Column 1
1 For […] … for his life, [the book of the] rule of the community: to seek 2 God with [all the heart] and with [all the soul], to do what is good and upright before him, as 3 he commanded by the hand of Moses and by the hand of all his servants the prophets; and [1]to love all 4 that he has chosen and to hate all that he has rejected; to keep far from all evil 5 and to cling to all good works; and to do truth and righteousness and justice 6 in the land; and to walk no longer in the stubbornness of a guilty heart and eyes of fornication, 7 doing all evil; and to bring all who volunteer to do the statutes of God 8 into the covenant of kindness, to be joined in the counsel of God and to walk perfectly before him in all 9 that has been revealed for their appointed times; and [2]to love all the sons of light, each 10 according to his lot in the counsel of God, and to hate all the sons of darkness, each according to his guilt 11 in the vengeance of God. And all who volunteer for his truth shall bring all their knowledge and their strength 12 and their wealth into the community of God, to purify their knowledge in the truth of the statutes of God, and to order their strength 13 according to the perfection of his ways, and all their wealth according to his righteous counsel; and not to step aside from any one 14 of all the words of God in their ages, and not to advance their times or to fall behind 15 any of their appointed times; and not to turn from his true statutes to go to the right or to the left. 16 And all who come into the rule of the community shall pass over into the covenant before God, to do 17 according to all that he has commanded, and not to turn back from following him because of any fear or dread or testing 18 that comes in the dominion of Belial. And when they pass over into the covenant, the priests 19 and the Levites shall bless the God of salvation and all his works of truth, and all 20 who pass over into the covenant shall say after them, “Amen, amen.” 21 And the priests shall recount the righteous acts of God in his mighty works 22 and proclaim all his merciful kindnesses toward Israel. And the Levites shall recount 23 the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their guilty transgressions and their sins in the dominion of 24 Belial. [And all] who pass over into the covenant shall confess after them, saying, “We have done wrong, 25 we have transgressed, we have sinned, we have acted wickedly, we and our fathers before us, by walking 26 [contrary to the statutes of] truth and righteousness. [God has carried out] his judgment on us and on our fathers,
Column 2
1 but the mercies of his kindness he has shown to us from eternity to eternity.” And the priests shall bless all 2 the men of the lot of God, who walk perfectly in all his ways, and say, “May he bless you with all 3 good and keep you from all evil. May he light up your heart with the insight of life and favor you with eternal knowledge. 4 May he lift up the face of his kindness to you for eternal peace.” And the Levites shall curse all the men of 5 the lot of Belial. They shall speak up and say, “Cursed are you in all the wicked works of your guilt. May 6 God give you over to terror by the hand of all who take vengeance, and may he visit destruction upon you by the hand of all who pay back 7 rewards. Cursed are you, without mercy, according to the darkness of your works, and damned are you 8 in the gloom of eternal fire. May God not favor you when you call, and may he not forgive, to atone for your iniquities. 9 May he lift up the face of his anger to take vengeance on you, and may there be no peace for you in the mouth of all who hold fast to the fathers.” 10 And all who pass over into the covenant shall say after those who bless and those who curse, “Amen, amen.” 11 And the priests and the Levites shall go on and say, “Cursed for passing over with the idols of his heart 12 is the one who enters this covenant and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before him, to fall back because of it. And it will be, 13 when he hears the words of this covenant, that he will bless himself in his heart, saying, ‘Peace will be mine, 14 though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.’ But his spirit will be swept away, the thirsty with the watered, without 15 forgiveness. The anger of God and the zeal of his judgments will burn against him for eternal destruction. All 16 the curses of this covenant will cling to him, and God will set him apart for evil, and he will be cut off from the midst of all the sons of light, because he fell back 17 from following God on account of his idols and the stumbling block of his iniquity. He will put his lot in the midst of those cursed forever.” 18 And all who enter the covenant shall speak up and say after them, “Amen, amen.” 19 So they shall do year by year, all the days of the dominion of Belial. The priests shall pass over 20 first, in order, according to their spirits, one after another. And the Levites shall pass over after them, 21 and all the people shall pass over third, in order, one after another, by thousands and hundreds 22 and fifties and tens, so that every man of Israel may know his own standing place in the community of God 23 for an eternal council. And no one shall go down from his standing place or rise from the place of his lot. 24 For all shall be in a community of truth and good humility and loving kindness and righteous intent, 25 each toward his fellow in the holy council, and sons of the eternal assembly. And everyone who refuses to enter 26 [the covenant of] God, so as to walk in the stubbornness of his heart, shall not [pass over into the] community of his truth, for
