English Translation of the Psalms Scroll (Tehillim) 11QPs
Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority
Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority
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1
Column 19: Plea for Deliverance (A Noncanonical Psalm)
Surely a maggot cannot praise thee nor a grave worm recount thy loving-kindness.
But the living can praise thee, even those who stumble can laud thee. In revealing
thy kindness to them and by thy righteousness thou dost enlighten them. For in thy hand is the soul of every
living thing; the breath of all flesh hast thou given. Deal with us, O LORD,
according to thy goodness, according to thy great mercy, and according to thy many righteous deeds. The LORD
has heeded the voice of those who love his name and has not deprived them of his loving-kindness.
Blessed be the LORD, who executes righteous deeds, crowning his saints
with loving-kindness and mercy. My soul cries out to praise thy name, to sing high praises
for thy loving deeds, to proclaim thy faithfulness--of praise of thee there is no end. Near death
was I for my sins, and my iniquities have sold me to the grave; but thou didst save me,
O LORD, according to thy great mercy, and according to thy many righteous deeds. Indeed have I
loved thy name, and in thy protection have I found refuge. When I remember thy might my heart
is brave, and upon thy mercies do I lean. Forgive my sin, O LORD,
and purify me from my iniquity. Vouchsafe me a spirit of faith and knowledge, and let me not be dishonored
in ruin. Let not Satan rule over me, nor an unclean spirit; neither let pain nor the evil
inclination take possession of my bones. For thou, O LORD, art my praise, and in thee do I hope
all the day. Let my brothers rejoice with me and the house of my father, who are astonished by the graciousness...
[ ] For e[ver] I will rejoice in thee.
1
Column 19: Plea for Deliverance (A Noncanonical Psalm)
Surely a maggot cannot praise thee nor a grave worm recount thy loving-kindness.
But the living can praise thee, even those who stumble can laud thee. In revealing
thy kindness to them and by thy righteousness thou dost enlighten them. For in thy hand is the soul of every
living thing; the breath of all flesh hast thou given. Deal with us, O LORD,
according to thy goodness, according to thy great mercy, and according to thy many righteous deeds. The LORD
has heeded the voice of those who love his name and has not deprived them of his loving-kindness.
Blessed be the LORD, who executes righteous deeds, crowning his saints
with loving-kindness and mercy. My soul cries out to praise thy name, to sing high praises
for thy loving deeds, to proclaim thy faithfulness--of praise of thee there is no end. Near death
was I for my sins, and my iniquities have sold me to the grave; but thou didst save me,
O LORD, according to thy great mercy, and according to thy many righteous deeds. Indeed have I
loved thy name, and in thy protection have I found refuge. When I remember thy might my heart
is brave, and upon thy mercies do I lean. Forgive my sin, O LORD,
and purify me from my iniquity. Vouchsafe me a spirit of faith and knowledge, and let me not be dishonored
in ruin. Let not Satan rule over me, nor an unclean spirit; neither let pain nor the evil
inclination take possession of my bones. For thou, O LORD, art my praise, and in thee do I hope
all the day. Let my brothers rejoice with me and the house of my father, who are astonished by the graciousness...
[ ] For e[ver] I will rejoice in thee.
XIX For no worm thanks Thee, nor a maggot recounts Thy lovingkindness.
Only the living thank Thee, all they whose feet totter, thank Thee,
when Thou makest known to them Thy loving-kindness, and causest
them to understand Thy righteousness.
For the soul of all the living is in Thy hand; Thou hast given breath to
all flesh.
O Lord, do towards us according to Thy goodness, according to the
greatness of Thy mercies, and according to the greatness of Thy
righteous deeds.
The Lord listens to the voice of all who love his name and does not
permit his loving-kindness to depart from them.
Blessed be the Lord, doer of righteous deeds, who crowns his pious
ones with loving-kindness and mercies.
My soul shouts to praise Thy name, to praise with jubilation Thy
mercies, to announce Thy faithfulness; there is no limit to Thy praises.
I belonged to death because of my sins, and my iniquities had sold
me to Sheol.
But Thou didst save me, O Lord, according to the greatness of Thy
mercies, according to the greatness of Thy righteous deeds.
I, too, have loved Thy name, and have taken refuge in Thy shadow.
When I remember Thy power, my heart is strengthened and I rely on
Thy mercies.
Forgive my sins, O Lord, and purify me of my iniquity.
Grant me a spirit of faithfulness and knowledge; let me not be
dishonoured in ruin.
Let not Belial dominate me, nor an unclean spirit; let pain and the
evil inclination not possess my bones.
For Thou, O Lord, art my praise, and I hope in Thee every day. My
brethren rejoice with me and the house of my father is astounded by
Thy graciousness.
... for ever I will rejoice in Thee.
Only the living thank Thee, all they whose feet totter, thank Thee,
when Thou makest known to them Thy loving-kindness, and causest
them to understand Thy righteousness.
For the soul of all the living is in Thy hand; Thou hast given breath to
all flesh.
O Lord, do towards us according to Thy goodness, according to the
greatness of Thy mercies, and according to the greatness of Thy
righteous deeds.
The Lord listens to the voice of all who love his name and does not
permit his loving-kindness to depart from them.
Blessed be the Lord, doer of righteous deeds, who crowns his pious
ones with loving-kindness and mercies.
My soul shouts to praise Thy name, to praise with jubilation Thy
mercies, to announce Thy faithfulness; there is no limit to Thy praises.
I belonged to death because of my sins, and my iniquities had sold
me to Sheol.
But Thou didst save me, O Lord, according to the greatness of Thy
mercies, according to the greatness of Thy righteous deeds.
I, too, have loved Thy name, and have taken refuge in Thy shadow.
When I remember Thy power, my heart is strengthened and I rely on
Thy mercies.
Forgive my sins, O Lord, and purify me of my iniquity.
Grant me a spirit of faithfulness and knowledge; let me not be
dishonoured in ruin.
Let not Belial dominate me, nor an unclean spirit; let pain and the
evil inclination not possess my bones.
For Thou, O Lord, art my praise, and I hope in Thee every day. My
brethren rejoice with me and the house of my father is astounded by
Thy graciousness.
... for ever I will rejoice in Thee.
11Q6
Column XIX
Fragment A
Impoverished and feeble am I for
[ . . . ]
For not even a worm can praise You nor insects recount Your grace
The living can thank You and those who fall shall praise You highly.
You show them the ways of Your holiness and grace for You care for the souls of every living thing;
You provide for all living things. Judge us, O God, with Your kind ways, Your grace, and Your
Justice. The Lord hears the please of his followers.
He has not shunned them. Praise be to God who does good things
and rewards his followers with His kindness. May my spirit lift up Your Name,
to recount with joy Your righteous deeds, and proclaim Your eternal steadfastness.
Fragment B
And in Your grace, I have sought sanctuary. The images of Your might life up my heart. I find peace in Your righteousness.
Forgive me, Lord, and free me from my sins.
Give to me a sense of honor and knowledge. May I not be shamed in ruin.
Protect me from unclean spirits, save me from pain and temptation.
For You, O Lord, are my salvation, and I praise You everyday.
My people rejoice with me and are awestruck by Your power.
I will adore You and worship You for all eternity.
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Column XIX
Fragment A
Impoverished and feeble am I for
[ . . . ]
For not even a worm can praise You nor insects recount Your grace
The living can thank You and those who fall shall praise You highly.
You show them the ways of Your holiness and grace for You care for the souls of every living thing;
You provide for all living things. Judge us, O God, with Your kind ways, Your grace, and Your
Justice. The Lord hears the please of his followers.
He has not shunned them. Praise be to God who does good things
and rewards his followers with His kindness. May my spirit lift up Your Name,
to recount with joy Your righteous deeds, and proclaim Your eternal steadfastness.
Fragment B
And in Your grace, I have sought sanctuary. The images of Your might life up my heart. I find peace in Your righteousness.
Forgive me, Lord, and free me from my sins.
Give to me a sense of honor and knowledge. May I not be shamed in ruin.
Protect me from unclean spirits, save me from pain and temptation.
For You, O Lord, are my salvation, and I praise You everyday.
My people rejoice with me and are awestruck by Your power.
I will adore You and worship You for all eternity.
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2
Column XXVIII
Hallelujah. Of David, son of Jesse.
Psalm 151
My brothers were bigger than me and I was the youngest of my father's sons;
He made me the master of His flocks, and shepherd of his goats. My hands created a flute, my fingers a lyre,
and I praised God. I told myself that neither the mountains nor the hills tell me of the glory of God, nor the trees His words, nor the flocks His actions.
Who, then will tell of God's deeds? God saw all
He heard all and listened. He sent his prophet to anoint me,
Samuel, to sift me up. My brothers went out to meet him, well built, beautifully presented. They were very tall
and had lovely hair, but the Lord did not pick them, He sent for me from tending the flock
and anointed me with holy oil and made me a ruler of His people and of the sons of His covenant.
[ . . . ]
First of David's exploits after the Lord's prophet had anointed him
Then I saw a Philistine threatening from enemy lines [ . . . ]
Column XXVIII
Hallelujah. Of David, son of Jesse.
Psalm 151
My brothers were bigger than me and I was the youngest of my father's sons;
He made me the master of His flocks, and shepherd of his goats. My hands created a flute, my fingers a lyre,
and I praised God. I told myself that neither the mountains nor the hills tell me of the glory of God, nor the trees His words, nor the flocks His actions.
Who, then will tell of God's deeds? God saw all
He heard all and listened. He sent his prophet to anoint me,
Samuel, to sift me up. My brothers went out to meet him, well built, beautifully presented. They were very tall
and had lovely hair, but the Lord did not pick them, He sent for me from tending the flock
and anointed me with holy oil and made me a ruler of His people and of the sons of His covenant.
[ . . . ]
First of David's exploits after the Lord's prophet had anointed him
Then I saw a Philistine threatening from enemy lines [ . . . ]
Apocryphal Psalms (I)
(IIQPsa=IIQ5,4Q88)
Psalm 151A
XXVIII Hallelujah. Of David, son of Jesse.
1. I was smaller than my brothers, and younger than the sons of my
father.
He made me shepherd of his flock, and a ruler over his kids.
2. My hands have made a pipe and my fingers a lyre.
I have rendered glory to the Lord; I have said so in my soul.
3. The mountains do not testify to him, and the hills do not tell (of
him).
The trees praise my words and the flocks my deeds.
4. For who can tell and speak of and recount the works of the
Lord?
God has seen all, he has heard all, and he listens to all.
5. He sent his prophet to anoint me, Samuel to magnify me.
My brothers went out to meet him, beautiful of figure, beautiful of
appearance.
6. They were tall of stature with beautiful hair, yet the Lord did not
choose them.
7. He sent and took me from behind the flock, and anointed me
with holy oil, as a prince of his people, and a ruler among the
sons of his Covenant.
Psalm 151B
The first display of David’s power after God’s prophet had anointed
him.
1. Then I saw the Philistine taunting [from the enemy lines] ...
(IIQPsa=IIQ5,4Q88)
Psalm 151A
XXVIII Hallelujah. Of David, son of Jesse.
1. I was smaller than my brothers, and younger than the sons of my
father.
He made me shepherd of his flock, and a ruler over his kids.
2. My hands have made a pipe and my fingers a lyre.
I have rendered glory to the Lord; I have said so in my soul.
3. The mountains do not testify to him, and the hills do not tell (of
him).
The trees praise my words and the flocks my deeds.
4. For who can tell and speak of and recount the works of the
Lord?
God has seen all, he has heard all, and he listens to all.
5. He sent his prophet to anoint me, Samuel to magnify me.
My brothers went out to meet him, beautiful of figure, beautiful of
appearance.
6. They were tall of stature with beautiful hair, yet the Lord did not
choose them.
7. He sent and took me from behind the flock, and anointed me
with holy oil, as a prince of his people, and a ruler among the
sons of his Covenant.
Psalm 151B
The first display of David’s power after God’s prophet had anointed
him.
1. Then I saw the Philistine taunting [from the enemy lines] ...
I. Ps. cli. A Thanksgiving of David.
(1) I was the youngest among my brethren, and a youth in my father's house. (2) I used to feed my father's flock, and I found a lion and a wolf, and slew them and rent them. (3) My hands made an organ, and my fingers fashioned a harp. (4) Who will show me my Lord? He, my Lord, is become my God.1 (5) He sent His angel and took me away from my father's flock, and anointed me with the oil of anointing. (6) My brethren, the fair and the tall, in them the Lord had no pleasure. (7) And I went forth to meet the Philistine, and he cursed me by his idols. (8) But I drew his sword and cut off his head, and took away the reproach from the children of Israel.
