   p. 109   Translated by the Editor  The text of the following
curious document has been published by Dr. Strassmaier in his
Inschriften von Cambyses König von Babylon, Part I, No. 273
(Leipzig, 1890). It has unfortunately been injured in one or two
places, though in each case the reading can be restored with
more or less probability. The text describes the dedication of
three young men by their mother, Ummu-dhabat, to the service of
the Sun-god of Sippara, and thus offers an interesting parallel
to the history of the dedication of Samuel by his mother Hannah
(1 Sam. i.) Samuel, however, was "brought unto the house of the
Lord in Shiloh" as soon as he had been weaned, whereas the
Babylonian mother waited until her sons were grown up and had
been "counted among the men," before she presented them to Samas
the Sun-god.  They then became attached to "the house of the
males" (bit zikari), of which we hear several times in the
tablets published by Dr. Strassmaier.  p. 110  [paragraph
continues] Thus we are told t