Column 3
1 his soul has loathed the disciplines of knowledge, the judgments of righteousness. He has not held firm in turning his life around, and he shall not be counted with the upright. 2 His knowledge and his strength and his wealth shall not come into the council of the community, for he plows in the mud of wickedness, and there are stains 3 on his repentance. He will not be made righteous while he follows the stubbornness of his heart, and he looks on darkness as the ways of light. In the spring of the perfect 4 he shall not be counted. He will not be made innocent by atonements, or purified by waters of cleansing, or sanctified by seas 5 and rivers, or purified by any water of washing. Impure, impure he will be, all the days that he rejects the judgments of 6 God, so as not to be disciplined in the community of his counsel. [3]For it is by the spirit of the true counsel of God that the ways of a man are atoned for, all 7 his iniquities, so that he may look on the light of life. [4]And by the spirit of holiness, which joins him to his truth, he is purified from all 8 his iniquities, and by the spirit of uprightness and humility his sin is atoned for. [5]And by the humbling of his soul to all the statutes of God his flesh is purified, 9 to be sprinkled with waters of cleansing and sanctified with waters of purification. Let him then set his steps to walk perfectly 10 in all the ways of God, as he commanded for the appointed times of his testimonies, and not turn aside to the right or to the left, and not 11 step over any one of all his words. Then he will be accepted through pleasing atonements before God, and it will be for him a covenant of 12 the eternal community. 13 [6]For the instructor, to give insight and to teach all the sons of light about the generations of all the sons of man, 14 as to all the kinds of their spirits, with their signs, as to their works in their generations, and as to the visitation of their afflictions together with 15 their ages of peace. From the God of knowledge comes all that is and all that will be. Before they existed he set in place their whole design, 16 and when they come to exist at their appointed times, they fulfill their task according to his glorious design, and nothing can be changed. In his hand 17 are the judgments of all things, and he sustains them in all their needs. He created humankind to rule 18 the world, and he set for it two spirits in which to walk until the appointed time of his visitation. They are the spirits of 19 truth and of iniquity. In a spring of light are the generations of truth, and from a fountain of darkness are the generations of iniquity. 20 In the hand of the Prince of Lights is the rule over all the sons of righteousness; they walk in the ways of light. And in the hand of the Angel of 21 Darkness is all the rule over the sons of iniquity, and they walk in the ways of darkness. And by the Angel of Darkness comes the straying of 22 all the sons of righteousness, and all their sins and their iniquities and their guilt and the transgressions of their works are under his dominion, 23 according to the mysteries of God, until his end. And all their afflictions and their times of distress are under the dominion of his hostility, 24 and all the spirits of his lot try to make the sons of light stumble. But the God of Israel and his angel of truth help all 25 the sons of light. He created the spirits of light and of darkness, and on them he founded every work, 26 [and on their counsels] every service, and on their ways [every] visitation. The one God loves for all
Column 4
1 the ages of eternity, and in all its deeds he delights forever. The other, he detests its counsel, and all its ways he hates for all time. 2 And these are their ways in the world: to light up the heart of a man, and to make straight before him all the ways of true righteousness, and to make his heart fear the judgments of 3 God; and a spirit of humility and patience and abundant compassion and eternal goodness and insight and understanding and mighty wisdom that trusts in all 4 the works of God and leans on the abundance of his kindness; and a spirit of knowledge in every plan of action, and zeal for righteous judgments, and holy 5 intent with a steadfast inclination, and abundant kindness toward all the sons of truth, and a glorious purity that detests all the idols of impurity, and walking modestly 6 with prudence in all things, and concealing the truth of the mysteries of knowledge. These are the counsels of the spirit for the sons of truth in the world. [7]And the visitation of all who walk in it is healing 7 and abundant peace in length of days, and fruitful seed with all everlasting blessings, and eternal joy in life without end, and a crown of glory 8 with a robe of majesty in eternal light. 