and
orders were sent out to the whole army, saying, Arm yourselves, get your
weapons ready, for we shall set out to do battle with the miserable
enemy at daybreak. The king sat in his tent, the officers made their
preparations, and the rations of the servants were provided. The
military sentries went about crying, Be firm of heart. Be firm of heart.
Keep watch, keep watch. Keep watch over the life of the king in his
tent. And a report was brought to His Majesty that the country was
quiet, and that the foot soldiers of the south and north were ready. On
the twenty-first day of the first month of the season Shemu
(March-April) of the twenty-third year of the reign of His Majesty, and
the day of the festival of the new moon, which was also the anniversary
of the king's coronation, at dawn, behold, the order was given to set
the whole army in motion. His Majesty set out in his chariot of
silver-gold, and he had girded on himself the weapons of battle, like
Horus the Slayer, the lord of might, and he was like unto Menthu [the
War-god] of Thebes, and Amen his father gave strength to his arms. The
southern half of the army was stationed on a hill to the south of the
stream Kina, and the northern half lay to the south-west of Megiddo; His
Majesty was between them, and Amen was protecting him and giving
strength to his body. His Majesty at the head of his army attacked his
enemies, and broke their line, and when they saw that he was
overwhelming them they broke and fled to Megiddo in a panic, leaving
their horses and their gold and silver chariots on the field. [The
fugitives] were pulled up by the people over the walls into the city;
now they let down their clothes by which to pull them up. If the
soldiers of His Majesty had not devoted themselves to securing loot of
the enemy, they would have been able to capture the city of Megiddo at
the moment when the vile foes from Kadesh and the vile foes from this
city were being dragged up hurriedly over the walls into this city; for
the terror of His Majesty had entered into them, and their arms dropped
helplessly, and the serpent on his crown overthrew them. Their horses
and their chariots [which were decorated] with gold and silver were
seized as spoil, and their mighty men of war lay stretched out dead upon
the ground like fishes, and the conquering soldiers of His Majesty went
about counting their shares. And behold, the tent of the vile chief of
the enemy, wherein was his son, was