An 9th or 8th cent. basalt monument set up by an Aramean king, likely Hazael or Ben Hadad to celebrate victory over Israel. The first fragment was found at Tel Dan by Avraham Biran during the 1993 excavation season. Two more fragments were discovered there during the 1994 season. Although the stela is broken, causing lacunae in the text, the parts that have survived have generated a great deal of interest due to the reference to bytdwd "house of David."
From Tel Dan. Published by Biran, A. & Naveh, J., "An Aramaic Inscription of the First Temple Period from Tel Dan," Qadmoniot 26 (1993), p74-81; "An Aramaic Stele Fragment from Tel Dan." IEJ 43 (1993), p81-93; "The Tel Dan Inscription: a New Fragment," IEJ 45 (1995), p1-18.
1. [.....................].......[...................................] and cut [.........................]
2. [.........] my father went up [....................f]ighting at/against Ab[....]
3. And my father lay down; he went to his [fathers]. And the king of I[s-]
4. rael penetrated into my father's land[. And] Hadad made me—myself—king.
5. And Hadad went in front of me[, and] I departed from ...........[.................]
6. of my kings. And I killed two [power]ful kin[gs], who harnessed two thou[sand cha-]
7. riots and two thousand horsemen. [I killed Jo]ram son of [Ahab]
8. king of Israel, and I killed [Achaz]yahu son of [Joram kin]g
9. of the House of David. And I set [.......................................................]
10. their land ...[.......................................................................................]
11. other ...[......................................................................... and Jehu ru-]
12. led over Is[rael...................................................................................]
13. siege upon [............................................................]Translation by André Lemaire, "The Tel Dan Stela as a Piece of Royal Historiography," JSOT 81 (1998), p3-14.