / ’T RBTY B‘LT GBL WŠM‘ [H’] QL | I call to my Lady of Byblos, and [''She''] hears (my) voice. | |
| (3-4) | WP‘L ’NK LRBTY B‘LT / GBL HMZBḤ NḤŠT ZN ’Š BḤ[ṢR]H Z | I built for my Lady Baalat Gebal that bronze altar that is in this cou[''rt-temple''] of Hers, | |
| (4-5) | WHPTḤ ḤRṢ ZN ’Š / ‘L PN PTḤY Z | and that gold engraving that is opposite this inscription of mine, | |
| (5) | WH‘PT ḤRṢ ’Š BTKT ’BN ’Š ‘L PTḤ ḤRṢ ZN | and that gold bird that is on the stone «TKT» (pillar?) that is next to that gold engraving, | |
| (6) | WH‘RPT Z’ W‘MDH WHR[’]ŠM ’Š ‘LHM WMSPNTH | and that portico and its columns, and the ca[''pi'']tals upon them, and its ceiling. | |
| (6-7) | P‘L ’NK / YḤWMLK MLK GBL LRBTY B‘LT GBL | I, Yehawmilk, King of Byblos, made (this work) for my Lady Baalat Gebal. | |
| (7-8) | KM ’Š QR’T ’T RBTY / B‘LT GBL WŠM‘ QL WP‘L LY N‘M | When I call to my Lady Baalat Gebal, She hears my voice, and does good things to me. | |
| (8-9) | TBRK B‘LT GBL ’YT YḤWMLK / MLK GBL | May Baalat Gebal bless Yehawmilk, King of Byblos. | |
| (9) | WTḤWW WT’RK YMW WŠNTW ‘L GBL | And may She grant him long life, and may She prolong his days and years (as king) over Byblos. | |
| (9) | K MLK ṢDQ H’ | For he is a righteous king. | |
| (9-10) | WTTN / [LW HRBT B]‘LT GBL ḤN L‘N ’LNM WL‘N ‘M ’RṢ Z | May [''the Lady Ba'']alt of Byblos grant [''him''] favor in the eyes of the gods and in the eyes of the people of this land, | |
| (10-11) | WḤN ‘M ’R-Ṣ / Z [WḤN L‘N] KL MMLKT | and may She grant favor to the people of this land, [''and favor in the eyes of''] the whole kingdom. | |
| (11-12) | WKL ’DM ’Š YSP LP‘L ML’KT ‘LT MZ-BḤ / ZN | And as for any person who shall continue to work on this altar | |
| (12) | [W‘LT PT]Ḥ ḤRṢ ZN W‘LT ‘RPT Z’ | [''and on''] this gold [''engrav'']ing and on this portico, | |
| (12-13) | ŠM ’NK YḤWMLK / MLK GBL [TŠT ’T]K ‘L | my name, «Yehawmilk, King of Byblos», [''will you place, together with''] your own (name), upon that work. | |
| (13-14) | W’M ’BL TŠT ŠM ’TK W’M TS-R / M[L’]KT Z’ | If you do not place my name with yours (upon it), or if you remove this w[''or'']k, | |
| (14) | [WTS]G ’T [PTḤY] Z DL YSDH ‘LT MQM Z | [''or if you mo'']ve this [''inscription of mine''] and its base from this spot, | |
| (14-15) | WTGL / MSTRW | or if you reveal its hiding-place, | |
| (15) | TSRḤ[W] HRBT B‘LT GBL ’YT H’DM H’ WZR‘W | the Lady Baalat Gebal shall make that man and his progeny stink | |
| (16) | ’T PN KL ’LN G[BL] | before all the gods of By[''blos''] (i.e., She will make them disgusted by the gods). |