“(The) King of Upper (and) Lower Egypt, Menmaatre, Son of Re,
Seti I Merenptah, says to his fathers, all the Upper Egyptian kings,
the Lower Egyptian kings, rulers of (the) people”.
“(…) it is concerning the affectation of/ while posting my staff of
mine-water transporters for gold– washers to my temple, to place
them for (the) supply to my house [in Abydos, for the delivery of
gold? To] my chapel,
Other parts of the text concern a royal threat to future successors and
officials who removed the temple personal to place them in another
foundation:
“As for any king who shall overthrow any of my plans and says: ‘The
lands are under my authority and they are mine as they were his’,
(this is) a bad thing in the opinion of the gods. See, he will be
accused in Heliopolis, they are the (divine) tribunal […] they will
defend their property. They will become red as fiery flame, they shall
burn up their flesh, those who fail to listen to me, and they will
consume whoever upsets my plans, to cast him (down) on the
slaughtering-block of the Netherworld. I have said these (things) to
you; so let him who is free of his crime take him, but indeed, as for
another who is slippery-hearted, it is the Ennead of gods who will
deal with him”
“As for any official who shall encourage this idea in his master, to
remove personnel, to place them in some other endowments,
according to the manner of an evil witness: he is destined to the fire,
hich shall burn up his body with flames and shall devour his limbs,
because his Majesty has done these (things) for their essence (lit. KA),
the gods of my temple”.23
Severe physical punishments lay ahead for disobedient kings24 and
insubordinate officials who showed no respect for the king’s
provisions. The threat offers the most remarkable description of
punitive undertakings against violators, in this decree there is no
reference to filial rejection, beating, or removal from the royal office,
but they might be taken for granted at seeing the consequences of
disobedience for the royal persona and his ka. Corporeal punishment
in both royal and non-royal cases included the total annihilation of
the individual by executing him and burning his body.