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(1) I was the youngest among my brethren, and a youth in my father's house. (2) I used to feed my father's flock, and I found a lion and a wolf, and slew them and rent them. (3) My hands made an organ, and my fingers fashioned a harp. (4) Who will show me my Lord? He, my Lord, is become my God.1 (5) He sent His angel and took me away from my father's flock, and anointed me with the oil of anointing. (6) My brethren, the fair and the tall, in them the Lord had no pleasure. (7) And I went forth to meet the Philistine, and he cursed me by his idols. (8) But I drew his sword and cut off his head, and took away the reproach from the children of Israel.
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3
Syriac Psalm ii = Psalm 154
(The Prayer of Hezekiah when enemies surrounded him.)
1 XVIII [Glorify God with a great voice. Proclaim his majesty in the
congregation of the many.
2 Glorify his name amid the multitude of the upright and recount
his greatness with the faithful.
3 Join] your souls to the good and to the perfect to glorify the Most
High.
4 Assemble together to make known his salvation.
And be not slow in making known his strength, and his majesty
to all the simple.
5 For wisdom is given to make known the glory of the Lord and to
recount the greatness of his deeds. She is made known to man,
7 to declare his strength to the simple, and to give insight into his
greatness to those without understanding,
8 they who are far from her gates, who have strayed from her
entrances.
9 For the Most High is the Lord of Jacob, and his majesty is over
all his works.
10 And a man who glorifies the Most High is accepted by him as
one bringing an offering,
11 as one offering he-goats and calves, as one causing the altar
to grow fat on a multitude of burnt-offerings, as an agreeable
incense by the hand of the righteous.
12 From the doors of the righteous her voice is heard, and from
the congregation of the devout her song.
13 When they eat their fill, she is mentioned, and when they drink
in community together.
14 Their meditation is on the Law of the Most High, and their
words are for making known his strength.
15 How far from the wicked is her word, and her knowledge from
the insolent.
16 Behold the eyes of the Lord have compassion on the good,
17 and his mercy is great over those who glorify him; from an evil
time he saves [their] souls.
18 [Bless] the Lord who redeems the humble from the hand of
str[angers] [and deliv]ers [the perfect from the hand of the
wicked;]
19 [who lifts up a horn out of Ja]cob, and a judge [out of Israel].
20 [He desires his tabernacle in Zion, and chooses Jerusalem for
ever.]
Syriac Psalm ii = Psalm 154
(The Prayer of Hezekiah when enemies surrounded him.)
1 XVIII [Glorify God with a great voice. Proclaim his majesty in the
congregation of the many.
2 Glorify his name amid the multitude of the upright and recount
his greatness with the faithful.
3 Join] your souls to the good and to the perfect to glorify the Most
High.
4 Assemble together to make known his salvation.
And be not slow in making known his strength, and his majesty
to all the simple.
5 For wisdom is given to make known the glory of the Lord and to
recount the greatness of his deeds. She is made known to man,
7 to declare his strength to the simple, and to give insight into his
greatness to those without understanding,
8 they who are far from her gates, who have strayed from her
entrances.
9 For the Most High is the Lord of Jacob, and his majesty is over
all his works.
10 And a man who glorifies the Most High is accepted by him as
one bringing an offering,
11 as one offering he-goats and calves, as one causing the altar
to grow fat on a multitude of burnt-offerings, as an agreeable
incense by the hand of the righteous.
12 From the doors of the righteous her voice is heard, and from
the congregation of the devout her song.
13 When they eat their fill, she is mentioned, and when they drink
in community together.
14 Their meditation is on the Law of the Most High, and their
words are for making known his strength.
15 How far from the wicked is her word, and her knowledge from
the insolent.
16 Behold the eyes of the Lord have compassion on the good,
17 and his mercy is great over those who glorify him; from an evil
time he saves [their] souls.
18 [Bless] the Lord who redeems the humble from the hand of
str[angers] [and deliv]ers [the perfect from the hand of the
wicked;]
19 [who lifts up a horn out of Ja]cob, and a judge [out of Israel].
20 [He desires his tabernacle in Zion, and chooses Jerusalem for
ever.]
4Q448
Column XVIII
Psalm 154
Praise God in a loud voice. Testify to his glory in the assembly.
Lift up His name with the righteous and speak of His greatness with the faithful.
Become one with the perfect and the good to praise the Lord.
Join and worship together to tell of His salvation. And be swift in making known His fortitude and His righteousness to all the simple.
Knowledge is granted so that we may praise the Lord and tell of his greatness.
She is made known to mankind, to speak of His strength and tell of his greatness to the ignorant,
who have strayed from her gates and have sinned.
For God is the Lord of Jacob and his grace is seen in all his works.
A person who praises God is recognized by Him
because the worshiper brings and offering and sacrifice of livestock,
because the worshiper fills the altar with gifts. Her voice and her songs are heard and sung by the righteous.
When they feast together, she is mentioned.
Their thoughts are on the Law of God and they speak to testify of His strength.
The evil and the rebellious are far from her grace.
See how God has mercy on the good,
and it is great for those who praise Him; He is their soul's salvation from wickedness.
Praise the Lord who saves the meek from the grasp of the unknown and delivers the righteous from evil,
Who lifts up a horn from Jacob and a moderator from Israel.
He wants his gathering place to be in Zion, and He picks Jerusalem for all eternity.
Column XVIII
Psalm 154
Praise God in a loud voice. Testify to his glory in the assembly.
Lift up His name with the righteous and speak of His greatness with the faithful.
Become one with the perfect and the good to praise the Lord.
Join and worship together to tell of His salvation. And be swift in making known His fortitude and His righteousness to all the simple.
Knowledge is granted so that we may praise the Lord and tell of his greatness.
She is made known to mankind, to speak of His strength and tell of his greatness to the ignorant,
who have strayed from her gates and have sinned.
For God is the Lord of Jacob and his grace is seen in all his works.
A person who praises God is recognized by Him
because the worshiper brings and offering and sacrifice of livestock,
because the worshiper fills the altar with gifts. Her voice and her songs are heard and sung by the righteous.
When they feast together, she is mentioned.
Their thoughts are on the Law of God and they speak to testify of His strength.
The evil and the rebellious are far from her grace.
See how God has mercy on the good,
and it is great for those who praise Him; He is their soul's salvation from wickedness.
Praise the Lord who saves the meek from the grasp of the unknown and delivers the righteous from evil,
Who lifts up a horn from Jacob and a moderator from Israel.
He wants his gathering place to be in Zion, and He picks Jerusalem for all eternity.
II. The Prayer of Hezekiah when enemies surrounded him.
(1) With a loud voice glorify ye God; in the assembly of many proclaim ye His glory. (2) Amid the multitude of the upright glorify His praise; and speak of His glory with the righteous. (3) Join yourselves (literally, your soul) to the good and to the perfect, to glorify the Most High. (4) Gather yourselves together to make known His strength; and be not slow in showing forth His deliverance [and His strength] and His glory to all babes. (5) That the honour of the Lord may be known, wisdom hath been given; and to tell of His works it hath been made known to men: (6) to make known unto babes His strength, and to make them that lack understanding (literally, heart) to comprehend His glory; (7) who are far from His entrances and distant from His gates: (8) because the Lord of Jacob is exalted, and His glory is upon all His works. (9) And a man who glorifies the Most High, in him will He take pleasure; as in one who offers fine meal, and as in one who offers he-goats and calves; (10) and as in one who makes fat the altar with a multitude of burnt offerings; and as the smell of incense from the hands of the just. (11) From thy upright gates 2 shall be heard His voice, and from the voice of the upright admonition. (12) And |265 in their eating shall be satisfying in truth, and in their drinking, when they share together. (13) Their dwelling is in the law of the Most High, and their speech is to make known His strength. (14) How far from the wicked is speech of Him, and from all transgressors to know Him! (15) Lo, the eye of the Lord taketh pity on the good, and unto them that glorify Him will He multiply mercy, and from the time of evil will He deliver their soul. (16) Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered the wretched from the hand of the wicked; who raiseth up a horn out of Jacob and a judge of the nations out of Israel; (17) that He may prolong His dwelling in Zion, and may adorn our age in Jerusalem.
(1) With a loud voice glorify ye God; in the assembly of many proclaim ye His glory. (2) Amid the multitude of the upright glorify His praise; and speak of His glory with the righteous. (3) Join yourselves (literally, your soul) to the good and to the perfect, to glorify the Most High. (4) Gather yourselves together to make known His strength; and be not slow in showing forth His deliverance [and His strength] and His glory to all babes. (5) That the honour of the Lord may be known, wisdom hath been given; and to tell of His works it hath been made known to men: (6) to make known unto babes His strength, and to make them that lack understanding (literally, heart) to comprehend His glory; (7) who are far from His entrances and distant from His gates: (8) because the Lord of Jacob is exalted, and His glory is upon all His works. (9) And a man who glorifies the Most High, in him will He take pleasure; as in one who offers fine meal, and as in one who offers he-goats and calves; (10) and as in one who makes fat the altar with a multitude of burnt offerings; and as the smell of incense from the hands of the just. (11) From thy upright gates 2 shall be heard His voice, and from the voice of the upright admonition. (12) And |265 in their eating shall be satisfying in truth, and in their drinking, when they share together. (13) Their dwelling is in the law of the Most High, and their speech is to make known His strength. (14) How far from the wicked is speech of Him, and from all transgressors to know Him! (15) Lo, the eye of the Lord taketh pity on the good, and unto them that glorify Him will He multiply mercy, and from the time of evil will He deliver their soul. (16) Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered the wretched from the hand of the wicked; who raiseth up a horn out of Jacob and a judge of the nations out of Israel; (17) that He may prolong His dwelling in Zion, and may adorn our age in Jerusalem.
4Q448
Column XVIII
Psalm 154
Praise God in a loud voice. Testify to his glory in the assembly.
Lift up His name with the righteous and speak of His greatness with the faithful.
Become one with the perfect and the good to praise the Lord.
Join and worship together to tell of His salvation. And be swift in making known His fortitude and His righteousness to all the simple.
Knowledge is granted so that we may praise the Lord and tell of his greatness.
She[3] is made known to mankind, to speak of His strength and tell of his greatness to the ignorant,
who have strayed from her gates and have sinned.
For God is the Lord of Jacob and his grace is seen in all his works.
A person who praises God is recognized by Him
because the worshiper brings and offering and sacrifice of livestock,
because the worshiper fills the altar with gifts. Her voice and her songs are heard and sung by the righteous.
When they feast together, she is mentioned.
Their thoughts are on the Law of God and they speak to testify of His strength.
The evil and the rebellious are far from her grace.
See how God has mercy on the good,
and it is great for those who praise Him; He is their soul's salvation from wickedness.
Praise the Lord who saves the meek from the grasp of the unknown and delivers the righteous from evil,
Who lifts up a horn from Jacob and a moderator from Israel.
He wants his gathering place to be in Zion, and He picks Jerusalem for all eternity.
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Column XVIII
Psalm 154
Praise God in a loud voice. Testify to his glory in the assembly.
Lift up His name with the righteous and speak of His greatness with the faithful.
Become one with the perfect and the good to praise the Lord.
Join and worship together to tell of His salvation. And be swift in making known His fortitude and His righteousness to all the simple.
Knowledge is granted so that we may praise the Lord and tell of his greatness.
She[3] is made known to mankind, to speak of His strength and tell of his greatness to the ignorant,
who have strayed from her gates and have sinned.
For God is the Lord of Jacob and his grace is seen in all his works.
A person who praises God is recognized by Him
because the worshiper brings and offering and sacrifice of livestock,
because the worshiper fills the altar with gifts. Her voice and her songs are heard and sung by the righteous.
When they feast together, she is mentioned.
Their thoughts are on the Law of God and they speak to testify of His strength.
The evil and the rebellious are far from her grace.
See how God has mercy on the good,
and it is great for those who praise Him; He is their soul's salvation from wickedness.
Praise the Lord who saves the meek from the grasp of the unknown and delivers the righteous from evil,
Who lifts up a horn from Jacob and a moderator from Israel.