9 But to the spirit of iniquity belong greed and slackness of hands in the service of righteousness, wickedness and falsehood, pride and haughtiness of heart, lying and deceit, cruelty 10 and great hypocrisy, a short temper and great folly and insolent zeal, works of abomination in a spirit of fornication, and ways of impurity in the service of uncleanness, 11 and a tongue of blasphemies, blindness of eyes and dullness of ear, stiffness of neck and heaviness of heart, to walk in all the ways of darkness and evil cunning. And the visitation of 12 all who walk in it is an abundance of afflictions by the hand of all the angels of destruction, eternal ruin by the furious anger of the God of vengeance, everlasting terror and endless 13 disgrace, with the shame of destruction in the fire of the dark regions. And all their ages, for their generations, are spent in sorrowful mourning and bitter evil in the calamities of darkness, until 14 they are destroyed, with no remnant or survivor for them. 15 In these are the generations of all the sons of man, and in their divisions all their hosts have an inheritance for their generations, and in their ways they walk. And every deed 16 they do falls within their divisions, according to the inheritance of each, whether great or small, for all the ages of eternity. For God has set them side by side until the last 17 age, and he has put eternal enmity between their divisions. The deeds of iniquity are an abomination to truth, and all the ways of truth are an abomination to iniquity. And there is zealous 18 strife over all their judgments, for they do not walk together. But God, in the mysteries of his insight and in his glorious wisdom, has set an end for the existence of iniquity, and at the appointed time of 19 the visitation he will destroy it forever. And then the truth of the world will come out for all time, for it has wallowed in the ways of wickedness under the dominion of iniquity until 20 the appointed time of the judgment that is decreed. And then God will purify by his truth all the works of a man, and he will refine for himself the frame of man, to bring to an end every spirit of iniquity from the inward parts of 21 his flesh, and [8]to purify him with a spirit of holiness from all wicked deeds. And he will sprinkle on him a spirit of truth like waters of cleansing, from all the abominations of falsehood and from wallowing 22 in a spirit of impurity, to give the upright insight into the knowledge of the Most High, and to teach the wisdom of the sons of heaven to those whose way is perfect. [9]For God has chosen them for an eternal covenant, 23 and all the glory of Adam is theirs. And there will be no iniquity; all the works of deceit will be put to shame. Until now [10]the spirits of truth and of iniquity struggle in the heart of a man. 24 They walk in wisdom and in folly. And according to a man’s inheritance in truth he is righteous and so hates iniquity, and according to his share in the lot of iniquity he is wicked in it and so 25 detests truth. For God has set them side by side until the decreed end and the making of the new. And he knows the working of their deeds for all the ages of 26 … And he gave them as an inheritance to the sons of man, to know good [and evil], to cast the lots for every living thing according to his spirit on the [appointed] day of the visitation.
Column 5
1 And this is the rule for the men of the community who volunteer to turn back from all evil and to hold fast to all that he commanded as his will: to separate from the congregation of 2 the men of iniquity, to be a community in Torah and in property, answering to the sons of Zadok, the priests who keep the covenant, and to the majority of the men of 3 the community who hold fast to the covenant. At their word the decision of the lot shall go out for every matter, for Torah and for property and for judgment, to practice truth together, and humility, 4 righteousness and justice and loving kindness, and walking modestly in all their ways, so that no one shall walk in the stubbornness of his heart, to stray after his heart 5 and his eyes and the intent of his inclination, but rather to circumcise in the community the foreskin of the inclination and the stiff neck, to lay a foundation of truth for Israel, for a community of an eternal 6 covenant, [11]to atone for all who volunteer for holiness in Aaron and for the house of truth in Israel, and for those who join them for community and for dispute and for judgment, 7 to declare guilty all who transgress the statute. And this is the rule of their ways concerning all these statutes when they are gathered into the community: everyone who enters the council of the community 8 shall enter the covenant of God in the sight of all who volunteer. And he shall take upon himself by a binding oath to return to the Torah of Moses, according to all that he commanded, with all 9 his heart and with all his soul, according to all that has been revealed of it to the sons of Zadok, the priests who keep the covenant and seek his will, and to the majority of the men of their covenant 10 who volunteer together for his truth and to walk in his will. And he shall take upon himself by the covenant to separate from all the men of iniquity who walk 11 in the way of wickedness. For they are not counted in his covenant, since they have not sought him or inquired after him in his statutes, to know the hidden things in which they have strayed, 12 incurring guilt; and the revealed things they have done with a high hand, raising up anger for judgment and for taking vengeance by the curses of the covenant, so that