4Q394

The (twenty-)eighth of it a sabbath. In addition to it, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday are to be added. And the year is complete, three hundred and sixty-four days. These are some of our regulations concerning the law of God, that are part of the precepts we are examining and they all relate to ... and the purity of ... Concerning the offering of the wheat of the Gentiles which they ... and they touch it ... and they defile it: you shall not eat it. None of the wheat of the Gentiles shall be brought into the Temple... And concerning the sacrifice which they cook in vessels of bronze ... the flesh of their sacrifices and ... in the courtyard the ... with the broth of their sacrifices. And concerning the sacrifice of the Gentiles: we say that they sacrifice ... And concerning the shelamim sacrifice which they postpone from one day to another, we think that the cereal offering should be eaten with the fats and the meat on the day of their sacrifice, and that the priests should oversee in this matter in such a way that the sons of Aaron do not^[1] lead the people into error. And also in what pertains to the purity of the red heifer in the sin offering: that whoever slaughters it and whoever burns it and whoever collects the ash and whoever sprinkles the water of purification, all these ought to be pure at sunset, so that whoever is pure sprinkles the impure. For the sons of Aaron ought to be ... And concerning the hides of cattle and the flocks, we think that ...^[2] the vessels of hide ... in order to bring them into the temple ... ... And also concerning the hides and the bones of the unclean animals; they shall not make, from their bones and from their hides, handles of vessels. And also, concerning the carcasses of the clean animals: the one who carries its carcass shall not approach the holy purity ... And also concerning ... which they ... ... for the priests ought to comply with all these things so that they do not lead the people into sin. And concerning what is written: Lev. 17:3, "When a man slaughters within the camp" -- they slaughter outside the camp -- "a bull, or a sheep or a she-goat": the place of slaughter is to the north of the camp. And we think that the Temple is the place of the tent of meeting, and Jerusalem is the camp; and outside the camp is outside Jerusalem; it is the camp of their cities. Outside the camp ... You shall remove the ashes from the altar and burn there the sin offering, for Jerusalem is the place which he chose from among all the tribes of Israel ... ... ... they do not slaughter in the temple ... And concerning pregnant animals, we think that the mother and offspring should not be sacrificed on the same day ... And concerning who eats, we think that one can eat the offspring which was in the womb of his mother after she has been slaughtered; and you know that this is so and that this matter is written down; the pregnant ... And concerning the Ammonite and the Moabite and the bastard and the one with crushed testicles and one with severed penis, if these enter the assembly ... and take a bone ... ... we think ... concerning these ... that they should not join them and make them ... and not be brought into the temple ... And you know that some of the people ... some associating with others. Because the sons of Israel ought to keep themselves from all uncleanness of the male and be respectful toward the temple. And also concerning the blind who cannot see: they should keep themselves from all uncleanness, and they do not see the uncleanness of the sin offering. and also concerning the deaf who do not hear the law or the regulations concerning purity and do not hear the laws of Israel; for whoever neither sees nor hears, does not^[3] know how to apply (them); but these are approaching the purity of And also concerning flowing liquids: we say that in these there is no purity. Even flowing liquids cannot separate unclean from clean because the moisture of flowing liquids and their containers is the same moisture. And into the holy camp dogs should not be brought which could eat some of the bones from the temple ... the flesh on them. Because Jerusalem is the holy camp, the place which He has chosen from among all the tribes of Israel, since Jerusalem is the head of the camps of Israel. And also concerning the planting of fruit trees: a plant in the land of Israel is like the firstfruits, it is for the priests. And the tithe of the cattle and the flocks is for the priests. And also concerning lepers: we say that they should not enter the holy purity, but instead reside outside the house, alone. And also it is written that from the moment he shaves his tent for seven days. And it happens that when they are unclean, lepers approach the holy purity, the house. And you know ... And apart from him, shall bring a sin offering. And concerning evil acts offensively it is written that he is a slanderer and a blasphemer. and further: when they have the uncleanness of leprosy they should not eat any of the holy things until the sun sets on the eighth day. And concerning the uncleanness of a corpse: we say that every bone, whether stripped of the flesh or complete is subject to the law concerning a dead or murdered person. And concerning the fornications carried out in the midst of the people: they are members of the congregation of perfect holiness, as it is written: "Holy is Israel." And concerning his pure animal it is written that he shall not pair off two species; and concerning clothing, it is written that no materials are to be mixed; and he will not sow his field or his vineyard with two species because they are holy. And the sons of Aaron are the holiest of the holy, but you know that a part of the priests and the people mingle and they unite and one another, defile the holy seed and also their (own) seed with fornications, because the sons of Aaron