He wants his gathering place to be in Zion, and He picks Jerusalem for all eternity.
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4
SyriacPsalm iii =Psalm 155
(When the People obtained permission from Cyrus to return home.)
1. XXIV O Lord, I have called to Thee, hear me.
2. I have spread out my hands towards Thy holy dwelling-place.
3. Turn Thine ear and grant me my request,
4. and do not withhold my plea from me.
5. Construct my soul and do not cast it away,
6. and do not leave it alone before the wicked.
7. May the true judge turn away from me the rewards of evil.
8. Lord, do not judge me according to my sins, for no living man is
righteous before Thee.
9. Lord, cause me to understand Thy Law and teach me Thy
judgements.
10. And the multitude shall hear of Thy deeds, and peoples shall
honour Thy glory.
11. Remember me and forget me not, and bring me not to
unbearable hardships.
12. Put away from me the sin of my youth, and may my sins not be
remembered against me.
13. Lord, cleanse me from the evil plague, and let it not return to
me.
14. Dry up its roots within me, and permit not its leaves to flourish
in me.
15. Lord, Thou art glory; therefore my plea is fulfilled before Thee.
16. 6 To whom shall I cry so that he will grant it to me? What more
can the po[wer] of the sons of men do?
17. From before Thee, O Lord, comes my trust. I cried to the Lord
and he answered me; he healed the brokenness of my heart.
18. 8 I was sleepy [and I] slept; I dreamt and also [I awoke].
19. [Lord, Thou didst support me when my heart was stricken, and
I called upon the Lor]d [my saviour].
20. Now I will see their shame; I have relied on Thee, and I will not
be ashamed. (Render glory for ever and ever.)
21. Redeem Israel, Thy pious one, O Lord, and the house of
Jacob, Thine elect.
SyriacPsalm iii =Psalm 155
(When the People obtained permission from Cyrus to return home.)
1. XXIV O Lord, I have called to Thee, hear me.
2. I have spread out my hands towards Thy holy dwelling-place.
3. Turn Thine ear and grant me my request,
4. and do not withhold my plea from me.
5. Construct my soul and do not cast it away,
6. and do not leave it alone before the wicked.
7. May the true judge turn away from me the rewards of evil.
8. Lord, do not judge me according to my sins, for no living man is
righteous before Thee.
9. Lord, cause me to understand Thy Law and teach me Thy
judgements.
10. And the multitude shall hear of Thy deeds, and peoples shall
honour Thy glory.
11. Remember me and forget me not, and bring me not to
unbearable hardships.
12. Put away from me the sin of my youth, and may my sins not be
remembered against me.
13. Lord, cleanse me from the evil plague, and let it not return to
me.
14. Dry up its roots within me, and permit not its leaves to flourish
in me.
15. Lord, Thou art glory; therefore my plea is fulfilled before Thee.
16. 6 To whom shall I cry so that he will grant it to me? What more
can the po[wer] of the sons of men do?
17. From before Thee, O Lord, comes my trust. I cried to the Lord
and he answered me; he healed the brokenness of my heart.
18. 8 I was sleepy [and I] slept; I dreamt and also [I awoke].
19. [Lord, Thou didst support me when my heart was stricken, and
I called upon the Lor]d [my saviour].
20. Now I will see their shame; I have relied on Thee, and I will not
be ashamed. (Render glory for ever and ever.)
21. Redeem Israel, Thy pious one, O Lord, and the house of
Jacob, Thine elect.
III. When the People obtained permission from Cyrus to return home.
(1) O Lord, I have cried unto Thee; hearken Thou unto me. (2) I have lifted up my hands to Thy holy dwelling-place; incline Thine ear unto me. (3) And grant me my request;3 my prayer withhold not from me. (4) Build up my soul, and destroy it not; and lay it not bare before the wicked. (5) Them that recompense evil things turn Thou away from me, O judge of truth. (6) O Lord, judge me not according to my sins, because no flesh is innocent before Thee. (7) Make plain to me, O Lord, Thy law, and teach me Thy judgments; (8) and many shall hear of Thy works, and the nations shall praise Thine honour. (9) Remember me and forget me not; and lead me not into things that be too hard for me. (10) The sins of my youth make Thou to pass from me, and my chastisement let them not remember against me. (11) Cleanse me, O Lord, from the evil leprosy, and let it no more come unto me. (12) Dry up its roots in (literally, from) me, and let not its leaves sprout within me. (13) Great art Thou, O Lord; therefore my request shall be fulfilled from before Thee. (14) To whom shall I complain that he may give unto me? and what can the strength of men add [unto me]? (15) From before Thee, O Lord, is my confidence; I cried unto the Lord and He heard me, and healed the breaking of my heart. (16) I slumbered and slept; I dreamed and was helped, and the Lord sustained me. (17) They sorely pained my heart; I will return thanks because the Lord delivered |266 me. (18) Now will I rejoice in their shame; I have hoped in Thee, and I shall not be ashamed. (19) Give Thou honour for ever, even for ever and ever. (20) Deliver Israel Thine elect, and them of the house of Jacob Thy proved one.
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(1) O Lord, I have cried unto Thee; hearken Thou unto me. (2) I have lifted up my hands to Thy holy dwelling-place; incline Thine ear unto me. (3) And grant me my request;3 my prayer withhold not from me. (4) Build up my soul, and destroy it not; and lay it not bare before the wicked. (5) Them that recompense evil things turn Thou away from me, O judge of truth. (6) O Lord, judge me not according to my sins, because no flesh is innocent before Thee. (7) Make plain to me, O Lord, Thy law, and teach me Thy judgments; (8) and many shall hear of Thy works, and the nations shall praise Thine honour. (9) Remember me and forget me not; and lead me not into things that be too hard for me. (10) The sins of my youth make Thou to pass from me, and my chastisement let them not remember against me. (11) Cleanse me, O Lord, from the evil leprosy, and let it no more come unto me. (12) Dry up its roots in (literally, from) me, and let not its leaves sprout within me. (13) Great art Thou, O Lord; therefore my request shall be fulfilled from before Thee. (14) To whom shall I complain that he may give unto me? and what can the strength of men add [unto me]? (15) From before Thee, O Lord, is my confidence; I cried unto the Lord and He heard me, and healed the breaking of my heart. (16) I slumbered and slept; I dreamed and was helped, and the Lord sustained me. (17) They sorely pained my heart; I will return thanks because the Lord delivered |266 me. (18) Now will I rejoice in their shame; I have hoped in Thee, and I shall not be ashamed. (19) Give Thou honour for ever, even for ever and ever. (20) Deliver Israel Thine elect, and them of the house of Jacob Thy proved one.
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5
Apostrophe to Zion
XXIII will remember you, O Zion, for a blessing;
with all my might I love you;
your memory is to be blessed for ever.
Your hope is great, O Zion;
Peace and your awaited salvation will come.
Generation after generation shall dwell in you, and generations of the pious shall be your ornament.
They who desire the day of your salvation shall rejoice in the greatness of your glory.
They shall be suckled on the fullness of your glory, and in your beautiful streets they shall make tinkling sounds.
You shall remember the pious deeds of your prophets, and shall glorify yourself in the deeds of your pious ones.
Cleanse violence from your midst; lying and iniquity, may they be cut off from you.
Your sons shall rejoice within you, and your cherished ones shall be joined to you.
How much they have hoped in your salvation, and how much your perfect ones have mourned for you?
Your hope, O Zion, shall not perish, and your expectation will not be forgotten.
Is there a just man who has perished?
Is there a man who has escaped his iniquity?
Man is tried according to his way, each is repaid according to his deeds.
Your oppressors shall be cut off from around you, O Zion, and all who hate you shall be dispersed.
Your praise is pleasing, O Zion; it rises up in all the world.
Many times I will remember you for a blessing;
I will bless you with all my heart.
You shall attain to eternal righteousness, and shall receive blessings from the noble.
Take the vision which speaks of you, and the dreams of the prophets requested for you.
Be exalted and increase, O Zion;
Praise the Most High, your Redeemer!
May my soul rejoice in your glory!
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Apostrophe to Zion
XXIII will remember you, O Zion, for a blessing;
with all my might I love you;
your memory is to be blessed for ever.
Your hope is great, O Zion;
Peace and your awaited salvation will come.
Generation after generation shall dwell in you, and generations of the pious shall be your ornament.
They who desire the day of your salvation shall rejoice in the greatness of your glory.
They shall be suckled on the fullness of your glory, and in your beautiful streets they shall make tinkling sounds.
You shall remember the pious deeds of your prophets, and shall glorify yourself in the deeds of your pious ones.
Cleanse violence from your midst; lying and iniquity, may they be cut off from you.
Your sons shall rejoice within you, and your cherished ones shall be joined to you.
How much they have hoped in your salvation, and how much your perfect ones have mourned for you?
Your hope, O Zion, shall not perish, and your expectation will not be forgotten.
Is there a just man who has perished?
Is there a man who has escaped his iniquity?
Man is tried according to his way, each is repaid according to his deeds.
Your oppressors shall be cut off from around you, O Zion, and all who hate you shall be dispersed.
Your praise is pleasing, O Zion; it rises up in all the world.
Many times I will remember you for a blessing;
I will bless you with all my heart.
You shall attain to eternal righteousness, and shall receive blessings from the noble.
Take the vision which speaks of you, and the dreams of the prophets requested for you.
Be exalted and increase, O Zion;
Praise the Most High, your Redeemer!
May my soul rejoice in your glory!
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6
Hymn to the Creator
XXVI The Lord is great and holy, the Most Holy for generation after generation.
Majesty goes before him, and after him abundance of many waters.
Loving-kindness and truth are about his face; truth and judgement and righteousness are the pedestal of his throne.
He divides light from obscurity; he establishes the dawn by the knowledge of his heart.
When all his angels saw it, they sang, for he showed them that which they had not known.
He crowns the mountains with fruit, with good food for all the living.
Blessed be the master of the earth with his power, who establishes the world by his wisdom.
By his understanding he stretched out the heaven, and brought forth [wind] from his
st[ores].
He made [lightnings for the rai]n, and raised mist from the end [of the earth].
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Hymn to the Creator
XXVI The Lord is great and holy, the Most Holy for generation after generation.
Majesty goes before him, and after him abundance of many waters.
Loving-kindness and truth are about his face; truth and judgement and righteousness are the pedestal of his throne.
He divides light from obscurity; he establishes the dawn by the knowledge of his heart.
When all his angels saw it, they sang, for he showed them that which they had not known.
He crowns the mountains with fruit, with good food for all the living.
Blessed be the master of the earth with his power, who establishes the world by his wisdom.
By his understanding he stretched out the heaven, and brought forth [wind] from his
st[ores].
He made [lightnings for the rai]n, and raised mist from the end [of the earth].
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Thanksgiving Hymns
An interesting point in the 1st fragment is the use of the word Belial. This word was substituted for the Angel of Darkness. Is Belial conceived to be a real person in the Hymns or is the author speaking in general terms of mankind? This use of the word Belial or Angel of Darkness also refers us to the works of the Teacher of Righteousness who uses this word in his frequent works, ( 1QH 2:16, 4:10, 4:13, 5:26, 5:39, 6:21, 7:3).
The Thanksgiving Hymns (1QH) Dead Sea Scrolls.
7
Hymn 2 (formerly 24)
[I give Thee thanks] because of the spirits which Thou hast given to me!
I [will bring forth] a reply of the tongue to recount Thy righteous deeds, and the forbearance ... and the works of Thy mighty right hand,
and [the pardon] of the sins of the forefathers.
[I will bow down] and implore Thy mercy [on my sins and wicked deeds, and on the perversity of [my heart], for I have wallowed in uncleanness, and have [turned aside] from the counsel [of Thy truth]
and I have not laboured ...
[For] Thine, Thine is righteousness, and an everlasting blessing be upon Thy Name!
[According to] Thy righteousness, let [Thy servant] be redeemed
[and] the wicked be brought to an end.
For I have understood that [it is Thou who dost establish] the path of whomsoever Thou choosest;
Thou dost hedge him in with [true] discernment that he may not sin against Thee, and that his humility [may bear fruit] through Thy chastisement.
[Thou dost purify] his heart in [Thy trials].
[Preserve] Thy servant, [O God], lest he sin against Thee, or stagger aside from any word of Thy will.
Strengthen the [loins of Thy servant that he may] resist the spirits [of falsehood, that] he may walk in all that Thou lovest, and despise all that Thou loathest, [that he may do] that which is good in Thine eyes.
