1
Ahiqar was a wise and skilled scribe in the court of the kings of Assyria. He served at the palace gate, guarded the royal seal, and gave counsel in matters of state.
2
In the days of Sennacherib he rose in honor because his counsel was measured, his memory was strong, and he did not speak before hearing a matter.
3
Yet Ahiqar had no son of his own, and he grieved that his house, his words, and the discipline he had gathered through years of service might pass without an heir.
4
He petitioned El for a son and then took Nadan, the son of his sister, receiving him into his own house as a son.