great judgments are carried out on them 13 for eternal destruction with no remnant. He shall not enter the water to touch the purity of the men of holiness, for they will not be purified 14 unless they turn from their evil, for impurity is in all who transgress his word. And no one shall be joined with him in his work or in his wealth, lest he burden him 15 with guilty iniquity. He shall keep far from him in every matter, for so it is written: “From every false matter you shall keep far.” And no man of the men of 16 the community shall answer at their word in any instruction or judgment. And no one shall eat anything of their property, or drink, or take anything at all from their hand 17 without paying for it, as it is written: “Have nothing more to do with a human who has only breath in his nostrils, for what is he worth?” For 18 all who are not counted in his covenant are to be set apart, they and all that is theirs. And the man of holiness shall not lean on any works of 19 vanity, for vanity are all who do not know his covenant. And all who spurn his word he will destroy from the world, and all their works are impurity 20 before him, and uncleanness is in all their property. And when anyone enters the covenant to act according to all these statutes, to be joined to the holy congregation, they shall examine 21 his spirit in the community, between one man and his fellow, according to his insight and his works in the Torah, at the word of the sons of Aaron who volunteer in the community to establish 22 his covenant and to keep all his statutes that he commanded to be done, and at the word of the majority of Israel who volunteer to return in the community to his covenant. 23 And they shall write them in order, each before his fellow, according to his insight and his works, so that all obey, each his fellow, the lesser the greater. And they shall 24 examine their spirit and their works year by year, to promote each according to his insight and the perfection of his way, or to set him back according to his perversity; to reprove 25 each his fellow in truth and humility and loving kindness toward a man. He shall not speak to him in anger or in complaint 26 or with a [stiff] neck [or in the zeal of] a wicked spirit, and he shall not hate him [in the uncircumcision of] his heart, but on that very day he shall reprove him, and not
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1 bear iniquity because of him. [12]And also, no one shall bring a matter against his fellow before the many unless it is with reproof before witnesses. In these ways 2 they shall walk in all their dwelling places, everyone who is found with his fellow. The lesser shall obey the greater in work and in money. Together they shall eat, 3 together they shall bless, and together they shall take counsel. And in every place where there are ten men of the council of the community, there shall not be lacking among them a man who is 4 a priest. And each shall sit before him according to his rank, and so they shall be asked for their counsel in every matter. And when they set the table to eat, or the new wine 5 to drink, the priest shall stretch out his hand first to bless the first portion of the bread or the new wine to drink, the priest shall stretch out his hand first 6 to bless the first portion of the bread and the new wine. And in the place where the ten are, there shall not be lacking a man who studies the Torah day and night, 7 continually, each taking over from his fellow. And the many shall keep watch together for a third of all the nights of the year, to read the book and to study judgment 8 and to bless together. This is the rule for the session of the many: each in his rank. The priests shall sit first, and the elders second, and the rest of 9 all the people shall sit each in his rank. And so they shall be asked about judgment and about every counsel and matter that concerns the many, each offering his knowledge 10 to the council of the community. No one shall speak in the middle of his fellow’s words, before his brother has finished speaking. And also, he shall not speak before the rank of one who is written 11 before him. The man who is asked shall speak in his turn. And in the session of the many no one shall speak any word that is not at the pleasure of the many and of the man 12 who is the overseer over the many. And any man who has a word to speak to the many, who is not in the position of the man who asks the counsel of 13 the community, that man shall stand on his feet and say, “I have a word to speak to the many.” If they tell him, he shall speak. And everyone from Israel who volunteers 14 to be added to the council of the community, the man appointed at the head of the many shall examine him as to his insight and his works. And if he is fit for discipline, he shall bring him 15 into the covenant, to turn to the truth and to turn away from all iniquity, and he shall instruct him in all the judgments of the community. And afterward, when he comes to stand before the many, they shall all be asked 16 about his affairs. And as the lot falls, by the counsel of the many, he shall draw near or keep away. And when he draws near to the council of the community, he shall not touch the purity of 17 the many until they examine him as to his spirit and his works, until a full year is complete for him. And he also shall have no share in