[Destroy] their [dominion] in my bowels, for [within] Thy servant is a spirit of [flesh].
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An interesting point in the 1st fragment is the use of the word Belial. This word was substituted for the Angel of Darkness. Is Belial conceived to be a real person in the Hymns or is the author speaking in general terms of mankind? This use of the word Belial or Angel of Darkness also refers us to the works of the Teacher of Righteousness who uses this word in his frequent works, ( 1QH 2:16, 4:10, 4:13, 5:26, 5:39, 6:21, 7:3).
The Thanksgiving Hymns (1QH) Dead Sea Scrolls.
7
Hymn 2 (formerly 24)
[I give Thee thanks] because of the spirits which Thou hast given to me!
I [will bring forth] a reply of the tongue to recount Thy righteous deeds, and the forbearance ... and the works of Thy mighty right hand,
and [the pardon] of the sins of the forefathers.
[I will bow down] and implore Thy mercy [on my sins and wicked deeds, and on the perversity of [my heart], for I have wallowed in uncleanness, and have [turned aside] from the counsel [of Thy truth]
and I have not laboured ...
[For] Thine, Thine is righteousness, and an everlasting blessing be upon Thy Name!
[According to] Thy righteousness, let [Thy servant] be redeemed
[and] the wicked be brought to an end.
For I have understood that [it is Thou who dost establish] the path of whomsoever Thou choosest;
Thou dost hedge him in with [true] discernment that he may not sin against Thee, and that his humility [may bear fruit] through Thy chastisement.
[Thou dost purify] his heart in [Thy trials].
[Preserve] Thy servant, [O God], lest he sin against Thee, or stagger aside from any word of Thy will.
Strengthen the [loins of Thy servant that he may] resist the spirits [of falsehood, that] he may walk in all that Thou lovest, and despise all that Thou loathest, [that he may do] that which is good in Thine eyes.
[Destroy] their [dominion] in my bowels, for [within] Thy servant is a spirit of [flesh].
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8
Hymn 3 (formerly 25)
[I thank Thee, O Lord, for] Thou didst shed [Thy] Holy Spirit upon Thy Servant
V (formerly XIII)
All these things [Thou didst establish in Thy wisdom.
Thou didst appoint] all Thy works before ever creating them:
the host of Thy spirits and the Congregation [of Thy Holy Ones, the heavens and all] their hosts and the earth and all it brings forth.
In the seas and deeps ...
... and an everlasting task; for Thou hast established them from before eternity.
And the work of ...
and they shall recount Thy glory throughout all Thy dominion
For Thou hast shown them that which they had not [seen by removing all] ancient things and creating new ones, by breaking asunder things anciently established, and raising up the things of eternity.
For [Thou art from the beginning]
and shalt endure for ages without end.
And Thou hast [appointed] all these things in the mysteries of Thy wisdom to make known Thy glory [to all].
[But what is] the spirit of flesh that it should understand all this, and that it should comprehend the great [design of Thy wisdom]?
What is he that is born of woman in the midst of all Thy terrible [works]?
He is but an edifice of dust, and a thing kneaded with water, whose beginning [is sinful iniquity], and shameful nakedness, [and a fount of uncleanness], and over whom a spirit of straying rules.
If he is wicked he shall become [a sign for] ever, and a wonder to (every) generation, [and an object of horror to all] flesh.
By Thy goodness alone is man righteous, and with Thy many mercies, Thou strengthenest him].
Thou wilt adorn him with Thy splendour and wilt [cause him to reign amid] many delights with everlasting peace and length of days.
[For Thou hast spoken], and Thou wilt not take back Thy word.
And I, Thy servant, I know by the spirit which Thou hast given to me
[that Thy words are truth], and that all Thy works are righteousness,
and that Thou wilt not take back Thy word
VI (formerly XIV)
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Hymn 3 (formerly 25)
[I thank Thee, O Lord, for] Thou didst shed [Thy] Holy Spirit upon Thy Servant
V (formerly XIII)
All these things [Thou didst establish in Thy wisdom.
Thou didst appoint] all Thy works before ever creating them:
the host of Thy spirits and the Congregation [of Thy Holy Ones, the heavens and all] their hosts and the earth and all it brings forth.
In the seas and deeps ...
... and an everlasting task; for Thou hast established them from before eternity.
And the work of ...
and they shall recount Thy glory throughout all Thy dominion
For Thou hast shown them that which they had not [seen by removing all] ancient things and creating new ones, by breaking asunder things anciently established, and raising up the things of eternity.
For [Thou art from the beginning]
and shalt endure for ages without end.
And Thou hast [appointed] all these things in the mysteries of Thy wisdom to make known Thy glory [to all].
[But what is] the spirit of flesh that it should understand all this, and that it should comprehend the great [design of Thy wisdom]?
What is he that is born of woman in the midst of all Thy terrible [works]?
He is but an edifice of dust, and a thing kneaded with water, whose beginning [is sinful iniquity], and shameful nakedness, [and a fount of uncleanness], and over whom a spirit of straying rules.
If he is wicked he shall become [a sign for] ever, and a wonder to (every) generation, [and an object of horror to all] flesh.
By Thy goodness alone is man righteous, and with Thy many mercies, Thou strengthenest him].
Thou wilt adorn him with Thy splendour and wilt [cause him to reign amid] many delights with everlasting peace and length of days.
[For Thou hast spoken], and Thou wilt not take back Thy word.
And I, Thy servant, I know by the spirit which Thou hast given to me
[that Thy words are truth], and that all Thy works are righteousness,
and that Thou wilt not take back Thy word
VI (formerly XIV)
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9
Hymn 4 (formerly 21)
[Blessed art Thou,] O Lord who hast given understanding
to the heart of [Thy] servant that he may understand all these things and resist [the works] of wickedness and bless justly all those who choose Thy will, [and that he may love all] that Thou lovest and loathe all that Thou [hatest].
Thou shalt instruct Thy servant
... [spi]rits of man for Thou hast cast their (lot) according to the spirits between good and evil to accomplish their task.
And I know through the understanding which comes from Thee, that in Thy goodwill towards m[a]n
[Thou hast] increa[sed his inheritance] in Thy Holy Spirit
and thus Thou hast drawn me near to understanding of Thee.
And the closer I approach, the more am I filled with zeal, against all the workers of iniquity and the men of deceit.
For none of those who approach Thee rebels against Thy command,
nor do any of those who know Thee alter Thy words;
for Thou art righteous, and all Thine elect are truth.
Thou wilt blot out all injustice and wickedness for ever, and Thy righteousness shall be revealed before the eyes of all Thy creatures.
I know through Thy great goodness; and with an oath I have undertaken never to sin against Thee, nor to do anything evil in Thine eyes.
And thus do I bring into community all the men of my Council.
I will cause each man to draw near in accordance with his understanding, and according to the greatness of his inheritance,
so will I love him.
I will not honour an evil man, nor consider [the bribes of shame];
I will [not] barter Thy truth for riches, nor one of Thy precepts for bribes.
But [I will lo]ve [each ma]n according to his sp[eech](?)
and according as Thou removest him far from Thee, so will I hate him;
and none of those who have turned [from] Thy [Co]venant will I bring into the Council [of Thy] t[ruth].
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Hymn 4 (formerly 21)
[Blessed art Thou,] O Lord who hast given understanding
to the heart of [Thy] servant that he may understand all these things and resist [the works] of wickedness and bless justly all those who choose Thy will, [and that he may love all] that Thou lovest and loathe all that Thou [hatest].
Thou shalt instruct Thy servant
... [spi]rits of man for Thou hast cast their (lot) according to the spirits between good and evil to accomplish their task.
And I know through the understanding which comes from Thee, that in Thy goodwill towards m[a]n
[Thou hast] increa[sed his inheritance] in Thy Holy Spirit
and thus Thou hast drawn me near to understanding of Thee.
And the closer I approach, the more am I filled with zeal, against all the workers of iniquity and the men of deceit.
For none of those who approach Thee rebels against Thy command,
nor do any of those who know Thee alter Thy words;
for Thou art righteous, and all Thine elect are truth.
Thou wilt blot out all injustice and wickedness for ever, and Thy righteousness shall be revealed before the eyes of all Thy creatures.
I know through Thy great goodness; and with an oath I have undertaken never to sin against Thee, nor to do anything evil in Thine eyes.
And thus do I bring into community all the men of my Council.
I will cause each man to draw near in accordance with his understanding, and according to the greatness of his inheritance,
so will I love him.
I will not honour an evil man, nor consider [the bribes of shame];
I will [not] barter Thy truth for riches, nor one of Thy precepts for bribes.
But [I will lo]ve [each ma]n according to his sp[eech](?)
and according as Thou removest him far from Thee, so will I hate him;
and none of those who have turned [from] Thy [Co]venant will I bring into the Council [of Thy] t[ruth].
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10
Hymn 5 (formerly 22)
[I thank] Thee, O Lord, as befits the greatness of Thy power and the multitude of Thy marvels for ever and ever.
[Thou art a merciful God] and rich in [favours], pardoning those who repent of their sin and visiting the iniquity of the wicked.
[Thou delightest in] the free-will offering [of the righteous] but iniquity Thou hatest always.
Thou hast favoured me, Thy servant, with a spirit of knowledge, [that I may choose] truth [and goodness] and loathe all the ways of iniquity.
And I have loved Thee freely and with all my heart;
[contemplating the mysteries of] Thy wisdom [I have sought Thee].
For this is from Thy hand and [nothing is done] without [Thy will].
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Hymn 5 (formerly 22)
[I thank] Thee, O Lord, as befits the greatness of Thy power and the multitude of Thy marvels for ever and ever.
[Thou art a merciful God] and rich in [favours], pardoning those who repent of their sin and visiting the iniquity of the wicked.
[Thou delightest in] the free-will offering [of the righteous] but iniquity Thou hatest always.
Thou hast favoured me, Thy servant, with a spirit of knowledge, [that I may choose] truth [and goodness] and loathe all the ways of iniquity.
And I have loved Thee freely and with all my heart;
[contemplating the mysteries of] Thy wisdom [I have sought Thee].
For this is from Thy hand and [nothing is done] without [Thy will].
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11
VII (formerly XV)
I have loved Thee freely and with all my heart and soul I have purified...
[that I might not] turn aside from any of Thy commands.
I have clung to the Congregation...
that I might not be separated from any of Thy laws.
I know through the understanding which comes from Thee that righteousness is not in a hand of flesh, [that] man [is not master of] his way and that it is not in mortals to direct their step.
I know that the inclination of every spirit [is in Thy hand];
Thou didst establish [all] its [ways] before ever creating it, and how can any man change Thy words?
Thou alone didst [create] the just and establish him from the womb
for the time of goodwill, that he might hearken to Thy Covenant and walk in all (Thy ways), and that [Thou mightest show Thyself great] to him in the multitude of Thy mercies, and enlarge his straitened soul to eternal salvation, to perpetual and unfailing peace.
Thou wilt raise up his glory from among flesh.
But the wicked Thou didst create for [the time] of Thy [wrath], Thou didst vow them from the womb to the Day of Massacre, for they walk in the way which is not good.
They have despised [Thy Covenant] and their souls have loathed Thy [truth];
they have taken no delight in all Thy commandments and have chosen that which Thou hatest.
[For according to the mysteries] of Thy [wisdom], Thou hast ordained them for great chastisements before the eyes of all Thy creatures, that [for all] eternity, they may serve as a sign [and a wonder], and that [all men] may know Thy glory and Thy tremendous power.
But what is flesh that it should understand [these things]?
And how should [a creature of] dust direct his steps?
It is Thou who didst shape the spirit and establish its work [from the beginning];
the way of all the living proceeds from Thee.
I know that no riches equal Thy truth, and [have therefore desired to enter the Council of] Thy holiness.
I know that Thou hast chosen them before all others and that they shall serve Thee for ever.
Thou wilt [take no bribe for the deeds of iniquity], nor ransom for the works of wickedness;
for Thou art a God of truth and [wilt destroy] all iniquity [for ever, and] no [wickedness] shall exist before Thee.
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VII (formerly XV)
I have loved Thee freely and with all my heart and soul I have purified...
[that I might not] turn aside from any of Thy commands.
I have clung to the Congregation...
that I might not be separated from any of Thy laws.
