Suzerain-Vassal Treaties

Bronze tablet in 1235 B.C. testifying to the treaty between Tudhaliya IV (Egyptian) and Kurunta of Tarhuntassa (Hittite), which promises the sovereignty of Tarhuntassa and another territory to Kurunta and his sons for the future.





Another Hittite treaty, found at Hattusus, following the same 2nd millenium treaty format.


Following is a translated text of a treaty which dates from the 13th century BC. I unashamedly copied this from another website.

The translation by Herr Moeller of Berlin has been re-
vised for the English edition by Mr. F. LI. Griffith, with the
help of Prof. W. Max Muller's revised text and commentary
(" Der Biindnis-vertrag Ramses II. und des Chetiterkonigs,"
Berlin, 1902).


TITLES OF SUZERAIN AND VASSAL
The treaty which the great prince of Kheta, Kheta-
sar, the mighty, the son of Marsar, the great prince
of Kheta, the mighty, the son's son of Saparer, the
great prince of Kheta, the mighty, drew up on a silver
tablet for Ramses II. the great ruler of Egypt, the
mighty ,f (etc.) the good treaty of peace and alli-
ance which (establishes good) peace and (good friend-
ship between them) for ever.

HISTORICAL PROLOGUE
Formerly, from time immemorial, the relations be-
tween the great ruler of Egypt and the great prince
of Kheta were such that the god permitted no hos-
tility to arise between them, (and this was) on the
basis of a (former) treaty.

* The names and titles of the ambassadors are much
mutilated.

But in the time of Mutnara, the great prince of
Khatti, my brother, he fought with [Ramses II.] the
great ruler of Egypt. But thereafter, from this day
forward, Khetasar etc. makes a treaty for estab-
lishing the relationship that the god Ra and the god
Sutekh have made for the land of Egypt and the
land of Kheta, that no enmity shall arise between
them for ever. Lo, Khetasar etc. has entered into
agreement with Ramses II. etc. from this day forth
that there may subsist between us good peace and
good alliance for ever. He is allied with me, he is
at peace with me, and I am allied with him and am
at peace with him for evermore.

Now whereas Mutnara etc. my brother hastened
( ?) unto his fate, and Khetasar sits upon the throne of
his father as great prince of Kheta, behold, I with
Ramses II. and he with me are in our peace and our
alliance and they are better than the peace and alliance
that were aforetime on earth ; behold I the great prince
of Kheta and Ramses II. are in good peace and good
alliance, and the children's children of the great prince
of Kheta shall (?) make alliance and peace with the
children's children of Ramses II., so that our rela-
tionship of alliance shall be our policy (?), Egypt and
the land of Kheta (being ?) at peace and in alliance
like us for evermore ; no enmity shall arise between
them for ever. The great prince of Kheta shall never
invade the land of Egypt to plunder it (i, a}, and
Ramses II. the great ruler of Egypt shall never invade
the land of Kheta to plunder it.

STIPULATIONS/LAWS
The reciprocal (?) treaty which existed in the time
of Saparer the great prince of Kheta, and also the
reciprocal (?) treaty which was in the time of Mutnara,
the great prince of Kheta my father, by it I hold, and
behold, Ramses II. holds to it, we two together
from this day forth hold to it, and we are in mutual
(?) agreement.

( 2) If another should come as an enemy into
the lands of Ramses II., and he should send to the
great prince of Kheta saying : " Come to my help
against him," then shall the great prince of Kheta
[go to his help] and smite his enemies. But if the
great prince of Kheta desire not to march forth (in
person) then shall he send forth his footmen and his
horsemen that they may smite the enemy.

( 3) Or if Ramses II. be wroth with foreign sub-
jects (?) who have acted hostilely (?) to him and
march forth to smite them, then shall the great
prince of Kheta act (in agreement) with the great
lord of Egypt.

( 2, a) If another should come as an enemy into
the land of the great prince of Kheta . . . (From the
remains it may be gathered that this and the next
section (3, a), corresponded approximately, mutatis
mutandis, to the two preceding.)

(The next section ( 4) is much mutilated. It is how-
ever certain that mutatis mutandis it ran like 4, a).

(5) (If) servants (escape), be it one or two un-
known men, and come into the land of Kheta to
make themselves servants of another, then shall the
prince of Kheta not receive them into his land but
shall deliver them up to Ramses II.

( 4, a) If a great man flee from the land of Kheta
and come to Ramses II., whether he be a citizen or a
dweller in the country, or if any inhabitants of the
land of Kheta [have fled and] come to Ramses II.,
then shall Ramses II. not receive them, but shall
deliver them up to the great prince of Kheta and
shall not suffer them to dwell (in Egypt).