the property of the many. 18 And when a year is complete for him in the midst of the community, the many shall be asked about his affairs, as to his insight and his works in the Torah. [13]And if the lot falls for him 19 to draw near to the assembly of the community, at the word of the priests and the majority of the men of their covenant, they shall also bring his property and his earnings to the hand of the man 20 who is the overseer over the earnings of the many, and they shall write it in the account by his hand, and he shall not spend it on the many. He shall not touch the drink of the many until 21 a second year is complete for him among the men of the community. And when the second year is complete for him, he shall be examined at the word of the many. And if the lot 22 falls for him to draw near to the community, he shall be written in the order of his rank among his brothers, for Torah and for judgment and for purity, and for the mixing of his property. And his counsel shall be 23 for the community, and his judgment. 24 And these are the judgments by which they shall judge in the study of the community, according to the cases. [14]If there is found among them a man who lies 25 about property, and he does so knowingly, they shall separate him from the midst of the purity of the many for one year, and he shall be punished by a quarter of his bread. And whoever answers 26 his fellow with a stiff neck, or speaks with a short temper, so as to break the foundation of his companion by disobeying his fellow who is written before him, 27 his own hand has saved him, and he shall be punished for one year [and separated. And] whoever mentions a matter in the name of the one honored above all … […]
Column 7
1 and if he cursed, whether startled by distress or for any reason he may have, … while he is reading the book or blessing, they shall separate him, 2 and he shall not return again to the council of the community. And if he spoke in wrath against one of the priests who are written in the book, he shall be punished for one 3 year and separated by himself from the purity of the many. But if he spoke in error, he shall be punished for six months. And whoever lies knowingly 4 shall be punished for six months. And the man who insults his fellow without cause, knowingly, shall be punished for one year 5 and separated. And whoever speaks to his fellow with deceit, or knowingly acts deceitfully, shall be punished for six months. And if 6 he is negligent toward his fellow, he shall be punished for three months. And if he is negligent with the property of the community, so that it is lost, he shall repay it … 7 in full. 8 And if he is not able to repay it, he shall be punished for sixty days. [15]And whoever bears a grudge against his fellow unjustly shall be punished for six months, one year. 9 And likewise for one who takes revenge for himself in any matter. And whoever speaks a foolish word with his mouth: three months. And for one who speaks in the middle of his fellow’s words: 10 ten days. And whoever lies down and sleeps in the session of the many: thirty days. And likewise for a man who leaves the session of the many 11 without permission and without cause, as many as three times in one session: he shall be punished for ten days. But if they are standing 12 and he leaves, he shall be punished for thirty days. And whoever walks naked before his fellow without being forced to shall be punished for six months. 13 And a man who spits into the midst of the session of the many shall be punished for thirty days. And whoever brings his hand out from under his garment, and it is 14 torn, so that his nakedness is seen, shall be punished for thirty days. And whoever laughs foolishly, making his voice heard, shall be punished for thirty 15 days. And whoever brings out his left hand to gesture with it shall be punished for ten days. And the man who goes about slandering his fellow, 16 they shall separate him for one year from the purity of the many, and he shall be punished. But a man who goes about slandering the many is to be sent away from them, 17 and he shall not return again. And the man who grumbles against the foundation of the community, they shall send him away, and he shall not return. But if he grumbles against his fellow 18 unjustly, he shall be punished for six months. And the man whose spirit swerves from the foundation of the community, so as to betray the truth 19 and to walk in the stubbornness of his heart, if he returns he shall be punished for two years. In the first he shall not touch the purity of the many, 20 and in the second he shall not touch the drink of the many, and he shall sit behind all the men of the community. And when 21 two years are complete for him, the many shall be asked about his affairs. And if they let him draw near, he shall be written in his rank, and afterward he may be asked about judgment. 22 … And every man who has been in the council of the community … for ten full years, 23 … and whose spirit turns back so as to betray the community, and he goes out from before 24 the many to walk in the stubbornness of his heart, shall not return to the council of the community again. And any man of the men of the community who shares 25 with him in his purity or in his property, [which he has mixed with the property of] the many, his judgment shall be like his: he is to be [sent away.]
