Column 9

1 For one error he shall be punished two years, but one who acts with a high hand shall not return again. Only the one who errs 2 shall be tested for two years as to the perfection of his way and his counsel, at the word of the many, and afterward he shall be written in his rank for the holy community. 3 When these are in Israel according to all these rules, as a foundation of the spirit of holiness for eternal 4 truth, to atone for the guilt of transgression and the unfaithfulness of sin, and for acceptance for the land, more than the flesh of burnt offerings and the fat of sacrifice, and the offering of 5 the lips for judgment is like a pleasing aroma of righteousness, and perfection of way is like the freewill gift of an acceptable offering: at that time the men of 6 the community shall set apart a holy house for Aaron, to be joined as a holy of holies, and a house of community for Israel, those who walk in perfection. 7 Only the sons of Aaron shall rule in judgment and in property, and at their word the lot shall go out for every rule of the men of the community. 8 And the property of the men of holiness who walk in perfection, their property shall not be mixed with the property of the men of deceit, who 9 have not purified their way so as to separate from iniquity and to walk in perfection of way. And from any counsel of the Torah they shall not depart, to walk⁠a 10 in all the stubbornness of their heart, but they shall be judged by the first judgments, in which the men of the community began to be instructed, 11 until the coming of a prophet and the messiahs of Aaron and Israel. 12 These are the statutes for the instructor, to walk in them with every living person, according to the rule for each time and the weight of each man: 13 to do the will of God according to all that has been revealed for each time; and to learn all the insight that has been found according to the times, and 14 the statute of the time; to set apart and weigh the sons of Zadok according to their spirit, and to hold fast to the chosen ones of the time according to 15 his will, as he commanded; and to carry out each man’s judgment according to his spirit; to let each draw near according to the purity of his hands, and according to his insight 16 to advance him; and so shall be his love along with his hatred. And he shall not reprove or dispute with the men of the pit, 17 but shall hide the counsel of the Torah in the midst of the men of iniquity; and shall reprove with true knowledge and righteous judgment those who choose 18 the way, each according to his spirit, according to the rule of the time, to guide them with knowledge, and so to give them insight into the mysteries of wonder and truth in the midst of 19 the men of the community, to walk perfectly each with his fellow in all that has been revealed to them. That is the time of preparing the way 20 to the wilderness. And he shall give them insight into all that is found to be done at this time, and to separate from every man who has not turned his way 21 from all iniquity. And these are the rules of the way for the instructor in these times, for his love along with his hatred: eternal hatred 22 toward the men of the pit in a spirit of concealment, to leave to them property and the labor of hands, like a slave to the one who rules over him, and humility before 23 the one who lords over him. And each shall be zealous for the statute and its time, for the day of vengeance, to do what is acceptable in every undertaking of the hands 24 and in all his dominion, as he commanded. And all that is done to him he shall accept as a freewill gift, and apart from the will of God he shall desire nothing. 25 In all the words of his mouth he shall delight, and he shall not crave anything that he has not commanded, and for the judgment of God he shall watch always. 26 […] … he shall bless his maker, and in all that happens he shall recount [… with the offering of] the lips he shall bless him,