I know through the understanding which comes from Thee that righteousness is not in a hand of flesh, [that] man [is not master of] his way and that it is not in mortals to direct their step.
I know that the inclination of every spirit [is in Thy hand];
Thou didst establish [all] its [ways] before ever creating it, and how can any man change Thy words?
Thou alone didst [create] the just and establish him from the womb
for the time of goodwill, that he might hearken to Thy Covenant and walk in all (Thy ways), and that [Thou mightest show Thyself great] to him in the multitude of Thy mercies, and enlarge his straitened soul to eternal salvation, to perpetual and unfailing peace.
Thou wilt raise up his glory from among flesh.
But the wicked Thou didst create for [the time] of Thy [wrath], Thou didst vow them from the womb to the Day of Massacre, for they walk in the way which is not good.
They have despised [Thy Covenant] and their souls have loathed Thy [truth];
they have taken no delight in all Thy commandments and have chosen that which Thou hatest.
[For according to the mysteries] of Thy [wisdom], Thou hast ordained them for great chastisements before the eyes of all Thy creatures, that [for all] eternity, they may serve as a sign [and a wonder], and that [all men] may know Thy glory and Thy tremendous power.
But what is flesh that it should understand [these things]?
And how should [a creature of] dust direct his steps?
It is Thou who didst shape the spirit and establish its work [from the beginning];
the way of all the living proceeds from Thee.
I know that no riches equal Thy truth, and [have therefore desired to enter the Council of] Thy holiness.
I know that Thou hast chosen them before all others and that they shall serve Thee for ever.
Thou wilt [take no bribe for the deeds of iniquity], nor ransom for the works of wickedness;
for Thou art a God of truth and [wilt destroy] all iniquity [for ever, and] no [wickedness] shall exist before Thee.
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12
VIII (formerly XVI)
Because I know all these things my tongue shall utter a reply.
Bowing down and [confessing all] my transgressions, I will seek [Thy] spirit [of knowledge];
cleaving to Thy spirit of [holiness], I will hold fast to the truth of Thy Covenant, that [I may serve] Thee in truth and wholeness of heart, and that I may love [Thy Name].
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, Maker [of all things and mighty in] deeds: all things are Thy work!
Behold, Thou art pleased to favour [Thy servant], and hast graced me with Thy spirit of mercy and [with the radiance] of Thy glory.
Thine, Thine is righteousness, for it is Thou who hast done all [these things]!
I know that Thou hast marked the spirit of the just, and therefore I have chosen to keep my hands clean in accordance with [Thy] will:
the soul of Thy servant [has loathed] every work of iniquity.
And I know that man is not righteous, except through Thee,
and therefore I implore Thee by the spirit which Thou hast given [me] to perfect Thy [favours] to Thy servant [for ever],
purifying me by Thy Holy Spirit, and drawing me near to Thee by Thy grace according to the abundance of Thy mercies [Grant me] the place [of Thy loving-kindness] which [Thou hast] chosen for them that love Thee and keep [Thy commandments, that they may stand] in Thy presence [for] ever.
Let no scourge [come] near him lest he stagger aside from the laws of Thy Covenant.
I [know, O Lord, that Thou art merciful] and compassionate, [long]-suffering and [rich] in grace and truth, pardoning transgression [and sin].
Thou repentest of [evil against them that love Thee] and keep [Thy] commandments, [that] return to Thee with faith and wholeness of heart
... to serve Thee [and to do that which is] good in Thine eyes.
Reject not the face of Thy servant
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VIII (formerly XVI)
Because I know all these things my tongue shall utter a reply.
Bowing down and [confessing all] my transgressions, I will seek [Thy] spirit [of knowledge];
cleaving to Thy spirit of [holiness], I will hold fast to the truth of Thy Covenant, that [I may serve] Thee in truth and wholeness of heart, and that I may love [Thy Name].
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, Maker [of all things and mighty in] deeds: all things are Thy work!
Behold, Thou art pleased to favour [Thy servant], and hast graced me with Thy spirit of mercy and [with the radiance] of Thy glory.
Thine, Thine is righteousness, for it is Thou who hast done all [these things]!
I know that Thou hast marked the spirit of the just, and therefore I have chosen to keep my hands clean in accordance with [Thy] will:
the soul of Thy servant [has loathed] every work of iniquity.
And I know that man is not righteous, except through Thee,
and therefore I implore Thee by the spirit which Thou hast given [me] to perfect Thy [favours] to Thy servant [for ever],
purifying me by Thy Holy Spirit, and drawing me near to Thee by Thy grace according to the abundance of Thy mercies [Grant me] the place [of Thy loving-kindness] which [Thou hast] chosen for them that love Thee and keep [Thy commandments, that they may stand] in Thy presence [for] ever.
Let no scourge [come] near him lest he stagger aside from the laws of Thy Covenant.
I [know, O Lord, that Thou art merciful] and compassionate, [long]-suffering and [rich] in grace and truth, pardoning transgression [and sin].
Thou repentest of [evil against them that love Thee] and keep [Thy] commandments, [that] return to Thee with faith and wholeness of heart
... to serve Thee [and to do that which is] good in Thine eyes.
Reject not the face of Thy servant
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13
Hymn 6 (formerly I)
IX (formerly I)
Thou art long-suffering in Thy judgements and righteous in all Thy deeds.
By Thy wisdom [all things exist from] eternity, and before creating them Thou knewest their works for ever and ever.
[Nothing] is done [without Thee] and nothing is known unless Thou desire it.
Thou hast created all the spirits [and hast established a statute] and law for all their works.
Thou hast spread the heavens for Thy glory and hast [appointed] all [their hosts] according to Thy will;
the mighty winds according to their laws before they became angels [of holiness]
... and eternal spirits in their dominions;
the heavenly lights to their mysteries, the stars to their paths, [the clouds] to their tasks, the thunderbolts and lightnings to their duty, and the perfect treasuries (of snow and hail) to their purposes,
... to their mysteries.
Thou hast created the earth by Thy power and the seas and deeps [by Thy might].
Thou hast fashioned [all] their [inhabi]tants according to Thy wisdom, and hast appointed all that is in them according to Thy will.
[And] to the spirit of man which Thou hast formed in the world,
[Thou hast given dominion over the works of Thy hands] for everlasting days and unending generations.
... in their ages
Thou hast allotted to them tasks during all their generations, and judgement in their appointed seasons according to the rule [of the two spirits.
For Thou hast established their ways] for ever and ever, [and hast ordained from eternity] their visitation for reward and chastisements;
Thou hast allotted it to all their seed for eternal generations and everlasting years...
In the wisdom of Thy knowledge Thou didst establish their destiny before ever they were.
All things [exist] according to [Thy will] and without Thee nothing is done.
These things I know by the wisdom which comes from Thee, for Thou hast unstopped my ears to marvellous mysteries.
And yet I, a shape of clay kneaded in water, a ground of shame and a source of pollution, a melting-pot of wickedness and an edifice of sin,
a straying and perverted spirit of no understanding, fearful of righteous judgements, what can I say that is not foreknown, and what can I utter that is not foretold?
All things are graven before Thee on a written Reminder for everlasting ages, and for the numbered cycles of the eternal years in all their seasons; they are not hidden or absent from Thee.
What shall a man say concerning his sin?
And how shall he plead concerning his iniquities?
And how shall he reply to righteous judgement?
For Thine, O God of knowledge, are all righteous deeds and the counsel of truth; but to the sons of men is the work of iniquity and deeds of deceit.
It is Thou who hast created breath for the tongue and Thou knowest its words;
Thou didst establish the fruit of the lips before ever they were.
Thou dost set words to measure and the flow of breath from the lips to metre.
Thou bringest forth sounds according to their mysteries, and the flow of breath from the lips according to its reckoning, that they may tell of Thy glory and recount Thy wonders in all Thy works of truth and [in all Thy] righteous [judgements];
and that Thy Name be praised by the mouth of all men, and that they may know Thee according to their understanding and bless Thee for ever.
By Thy mercies and by Thy great goodness, Thou hast strengthened the spirit of man in the face of the scourge, and hast purified [the erring spirit] of a multitude of sins, that it may declare Thy marvels
in the presence of all Thy creatures.
[I will declare to the assembly of the simple] the judgements by which I was scourged, and to the sons of men, all Thy wonders by which Thou hast shown Thyself mighty [in me in the presence of the sons of Adam].
Hear, O you wise men, and meditate on knowledge;
O you fearful, be steadfast!
Increase in prudence, [O all you simple];
O just men, put away iniquity!
Hold fast [to the Covenant], O all you perfect of way;
[O all you afflicted with] misery, be patient and despise no righteous judgement!
[but the foo]lish of heart shall not comprehend these things
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Hymn 6 (formerly I)
IX (formerly I)
Thou art long-suffering in Thy judgements and righteous in all Thy deeds.
By Thy wisdom [all things exist from] eternity, and before creating them Thou knewest their works for ever and ever.
[Nothing] is done [without Thee] and nothing is known unless Thou desire it.
Thou hast created all the spirits [and hast established a statute] and law for all their works.
Thou hast spread the heavens for Thy glory and hast [appointed] all [their hosts] according to Thy will;
the mighty winds according to their laws before they became angels [of holiness]
... and eternal spirits in their dominions;
the heavenly lights to their mysteries, the stars to their paths, [the clouds] to their tasks, the thunderbolts and lightnings to their duty, and the perfect treasuries (of snow and hail) to their purposes,
... to their mysteries.
Thou hast created the earth by Thy power and the seas and deeps [by Thy might].
Thou hast fashioned [all] their [inhabi]tants according to Thy wisdom, and hast appointed all that is in them according to Thy will.
[And] to the spirit of man which Thou hast formed in the world,
[Thou hast given dominion over the works of Thy hands] for everlasting days and unending generations.
... in their ages
Thou hast allotted to them tasks during all their generations, and judgement in their appointed seasons according to the rule [of the two spirits.
For Thou hast established their ways] for ever and ever, [and hast ordained from eternity] their visitation for reward and chastisements;
Thou hast allotted it to all their seed for eternal generations and everlasting years...
In the wisdom of Thy knowledge Thou didst establish their destiny before ever they were.
All things [exist] according to [Thy will] and without Thee nothing is done.
These things I know by the wisdom which comes from Thee, for Thou hast unstopped my ears to marvellous mysteries.
And yet I, a shape of clay kneaded in water, a ground of shame and a source of pollution, a melting-pot of wickedness and an edifice of sin,
a straying and perverted spirit of no understanding, fearful of righteous judgements, what can I say that is not foreknown, and what can I utter that is not foretold?
All things are graven before Thee on a written Reminder for everlasting ages, and for the numbered cycles of the eternal years in all their seasons; they are not hidden or absent from Thee.
What shall a man say concerning his sin?
And how shall he plead concerning his iniquities?
And how shall he reply to righteous judgement?
For Thine, O God of knowledge, are all righteous deeds and the counsel of truth; but to the sons of men is the work of iniquity and deeds of deceit.
It is Thou who hast created breath for the tongue and Thou knowest its words;
Thou didst establish the fruit of the lips before ever they were.
Thou dost set words to measure and the flow of breath from the lips to metre.
Thou bringest forth sounds according to their mysteries, and the flow of breath from the lips according to its reckoning, that they may tell of Thy glory and recount Thy wonders in all Thy works of truth and [in all Thy] righteous [judgements];
and that Thy Name be praised by the mouth of all men, and that they may know Thee according to their understanding and bless Thee for ever.
By Thy mercies and by Thy great goodness, Thou hast strengthened the spirit of man in the face of the scourge, and hast purified [the erring spirit] of a multitude of sins, that it may declare Thy marvels
in the presence of all Thy creatures.
[I will declare to the assembly of the simple] the judgements by which I was scourged, and to the sons of men, all Thy wonders by which Thou hast shown Thyself mighty [in me in the presence of the sons of Adam].
Hear, O you wise men, and meditate on knowledge;
O you fearful, be steadfast!
Increase in prudence, [O all you simple];
O just men, put away iniquity!
Hold fast [to the Covenant], O all you perfect of way;
[O all you afflicted with] misery, be patient and despise no righteous judgement!
[but the foo]lish of heart shall not comprehend these things
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14
X (formerly II)
Upon my [uncircumcised] lips Thou hast laid a reply.
Thou hast upheld my soul, strengthening my loins and restoring my power;
my foot has stood in the realm of ungodliness.