Column 8
1 In the council of the community there shall be twelve men and three priests, perfect in all that has been revealed from all 2 the Torah, to practice truth and righteousness and justice and loving kindness and walking modestly, each with his fellow, 3 to keep faithfulness in the land with a steadfast inclination and a broken spirit, and to pay off iniquity by doing justice 4 and by the distress of refining, [16]and to walk with all by the measure of truth and by the rule of the time. When these are in Israel, 5 the council of the community is established in truth, as an eternal planting, a holy house for Israel and a most holy 6 assembly for Aaron, true witnesses for judgment and chosen by his will, to atone for the land and to repay 7 the wicked their reward. It is the tested wall, the precious cornerstone; 8 its foundations shall not shake or move from their place. It is a most holy dwelling 9 for Aaron, with everlasting knowledge, for a covenant of justice, and to offer a pleasing aroma; and a house of perfection and truth in Israel, 10 to establish … a covenant for eternal statutes. And they shall be accepted to atone for the land and to decide the judgment of wickedness, in perfection of way, and there shall be no iniquity. When these have been established in the foundation of the community for two years in perfection of way, 11 they shall be set apart as holy in the midst of the council of the men of the community. And every matter hidden from Israel and found by the man 12 who seeks, he shall not hide it from these out of fear of a backsliding spirit. And when these are a community in Israel 13 according to these rules, they shall separate from the midst of the dwelling of the men of iniquity to go to the wilderness, to prepare there the way of him, 14 as it is written: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” 15 [17]This is the study of the Torah, which he commanded by the hand of Moses, to do according to all that has been revealed time by time, 16 and as the prophets revealed by his holy spirit. And every man of the men of the community, the covenant of 17 the community, who turns aside from any commandment in anything, with a high hand, shall not touch the purity of the men of holiness 18 or know any of their counsel until his works are purified from all iniquity, to walk in perfection of way. And they shall bring him near 19 in the council at the word of the many, and afterward he shall be written in his rank. And according to this judgment for everyone who is added to the community. 20 And these are the judgments by which the men of perfect holiness shall walk, each with his fellow. 21 Everyone who enters the holy council, those who walk in perfection of way as he commanded: every man of them 22 who transgresses a word of the Torah of Moses with a high hand or by deceit, they shall send him away from the council of the community, 23 and he shall not return again. And no one of the men of holiness shall share in his property or in his counsel in any 24 matter. But if he acts in error, he shall be separated from the purity and from the council, and they shall study the judgment: 25 that he shall not judge anyone and shall not be asked for any counsel for two years. If his way is perfect 26 in the session, in study, and in council, at the word of the many, if he has not erred again until two years are complete for him. 27 …
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. [18]And from any counsel of the Torah they shall not depart, to walk 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,
Column 10
1 with the times that he decreed: at the beginning of the dominion of light, with its turning, and when it is gathered to its decreed dwelling; at the beginning of 2 the watches of darkness, when he opens his storehouse and sets it above, and at its turning, when it is gathered before the light; when the lights 3 shine forth from the holy height, and when they are gathered to the dwelling of glory; at the coming in of the seasons on the days of the new moon, together with their turning and 4 their handing over, one to another. When they are renewed, it is a great day for the holy of holies and a sign for the opening of his eternal kindnesses, at the heads of 5 the seasons in every age that comes to be; at the beginning of months for their seasons, and the holy days in their order, as a memorial in their seasons. 6 With the offering of the lips I will bless him, as a statute engraved forever: at the heads of years and at the turning of their seasons, when the statute of 7 their order is fulfilled, each day by its rule, one after another: the season of harvest to summer, and the season of sowing to the season of grass; the seasons of years to their weeks, 8 and at the head of their weeks to the season of release. And in all my existence the engraved statute shall be on my tongue as a fruit of praise and the portion of my lips. I will lift up 9 … I will sing with knowledge, and all my music shall be for the glory of God, and the strings of my lyre for the order of his holiness, and the flute of my lips I will raise to the measure of his judgment. 