( 5, a) (If one or two unknown men escape and
come to the land of Egypt to be servants to others,
etc. mutatis mutandis like section 5.)

READING, DEPOSITION, AND WITNESSES
These words (of the treaty made by) the great
prince of Kheta with Ramses II. the great ruler (of
Egypt), written on this silver tablet, these words are
witnessed by a thousand gods and a thousand god-
desses of the land of Kheta, together with a thousand
gods and a thousand goddesses of the land of Egypt ;
to these words a (witness) is Ra, the lord of heaven,
etc. (there follows a long list of Hittite divini-
ties and a summary mention of the Egyptian
Pantheon.)

BLESSINGS AND CURSES
Whosoever shall not observe the words that are
written on this silver tablet for the land of Kheta
and the land of Egypt, the thousand gods of the land
of Kheta and the thousand gods of the land of Egypt
shall destroy his house, his land and his servants.
But whosoever shall observe the words that are
written on this silver tablet, whether he be of the
Hittites or the Egyptians, if he do not forget them
the thousand gods of the land of Kheta and the
thousand gods of the land of Egypt shall give life and
health unto him and to his house ( ?) as well as to his
land and to his servants.

OATH, CEREMONY, SANCTIONS
Copy of the silver tablet which Khetasar the great
prince of Kheta sent to Pharaoh by his ambassador
Tarteseb and his ambassador Rames to beg favour
before the majesty of King Ramses II.

In the year 21 on the 2ist day of the month Tobe
under the majesty of Ramses II., king of Upper and
Lower Egypt, (etc.). . . . This day behold his
majesty was at the city " the House of Ramses "
doing the good pleasure of his father Amon-Ra, (etc.)
. . . there came (two Egyptian ambassadors with
three (?) Hittite ambassadors bearing a tablet)*
which Khetasar the great prince of Kheta had sent to
Pharaoh to pray for grace from his majesty the
king . . . Ramses II.

In this alliance and extradition treaty we have
the renewal of an earlier agreement, one of the
consenting parties to which was Saparer, the grand-
father of King Khetasar.



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The Sinai Covenant closely resembles the Suzerain-Vassal treaty format

TITLE
Exo 20:2a I am the LORD your God,

HISTORICAL PROLOGUE
Exo 20:2b who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

STIPULATIONS/LAWS
Exo 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before {Or besides} me.
Exo 20:4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
Exo 20:5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
Exo 20:6 but showing love to a thousand [generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Exo 20:7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
Exo 20:8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days you shall labour and do all your work,
Exo 20:10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.
Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Exo 20:12 "Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
Exo 20:13 "You shall not murder.
Exo 20:14 "You shall not commit adultery.
Exo 20:15 "You shall not steal.
Exo 20:16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.
Exo 20:17 "You shall not covet your neighbour's house. You shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour."

READING, DEPOSITION, AND WITNESSES
Exo 24:3 When Moses went and told the people all the LORD's words and laws, they responded with one voice, "Everything the LORD has said we will do."

Exo 24:12 The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction."

Exo 25:21 Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you.

(No pagan gods are called as witnesses to the covenant. In Deuteronomy, "heaven and earth" are called as witnesses to the covenant. (Dt. 30:19-20) This is a way of saying that everything created, in heaven and on earth, is a witness to God's loving and gracious covenant with his people.)


BLESSINGS AND CURSES
Exo 23:20 "See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.
Exo 23:21 Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him.
Exo 23:22 If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you.
Exo 23:23 My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.
Exo 23:24 Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces.
Exo 23:25 Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you,
Exo 23:26 and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.
Exo 23:27 "I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run.
Exo 23:28 I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way.
Exo 23:29 But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you.
Exo 23:30 Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.
Exo 23:31 "I will establish your borders from the Red Sea {Hebrew Yam Suph; that is, Sea of Reeds} to the Sea of the Philistines, {That is, the Mediterranean} and from the desert to the River. {That is, the Euphrates} I will hand over to you the people who live in the land and you will drive them out before you.
Exo 23:32 Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods.
Exo 23:33 Do not let them live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare to you."

OATH, CEREMONY, SANCTIONS
Exo 24:4 Moses then wrote down everything the LORD had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel.
Exo 24:5 Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings {Traditionally peace offerings} to the LORD.
Exo 24:6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar.
Exo 24:7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, "We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey."
Exo 24:8 Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, "This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words."
Exo 24:9 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up
Exo 24:10 and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, {Or lapis lazuli} clear as the sky itself.
Exo 24:11 But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.