I have been a snare to those who rebel, but healing to those of them who repent, prudence to the simple, and steadfastness to the fearful of heart.
To traitors Thou hast made of me a mockery and scorn, but a counsel of truth and understanding to the upright of way.
I have been iniquity for the wicked, ill-repute on the lips of the fierce, the scoffers have gnashed their teeth. I have been a byword to traitors, the assembly of the wicked has raged against me;
they have roared like turbulent seas and their towering waves have spat out mud and slime.
But to the elect of righteousness Thou hast made me a banner, and a discerning interpreter of wonderful mysteries, to try [those who practise] truth and to test those who love correction.
To the interpreters of error I have been an opponent, [but a man of peace] to all those who see true things.
To all those who seek smooth things I have been a spirit of zeal;
like the sound of the roaring of many waters so have [all] the deceivers thundered against me; [all] their thoughts were devilish [schemings].
They have cast towards the Pit the life of the man whose mouth Thou hast confirmed, and into whose heart, Thou hast put teaching and understanding, that he might open a fountain of knowledge
to all men of insight.
They have exchanged them for lips of uncircumcision, and for the foreign tongue of a people without understanding, that they might come to ruin in their straying.
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X (formerly II)
Upon my [uncircumcised] lips Thou hast laid a reply.
Thou hast upheld my soul, strengthening my loins and restoring my power;
my foot has stood in the realm of ungodliness.
I have been a snare to those who rebel, but healing to those of them who repent, prudence to the simple, and steadfastness to the fearful of heart.
To traitors Thou hast made of me a mockery and scorn, but a counsel of truth and understanding to the upright of way.
I have been iniquity for the wicked, ill-repute on the lips of the fierce, the scoffers have gnashed their teeth. I have been a byword to traitors, the assembly of the wicked has raged against me;
they have roared like turbulent seas and their towering waves have spat out mud and slime.
But to the elect of righteousness Thou hast made me a banner, and a discerning interpreter of wonderful mysteries, to try [those who practise] truth and to test those who love correction.
To the interpreters of error I have been an opponent, [but a man of peace] to all those who see true things.
To all those who seek smooth things I have been a spirit of zeal;
like the sound of the roaring of many waters so have [all] the deceivers thundered against me; [all] their thoughts were devilish [schemings].
They have cast towards the Pit the life of the man whose mouth Thou hast confirmed, and into whose heart, Thou hast put teaching and understanding, that he might open a fountain of knowledge
to all men of insight.
They have exchanged them for lips of uncircumcision, and for the foreign tongue of a people without understanding, that they might come to ruin in their straying.
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15
Hymn 7 (formerly 2)
for Thou hast placed my soul in the bundle of the living, and hast hedged me about against all the snares of the Pit.
Violent men have sought after my life because I have clung to Thy Covenant.
For they, an assembly of deceit, and a horde of Belial, know not that my stand is maintained by Thee, and that in Thy mercy Thou wilt save my soul since my steps proceed from Thee.
From Thee it is that they assail my life, that Thou mayest be glorified by the judgement of the wicked, and manifest Thy might through me
in the presence of the sons of men; for it is by Thy mercy that I stand.
And I said, Mighty men have pitched their camps against me, and have encompassed me with all their weapons of war.
They have let fly arrows against which there is no cure, and the flame of (their) javelins is like a consuming fire among trees.
The clamour of their shouting is like the bellowing of many waters,
like a storm of destruction devouring a multitude of men;
as their waves rear up, Naught and Vanity spout upward to the stars.
But although my heart melted like water, my soul held fast to Thy Covenant, and the net which they spread for me has taken their own foot;
they have themselves fallen into the snares which they laid for my life.
But my foot remains upon level ground; apart from their assembly I will bless Thy Name.
Hymn 7 (formerly 2)
for Thou hast placed my soul in the bundle of the living, and hast hedged me about against all the snares of the Pit.
Violent men have sought after my life because I have clung to Thy Covenant.
For they, an assembly of deceit, and a horde of Belial, know not that my stand is maintained by Thee, and that in Thy mercy Thou wilt save my soul since my steps proceed from Thee.
From Thee it is that they assail my life, that Thou mayest be glorified by the judgement of the wicked, and manifest Thy might through me
in the presence of the sons of men; for it is by Thy mercy that I stand.
And I said, Mighty men have pitched their camps against me, and have encompassed me with all their weapons of war.
They have let fly arrows against which there is no cure, and the flame of (their) javelins is like a consuming fire among trees.
The clamour of their shouting is like the bellowing of many waters,
like a storm of destruction devouring a multitude of men;
as their waves rear up, Naught and Vanity spout upward to the stars.
But although my heart melted like water, my soul held fast to Thy Covenant, and the net which they spread for me has taken their own foot;
they have themselves fallen into the snares which they laid for my life.
But my foot remains upon level ground; apart from their assembly I will bless Thy Name.
Hymn #7 (formerly 2)
I give thanks to you, Lord, because you have placed me in the circle of life and guided me against the evils of the world. Violent men have threatened my life because of my faith in you Lord. For they are an assembly of trickery and a crowd of evil, the do not know that through you I live and in your compassion you will spare me in my soul. Because of you they raid my life to spite you by the judgment of the wicked. But you give me strength in the faces of the unworthy. And I said, mighty men have pitched their camps and swarmed against me with all the temptations of unjustly things. They have begun things which have no cure, no stopping. Their weapons of evil engulf the land like a tidal wave upon the shore. Like a wave of destruction devouring a multitude of men. Temptation rose inside me but my soul clung to the faith of you Lord. They have fallen to the destruction of each other which they brought on themselves, but I will not fall to the rein of their destruction, for I keep upon level ground and apart from them I will bless you Lord.
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I give thanks to you, Lord, because you have placed me in the circle of life and guided me against the evils of the world. Violent men have threatened my life because of my faith in you Lord. For they are an assembly of trickery and a crowd of evil, the do not know that through you I live and in your compassion you will spare me in my soul. Because of you they raid my life to spite you by the judgment of the wicked. But you give me strength in the faces of the unworthy. And I said, mighty men have pitched their camps and swarmed against me with all the temptations of unjustly things. They have begun things which have no cure, no stopping. Their weapons of evil engulf the land like a tidal wave upon the shore. Like a wave of destruction devouring a multitude of men. Temptation rose inside me but my soul clung to the faith of you Lord. They have fallen to the destruction of each other which they brought on themselves, but I will not fall to the rein of their destruction, for I keep upon level ground and apart from them I will bless you Lord.
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16
Hymn 8 (formerly 3)
I thank Thee, O Lord, for Thou hast [fastened] Thine eye upon me.
Thou hast saved me from the zeal of lying interpreters, and from the congregation of those who seek smooth things.
Thou hast redeemed the soul of the poor one whom they planned to destroy by spilling his blood because he served Thee.
Because [they knew not] that my steps were directed by Thee, they made me an object of shame and derision in the mouth of all the seekers of falsehood.
But Thou, O my God, hast succoured the soul of the poor and the needy against one stronger than he;
Thou hast redeemed my soul from the hand of the mighty.
Thou hast not permitted their insults to dismay me so that I forsook Thy service for fear of the wickedness of the [ungodly], or bartered my steadfast heart for folly
Hymn 8 (formerly 3)
I thank Thee, O Lord, for Thou hast [fastened] Thine eye upon me.
Thou hast saved me from the zeal of lying interpreters, and from the congregation of those who seek smooth things.
Thou hast redeemed the soul of the poor one whom they planned to destroy by spilling his blood because he served Thee.
Because [they knew not] that my steps were directed by Thee, they made me an object of shame and derision in the mouth of all the seekers of falsehood.
But Thou, O my God, hast succoured the soul of the poor and the needy against one stronger than he;
Thou hast redeemed my soul from the hand of the mighty.
Thou hast not permitted their insults to dismay me so that I forsook Thy service for fear of the wickedness of the [ungodly], or bartered my steadfast heart for folly
Hymn #8 (formerly 3):
I give thanks to you, Lord, for you have [fastened] your eye upon me. You have saved me from the passion of lying deception, and from the congregation of those who seek wealth. You have blessed the soul of the poor one who planned to destroy me by spilling my blood while I was at service to you. But they did not know that my soul belonged to you, so they made a mockery of me in the mouths of all that seek for lies. [...] But you, my Lord, have restored the faith of the poor and the needy against one stronger than me; you have saved my soul from the hand of the mighty. You have not permitted their insults to pursue me into craving their service.
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I give thanks to you, Lord, for you have [fastened] your eye upon me. You have saved me from the passion of lying deception, and from the congregation of those who seek wealth. You have blessed the soul of the poor one who planned to destroy me by spilling my blood while I was at service to you. But they did not know that my soul belonged to you, so they made a mockery of me in the mouths of all that seek for lies. [...] But you, my Lord, have restored the faith of the poor and the needy against one stronger than me; you have saved my soul from the hand of the mighty. You have not permitted their insults to pursue me into craving their service.
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17
Hymn 9(formerly 4)
XI (formerly III)
They caused [me] to be like a ship on the deeps of the [sea], and like a fortified city before [the aggressor], [and] like a woman in travail
with her first-born child, upon whose belly pangs have come and grievous pains, filling with anguish her child-bearing crucible.
For the children have come to the throes of Death, and she labours in her pains who bears a man.
For amid the throes of Death she shall bring forth a man-child, and amid the pains of Hell there shall spring from her child-bearing crucible a Marvellous Mighty Counsellor; and a man shall be delivered from out of the throes.
When he is conceived all wombs shall quicken, and the time of their delivery shall be in grievous pains; they shall be appalled who are with child.
And when he is brought forth every pang shall come upon the child-bearing crucible.
And they, the conceivers of Vanity, shall be prey to terrible anguish;
the wombs of the Pit shall be prey to all the works of horror.
The foundations of the wall shall rock like a ship upon the face of the waters;
the heavens shall roar with a noise of roaring, and those who dwell in the dust, as well as those who sail the seas, shall be appalled by the roaring of the waters.
All their wise men shall be like sailors on the deeps, for all their wisdom shall be swallowed up in the midst of the howling seas.
As the Abysses boil above the fountains of the waters, the towering waves and billows shall rage with the voice of their roaring;
and as they rage, [Hell and Abaddon] shall open [and all] the flying arrows of the Pit shall send out their voice to the Abyss.
And the gates [of Hell] shall open [on all] the works of Vanity; and the doors of the Pit shall close on the conceivers of wickedness;
and the everlasting bars shall be bolted on all the spirits of Naught.
Hymn 9(formerly 4)
XI (formerly III)
They caused [me] to be like a ship on the deeps of the [sea], and like a fortified city before [the aggressor], [and] like a woman in travail
with her first-born child, upon whose belly pangs have come and grievous pains, filling with anguish her child-bearing crucible.
For the children have come to the throes of Death, and she labours in her pains who bears a man.
For amid the throes of Death she shall bring forth a man-child, and amid the pains of Hell there shall spring from her child-bearing crucible a Marvellous Mighty Counsellor; and a man shall be delivered from out of the throes.
When he is conceived all wombs shall quicken, and the time of their delivery shall be in grievous pains; they shall be appalled who are with child.
And when he is brought forth every pang shall come upon the child-bearing crucible.
And they, the conceivers of Vanity, shall be prey to terrible anguish;
the wombs of the Pit shall be prey to all the works of horror.
The foundations of the wall shall rock like a ship upon the face of the waters;
the heavens shall roar with a noise of roaring, and those who dwell in the dust, as well as those who sail the seas, shall be appalled by the roaring of the waters.
All their wise men shall be like sailors on the deeps, for all their wisdom shall be swallowed up in the midst of the howling seas.
As the Abysses boil above the fountains of the waters, the towering waves and billows shall rage with the voice of their roaring;
and as they rage, [Hell and Abaddon] shall open [and all] the flying arrows of the Pit shall send out their voice to the Abyss.
And the gates [of Hell] shall open [on all] the works of Vanity; and the doors of the Pit shall close on the conceivers of wickedness;
and the everlasting bars shall be bolted on all the spirits of Naught.
Psalm 5.
They made my life a ship on the deep sea,
like a fortified city circled by aggressors.
I hurt like a woman in labor bearing her first child,
whose belly pangs torture her in the crucible.
Pains of Hell
for a son come on the waves of death.
She labors to bear a man,
and among the waves of death she gives birth to a manchild,
with pains of Hell.
He springs from the crucible,
O wondrous counselor with power :
Yes, a man emerges from the waves..