10 With the coming of day and night I will enter the covenant of God, and with the going out of evening and morning I will recite his statutes. And while they exist I will set 11 my boundary without turning back. And I will declare his judgment right, according to my perversity, and my transgressions are before my eyes like an engraved statute. And to God I will say, “My righteousness,” 12 and to the Most High, “Foundation of my goodness, source of knowledge and spring of holiness, height of glory and might of all, for eternal splendor.” I will choose what 13 he teaches me, and I will be content as he judges me. At the beginning of the undertaking of my hands and my feet I will bless his name; at the beginning of going out and coming in, 14 of sitting down and rising up, and when I lie on my bed, I will sing aloud to him. And I will bless him with the offering that comes from my lips, in the ranks of men, 15 and before I lift my hand to enrich myself with the delights of the produce of the world. At the beginning of fear and dread, and in the place of distress with desolation, 16 I will bless him for his great wonders, and on his might I will meditate, and on his kindnesses I will lean all the day. And I know that in his hand is the judgment of 17 every living thing, and truth are all his works. And when distress breaks out I will praise him, and in his salvation I will rejoice as well. [19]I will not repay anyone with an evil 18 reward; with good I will pursue a man. For with God is the judgment of every living thing, and he will repay a man his reward. I will not be jealous in a spirit of 19 wickedness, and my soul will not crave the wealth of violence. And in the dispute of a man of the pit I will not take part until the day of vengeance. But my anger I will not 20 turn back from the men of iniquity, and I will not be content until judgment is established. I will not bear a grudge in anger against those who turn back from transgression, but I will have no compassion 21 on all who turn from the way. I will not comfort the stricken until their way is perfect. And I will not keep Belial in my heart, and there will not be heard in my mouth 22 foolishness or sinful lying, and deceits and lies will not be found on my lips. But the fruit of holiness will be on my tongue, and abominations 23 will not be found on it. With thanksgivings I will open my mouth, and my tongue will recount the righteous acts of God continually, and the unfaithfulness of men until the end of 24 their transgression. Empty words I will banish from my lips, and impurities and perversities from the knowledge of my heart. With sound counsel I will hide knowledge, 25 and with prudent knowledge I will fence it in with a firm boundary, to keep faithfulness and strong judgment according to the righteousness of God. I will measure out 26 the statute by the measuring line of the times, and … […] righteousness, loving kindness toward the humbled, and strengthening of hands for the anxious [of heart, and to teach]
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1 understanding to those who stray in spirit, and to give insight in teaching to those who grumble, and to answer with humility before the haughty in spirit, and with a broken spirit to the men of 2 the rod, who point the finger and speak wickedness and are zealous for wealth. [20]As for me, my judgment belongs to God, and in his hand is the perfection of my way with the uprightness of my heart, 3 and by his righteous acts he will wipe out my transgression. For from the source of his knowledge he has opened his light, and my eye has looked on his wonders, and the light of my heart is in the mystery of 4 what will be and what is forever. The support of my right hand is on a strong rock; the way of my steps will not be shaken by anything. For the truth of God is 5 the rock of my steps, and his might is the staff of my right hand. And from the source of his righteousness comes my judgment, a light in my heart from his wonderful mysteries. On what is forever 6 my eye has looked: sound wisdom that is hidden from humankind, knowledge and prudent discretion hidden from the sons of Adam, a source of righteousness and a reservoir of 7 might, with a spring of glory hidden from the assembly of flesh. [21]To those whom God has chosen he has given them as an eternal possession, and he has given them an inheritance in the lot of 8 the holy ones, and with the sons of heaven he has joined their assembly, for a council of the community and an assembly of a holy building, for an eternal planting through every 9 age that comes to be. But I belong to wicked humankind and to the assembly of iniquitous flesh. My iniquities, my transgressions, my sins, … with the perversity of my heart, 10 belong to the assembly of worms and those who walk in darkness. For a human’s way is not his own, and a man does not direct his own step. For judgment belongs to God, and from his hand 11 comes perfection of way. [22]By his knowledge everything comes to be, and all that exists he establishes by his design, and without him nothing is done. As for me, if 12 I stumble, the kindnesses of God are my salvation forever. And if I fall through the iniquity of flesh, my judgment will stand in the righteousness of God for all time. 13 And if my distress breaks out, he will rescue my soul from the pit and make my steps firm on the way. In his compassion he has brought me near, and by his kindnesses comes 14 my judgment. In his true righteousness he has judged me, and in his great goodness he will atone for all my iniquities, and in his righteousness he will cleanse me from the impurity of 15 humankind and the sin of the sons of Adam, to give thanks to God for his righteousness and to the Most High for his splendor. Blessed are you, my God, who opens to knowledge 16 the heart of your servant. Establish all his works in righteousness, and grant to the son of your handmaid, as you have been pleased to do for the chosen of humankind, to stand 17 before you forever. For without you no way is perfect, and without your will nothing is done. You have taught 18 all knowledge, and everything that has come to be exists by your will. And there is no other apart from you to answer your counsel, or to have insight 19 into all your holy design, or to look into the depth of your mysteries, or to understand all your wonders, with the strength of 20 your might. Who can contain your glory? And what, indeed, is the son of Adam among your wonderful works? 21 And one born of a woman, how can he sit before you? He is kneaded from dust, and his dwelling is the food of worms. He is spat saliva, 22 pinched clay, and his longing is for the dust. What can clay answer, a thing shaped by hand? And what counsel can it understand?