But she who carries dead seed in her womb
suffers waves from a pit of horror.
The foundations of the wall will rock
like a ship on the face of the waters.
Clouds will bellow.
Those who dwell in the dust, like those on the sea,
are terrified by the roar of the waters.
All those wise men are like mariners on the deep:
their wisdom confounded by the roaring seas.
The abyss boils over the fountains of water.
The seas rage.
Hell opens, and arrows fly toward Heaven.
Their eternal bars are bolted.
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They made my life a ship on the deep sea,
like a fortified city circled by aggressors.
I hurt like a woman in labor bearing her first child,
whose belly pangs torture her in the crucible.
Pains of Hell
for a son come on the waves of death.
She labors to bear a man,
and among the waves of death she gives birth to a manchild,
with pains of Hell.
He springs from the crucible,
O wondrous counselor with power :
Yes, a man emerges from the waves..
But she who carries dead seed in her womb
suffers waves from a pit of horror.
The foundations of the wall will rock
like a ship on the face of the waters.
Clouds will bellow.
Those who dwell in the dust, like those on the sea,
are terrified by the roar of the waters.
All those wise men are like mariners on the deep:
their wisdom confounded by the roaring seas.
The abyss boils over the fountains of water.
The seas rage.
Hell opens, and arrows fly toward Heaven.
Their eternal bars are bolted.
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18
Hymn 10 (formerly 5)
I thank Thee, O Lord, for Thou hast redeemed my soul from the Pit, and from the hell of Abaddon Thou hast raised me up to everlasting height.
I walk on limitless level ground, and I know there is hope for him
whom Thou hast shaped from dust for the everlasting Council.
Thou hast cleansed a perverse spirit of great sin that it may stand with the host of the Holy Ones, and that it may enter into community with the congregation of the Sons of Heaven.
Thou hast allotted to man an everlasting destiny, amidst the spirits of knowledge, that he may praise Thy Name in a common rejoicing and recount Thy marvels before all Thy works.
And yet I, a creature of clay, what am I?
Kneaded with water, what is my worth and my might?
For I have stood in the realm of wickedness and my lot was with the damned;
the soul of the poor one was carried away in the midst of great tribulation.
Miseries of torment dogged my steps while all the snares of the Pit were opened and the lures of wickedness were set up and the nets of the damned (were spread) on the waters;
while all the arrows of the Pit flew out without cease, and, striking, left no hope;
while the rope beat down in judgement and a destiny of wrath (fell) upon the abandoned and a venting of fury upon the cunning.
It was a time of the wrath of all Belial and the bonds of death tightened without any escape.
The torrents of Belial shall reach to all sides of the world.
In all their channels a consuming fire shall destroy every tree, green and barren, on their banks;
unto the end of their courses, it shall scourge with flames of fire, and shall consume the foundations of the earth and the expanse of dry land.
The bases of the mountains shall blaze and the roots of the rocks shall turn to torrents of pitch; it shall devour as far as the great Abyss.
The torrents of Belial shall break into Abaddon, and the deeps of the Abyss shall groan, amid the roar of heaving mud.
The land shall cry out because of the calamity fallen upon the world, and all its deeps shall howl.
And all those upon it shall rave and shall perish amid the great misfortune.
For God shall sound His mighty voice, and His holy abode shall thunder with the truth of His glory.
The heavenly hosts shall cry out and the world’s foundations
shall stagger and sway.
The war of the heavenly warriors shall scourge the earth; and it shall not end before the appointed destruction which shall be for ever and without compare.
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Hymn 10 (formerly 5)
I thank Thee, O Lord, for Thou hast redeemed my soul from the Pit, and from the hell of Abaddon Thou hast raised me up to everlasting height.
I walk on limitless level ground, and I know there is hope for him
whom Thou hast shaped from dust for the everlasting Council.
Thou hast cleansed a perverse spirit of great sin that it may stand with the host of the Holy Ones, and that it may enter into community with the congregation of the Sons of Heaven.
Thou hast allotted to man an everlasting destiny, amidst the spirits of knowledge, that he may praise Thy Name in a common rejoicing and recount Thy marvels before all Thy works.
And yet I, a creature of clay, what am I?
Kneaded with water, what is my worth and my might?
For I have stood in the realm of wickedness and my lot was with the damned;
the soul of the poor one was carried away in the midst of great tribulation.
Miseries of torment dogged my steps while all the snares of the Pit were opened and the lures of wickedness were set up and the nets of the damned (were spread) on the waters;
while all the arrows of the Pit flew out without cease, and, striking, left no hope;
while the rope beat down in judgement and a destiny of wrath (fell) upon the abandoned and a venting of fury upon the cunning.
It was a time of the wrath of all Belial and the bonds of death tightened without any escape.
The torrents of Belial shall reach to all sides of the world.
In all their channels a consuming fire shall destroy every tree, green and barren, on their banks;
unto the end of their courses, it shall scourge with flames of fire, and shall consume the foundations of the earth and the expanse of dry land.
The bases of the mountains shall blaze and the roots of the rocks shall turn to torrents of pitch; it shall devour as far as the great Abyss.
The torrents of Belial shall break into Abaddon, and the deeps of the Abyss shall groan, amid the roar of heaving mud.
The land shall cry out because of the calamity fallen upon the world, and all its deeps shall howl.
And all those upon it shall rave and shall perish amid the great misfortune.
For God shall sound His mighty voice, and His holy abode shall thunder with the truth of His glory.
The heavenly hosts shall cry out and the world’s foundations
shall stagger and sway.
The war of the heavenly warriors shall scourge the earth; and it shall not end before the appointed destruction which shall be for ever and without compare.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
19
Hymn 11 (formerly 6)
I thank Thee, O Lord, for Thou art as a fortified wall to me, and as an iron bar against all destroyers;
Thou hast set my feet upon rock...that I may walk in the way of eternity and in the paths which Thou hast chosen
Hymn 23 (formerly 19)
XX (formerly XII)
... {with the ever[lasting] spirits} (4Q427, fr. 3 ii, 1. 4)
securely in a dwelling {of peac[e,} (4Q427, fr. 2, 11. 1-2)
in sil]ence and quietness in the tents of security and salvation.
I will praise Thy Name among them that fear Thee.
Bowing down in prayer I will beg Thy favours from season to season always:
when light emerges from [its dwelling-place], and when the day reaches its appointed end in accordance with the laws of the Great Light of heaven;
when evening falls and light departs at the beginning of the dominion of darkness, at the hour appointed for night, and at its end when morning returns and (the shadows) retire to their dwelling-place before the approach of light;
always;
at the genesis of every period and at the beginning of every age and at the end of every season, according to the statute and signs, appointed to every dominion by the certain law from the mouth of God, by the precept which is and shall be for ever and ever without end.
Without it nothing is nor shall be, for the God of knowledge established it and there is no other beside Him.
I, the Master, know Thee O my God, by the spirit which Thou hast given to me, and by Thy Holy Spirit I have faithfully hearkened to Thy marvellous counsel.
In the mystery of Thy wisdom, Thou hast opened knowledge to me, and in Thy mercies [Thou hast unlocked for me] the fountain of Thy might.
Before Thee no man is just ...
[that he may] understand all Thy mysteries or give answer [to Thy rebuke.
But the children of Thy grace shall delight in] Thy correction and watch for Thy goodness, for in Thy mercies [Thou wilt show Thyself to them] and they shall know Thee;
at the time of Thy glory they shall rejoice.
[Thou hast caused them to draw near] in accordance [with their knowledge], and hast admitted them in accordance with their understanding, and in their divisions they shall serve Thee throughout their dominion [without ever turning aside] from Thee or transgressing Thy word.
Behold, [I was taken] from dust [and] fashioned [out of clay] as a source of uncleanness, and a shameful nakedness, a heap of dust, and a kneading [with water,] and a house of darkness, a creature of clay returning to dust, returning [at the appointed time to dwell] in the dust whence it was taken.
How then shall dust reply to its Maker, [and how] understand His [works]?
How shall it stand before Him who reproves it?
[and the Spring of] Eternity, the Well of Glory and the Fountain of Knowledge.
Not even [the wonderful] Heroes [can] declare all Thy glory or stand in face of Thy wrath, and there is none among them, that can answer Thy rebuke; for Thou art just and none can oppose Thee.
How then can (man) who returns to his dust?
I hold my peace; what more shall I say than this?
I have spoken in accordance with my knowledge, out of the righteousness given to a creature of clay.
And how shall I speak unless Thou open my mouth; how understand unless Thou teach me?
How shall I seek Thee unless Thou uncover my heart, and how follow the way that is straight unless [Thou guide me?
How shall my foot] stay on [the path unless Thou] give it strength; and how shall I rise...
XXI (formerly XVIII, 16-33+fr- 3)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hymn 11 (formerly 6)
I thank Thee, O Lord, for Thou art as a fortified wall to me, and as an iron bar against all destroyers;
Thou hast set my feet upon rock...that I may walk in the way of eternity and in the paths which Thou hast chosen
Hymn 23 (formerly 19)
XX (formerly XII)
... {with the ever[lasting] spirits} (4Q427, fr. 3 ii, 1. 4)
securely in a dwelling {of peac[e,} (4Q427, fr. 2, 11. 1-2)
in sil]ence and quietness in the tents of security and salvation.
I will praise Thy Name among them that fear Thee.
Bowing down in prayer I will beg Thy favours from season to season always:
when light emerges from [its dwelling-place], and when the day reaches its appointed end in accordance with the laws of the Great Light of heaven;
when evening falls and light departs at the beginning of the dominion of darkness, at the hour appointed for night, and at its end when morning returns and (the shadows) retire to their dwelling-place before the approach of light;
always;
at the genesis of every period and at the beginning of every age and at the end of every season, according to the statute and signs, appointed to every dominion by the certain law from the mouth of God, by the precept which is and shall be for ever and ever without end.
Without it nothing is nor shall be, for the God of knowledge established it and there is no other beside Him.
I, the Master, know Thee O my God, by the spirit which Thou hast given to me, and by Thy Holy Spirit I have faithfully hearkened to Thy marvellous counsel.
In the mystery of Thy wisdom, Thou hast opened knowledge to me, and in Thy mercies [Thou hast unlocked for me] the fountain of Thy might.
Before Thee no man is just ...
[that he may] understand all Thy mysteries or give answer [to Thy rebuke.
But the children of Thy grace shall delight in] Thy correction and watch for Thy goodness, for in Thy mercies [Thou wilt show Thyself to them] and they shall know Thee;
at the time of Thy glory they shall rejoice.
[Thou hast caused them to draw near] in accordance [with their knowledge], and hast admitted them in accordance with their understanding, and in their divisions they shall serve Thee throughout their dominion [without ever turning aside] from Thee or transgressing Thy word.
Behold, [I was taken] from dust [and] fashioned [out of clay] as a source of uncleanness, and a shameful nakedness, a heap of dust, and a kneading [with water,] and a house of darkness, a creature of clay returning to dust, returning [at the appointed time to dwell] in the dust whence it was taken.
How then shall dust reply to its Maker, [and how] understand His [works]?
How shall it stand before Him who reproves it?
[and the Spring of] Eternity, the Well of Glory and the Fountain of Knowledge.
Not even [the wonderful] Heroes [can] declare all Thy glory or stand in face of Thy wrath, and there is none among them, that can answer Thy rebuke; for Thou art just and none can oppose Thee.
How then can (man) who returns to his dust?
I hold my peace; what more shall I say than this?
I have spoken in accordance with my knowledge, out of the righteousness given to a creature of clay.
And how shall I speak unless Thou open my mouth; how understand unless Thou teach me?
How shall I seek Thee unless Thou uncover my heart, and how follow the way that is straight unless [Thou guide me?
How shall my foot] stay on [the path unless Thou] give it strength; and how shall I rise...
XXI (formerly XVIII, 16-33+fr- 3)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20
XII (formerly IV)
Hymn 12
I thank Thee, O Lord, for Thou hast illumined my face by Thy Covenant,
I seek Thee, and sure as the dawn Thou appearest as [perfect Light] to me.
Teachers of lies [have smoothed] Thy people [with words], and [false prophets] have led them astray;
they perish without understanding for their works are in folly.
For I am despised by them and they have no esteem for me that Thou mayest manifest Thy might through me.
They have banished me from my land like a bird from its nest;
all my friends and brethren are driven far from me and hold me for a broken vessel.
And they, teachers of lies and seers of falsehood, have schemed against me a devilish scheme, to exchange the Law engraved on my heart by Thee for the smooth things (which they speak) to Thy people.
And they withhold from the thirsty the drink of Knowledge, and assuage their thirst with vinegar, that they may gaze on their straying, on their folly concerning their feast-days, on their fall into their snares.
But Thou, O God, dost despise all Belial’s designs; it is Thy purpose that shall be done and the design of Thy heart that shall be established for ever.
As for them, they dissemble, they plan devilish schemes.
They seek Thee with a double heart and are not confirmed in Thy truth, A root bearing poisoned and bitter fruit is in their designs;
they walk in stubbornness of heart, and seek Thee among idols,
and they set before themselves the stumbling-block of their sin.
They come to inquire of Thee from the mouth of lying prophets deceived by error who speak [with strange] lips to Thy people,
and an alien tongue, that they may cunningly turn all their works to folly.
For [they hearken] not [to] Thy [voice], nor do they give ear to Thy word;
of the vision of knowledge they say, ‘It is unsure’, and of the way of Thy heart, ‘It is not (the way)’.
But Thou, O God, wilt reply to them, chastising them in Thy might
because of their idols and because of the multitude of their sins, that they who have turned aside from Thy Covenant may be caught in their own designs.
Thou wilt destroy in Judgement all men of lies, and there shall be no more seers of error;
for in Thy works is no folly, no guile in the design of Thy heart.
But those who please Thee shall stand before Thee for ever;
those who walk in the way of Thy heart shall be established for evermore.
Clinging to Thee, I will stand. I will rise against those who despise me and my hand shall be turned against those who deride me;
for they have no esteem for me [that Thou mayest] manifest Thy might through me.
Thou hast revealed Thyself to me in Thy power as perfect Light, and Thou hast not covered my face with shame.
All those who are gathered in Thy Covenant inquire of me, and they hearken to me who walk in the way of Thy heart, who array themselves for Thee in the Council of the holy.
Thou wilt cause their law to endure for ever and truth to go forward unhindered, and Thou wilt not allow them to be led astray by the hand of the damned when they plot against them.
Thou wilt put the fear of them into Thy people and (wilt make of them) a hammer to all the peoples of the lands, that at the Judgement they may cut off all those who transgress Thy word.
Through me Thou hast illumined the face of the Congregation and hast shown Thine infinite power.
For Thou hast given me knowledge through Thy marvellous mysteries, and hast shown Thyself mighty within me in the midst of Thy marvellous Council.
Thou hast done wonders before the Congregation for the sake of Thy glory, that they may make known Thy mighty deeds to all the living.
But what is flesh (to be worthy) of this? What is a creature of clay for such great marvels to be done,
whereas he is in iniquity from the womb and in guilty unfaithfulness until his old age?
Righteousness, I know, is not of man, nor is perfection of way of the son of man: to the Most High God belong all righteous deeds.
The way of man is not established except by the spirit which God created for him to make perfect a way for the children of men, that all His creatures may know the might of His power, and the abundance of His mercies towards all the sons of His grace.
As for me, shaking and trembling seize me and all my bones are broken;
my heart dissolves like wax before fire and my knees are like water
pouring down a steep place.
For I remember my sins and the unfaithfulness of my fathers.
When the wicked rose against Thy Covenant and the damned against Thy word, I said in my sinfulness, ‘I am forsaken by Thy Covenant.’
But calling to mind the might of Thy hand and the greatness of Thy compassion, I rose and stood, and my spirit was established in face of the scourge.
I lean on Thy grace and on the multitude of Thy mercies, for Thou wilt pardon iniquity, and through Thy righteousness [Thou wilt purify man] of his sin.
Not for his sake wilt Thou do it, [but for the sake of Thy glory].
For Thou hast created the just and the wicked
XII (formerly IV)
Hymn 12
I thank Thee, O Lord, for Thou hast illumined my face by Thy Covenant,
I seek Thee, and sure as the dawn Thou appearest as [perfect Light] to me.
Teachers of lies [have smoothed] Thy people [with words], and [false prophets] have led them astray;
they perish without understanding for their works are in folly.
For I am despised by them and they have no esteem for me that Thou mayest manifest Thy might through me.
They have banished me from my land like a bird from its nest;
all my friends and brethren are driven far from me and hold me for a broken vessel.
And they, teachers of lies and seers of falsehood, have schemed against me a devilish scheme, to exchange the Law engraved on my heart by Thee for the smooth things (which they speak) to Thy people.
And they withhold from the thirsty the drink of Knowledge, and assuage their thirst with vinegar, that they may gaze on their straying, on their folly concerning their feast-days, on their fall into their snares.
But Thou, O God, dost despise all Belial’s designs; it is Thy purpose that shall be done and the design of Thy heart that shall be established for ever.
As for them, they dissemble, they plan devilish schemes.
They seek Thee with a double heart and are not confirmed in Thy truth, A root bearing poisoned and bitter fruit is in their designs;
they walk in stubbornness of heart, and seek Thee among idols,
and they set before themselves the stumbling-block of their sin.
They come to inquire of Thee from the mouth of lying prophets deceived by error who speak [with strange] lips to Thy people,
and an alien tongue, that they may cunningly turn all their works to folly.
For [they hearken] not [to] Thy [voice], nor do they give ear to Thy word;
of the vision of knowledge they say, ‘It is unsure’, and of the way of Thy heart, ‘It is not (the way)’.
But Thou, O God, wilt reply to them, chastising them in Thy might
because of their idols and because of the multitude of their sins, that they who have turned aside from Thy Covenant may be caught in their own designs.
Thou wilt destroy in Judgement all men of lies, and there shall be no more seers of error;
for in Thy works is no folly, no guile in the design of Thy heart.
But those who please Thee shall stand before Thee for ever;
those who walk in the way of Thy heart shall be established for evermore.
Clinging to Thee, I will stand. I will rise against those who despise me and my hand shall be turned against those who deride me;
for they have no esteem for me [that Thou mayest] manifest Thy might through me.
Thou hast revealed Thyself to me in Thy power as perfect Light, and Thou hast not covered my face with shame.
All those who are gathered in Thy Covenant inquire of me, and they hearken to me who walk in the way of Thy heart, who array themselves for Thee in the Council of the holy.
Thou wilt cause their law to endure for ever and truth to go forward unhindered, and Thou wilt not allow them to be led astray by the hand of the damned when they plot against them.
Thou wilt put the fear of them into Thy people and (wilt make of them) a hammer to all the peoples of the lands, that at the Judgement they may cut off all those who transgress Thy word.
Through me Thou hast illumined the face of the Congregation and hast shown Thine infinite power.
For Thou hast given me knowledge through Thy marvellous mysteries, and hast shown Thyself mighty within me in the midst of Thy marvellous Council.
Thou hast done wonders before the Congregation for the sake of Thy glory, that they may make known Thy mighty deeds to all the living.
But what is flesh (to be worthy) of this? What is a creature of clay for such great marvels to be done,
whereas he is in iniquity from the womb and in guilty unfaithfulness until his old age?
Righteousness, I know, is not of man, nor is perfection of way of the son of man: to the Most High God belong all righteous deeds.
The way of man is not established except by the spirit which God created for him to make perfect a way for the children of men, that all His creatures may know the might of His power, and the abundance of His mercies towards all the sons of His grace.
As for me, shaking and trembling seize me and all my bones are broken;
my heart dissolves like wax before fire and my knees are like water
pouring down a steep place.
For I remember my sins and the unfaithfulness of my fathers.
When the wicked rose against Thy Covenant and the damned against Thy word, I said in my sinfulness, ‘I am forsaken by Thy Covenant.’
But calling to mind the might of Thy hand and the greatness of Thy compassion, I rose and stood, and my spirit was established in face of the scourge.
I lean on Thy grace and on the multitude of Thy mercies, for Thou wilt pardon iniquity, and through Thy righteousness [Thou wilt purify man] of his sin.
Not for his sake wilt Thou do it, [but for the sake of Thy glory].
For Thou hast created the just and the wicked
Psalm 8.
I thank you, O Lord.
You illumined my face by your covenant.
I seek you,
As sure as the dawn you appear as perfect light.
Teachers of lies have comforted your people
and now they stumble, foolishly.
They abhor themselves
and do not esteem me through whom your wonders
and powers are manifest.
They have banished me from my land like a bird
from its nest, and my friends
and neighbors are driven from me.
They think me a broken pot.
They preach lies. They are dissembling prophets.
They devise baseness against me,
exchanging your teaching, written in my heart,
for smooth words.
They deny knowledge to the thirsty
and force them to drink vinegar to cover up error.
They stumble through mad feasts,
but you, God, spurn the schemes of Belial.
Your wisdom prevails.
Your hearts meditation prevails, established forever.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I thank you, O Lord.
You illumined my face by your covenant.
I seek you,
As sure as the dawn you appear as perfect light.
Teachers of lies have comforted your people
and now they stumble, foolishly.
They abhor themselves
and do not esteem me through whom your wonders
and powers are manifest.
They have banished me from my land like a bird
from its nest, and my friends
and neighbors are driven from me.
They think me a broken pot.
They preach lies. They are dissembling prophets.
They devise baseness against me,
exchanging your teaching, written in my heart,
for smooth words.
They deny knowledge to the thirsty
and force them to drink vinegar to cover up error.
They stumble through mad feasts,
but you, God, spurn the schemes of Belial.
Your wisdom prevails.
Your hearts meditation prevails, established forever.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21
XIII (formerly V)
Hymn 13 (formerly 8)
I thank Thee, O Lord, for Thou hast not abandoned me
whilst I sojourned among a people [burdened with sin].
[Thou hast not] judged me, according to my guilt, nor hast Thou abandoned me because of the designs of my inclination; but Thou hast saved my life from the Pit.
Thou hast brought [Thy servant deliverance] in the midst of lions destined for the guilty, and of lionesses which crush the bones of the mighty and drink the blood of the brave.
Thou hast caused me to dwell with the many fishers who spread a net upon the face of the waters, and with the hunters of the children of iniquity;
Thou hast established me there for justice.
Thou hast confirmed the counsel of truth in my heart and the waters of the Covenant for those who seek it.
Thou hast closed up the mouth of the young lions whose teeth are like a sword, and whose great teeth are like a pointed spear, like the venom of dragons.
All their design is for robbery and they have lain in wait; but they have not opened their mouth against me.
For Thou, O God, hast sheltered me from the children of men, and hast hidden Thy Law [within me] against the time when Thou shouldst reveal Thy salvation to me.
For Thou hast not forsaken me in my soul’s distress, and Thou hast heard my cry in the bitterness of my soul;
and when I groaned, Thou didst consider my sorrowful complaint.
Thou hast preserved the soul of the poor one in the den of lions which sharpened their tongue like a sword.
Thou hast closed up their teeth, O God, lest they rend the soul of the poor and needy.
Thou hast made their tongue go back like a sword to its scabbar [lest] the soul of Thy servant [be blotted out].
Thou hast dealt wondrously with the poor one to manifest Thy might within me in the presence of the sons of men.
Thou hast placed him in the melting-pot, [like gold] in the fire, and like silver refined in the melting-pot of the smelters, to be purified seven times.
The wicked and fierce have stormed against me with their afflictions;
they have pounded my soul all day.
But Thou, O my God, hast changed the tempest to a breeze;
Thou hast delivered the soul of the poor one like [a bird from the net
and like] prey from the mouth of lions.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XIII (formerly V)
Hymn 13 (formerly 8)
I thank Thee, O Lord, for Thou hast not abandoned me
whilst I sojourned among a people [burdened with sin].
[Thou hast not] judged me, according to my guilt, nor hast Thou abandoned me because of the designs of my inclination; but Thou hast saved my life from the Pit.
Thou hast brought [Thy servant deliverance] in the midst of lions destined for the guilty, and of lionesses which crush the bones of the mighty and drink the blood of the brave.
Thou hast caused me to dwell with the many fishers who spread a net upon the face of the waters, and with the hunters of the children of iniquity;
Thou hast established me there for justice.
Thou hast confirmed the counsel of truth in my heart and the waters of the Covenant for those who seek it.
Thou hast closed up the mouth of the young lions whose teeth are like a sword, and whose great teeth are like a pointed spear, like the venom of dragons.
All their design is for robbery and they have lain in wait; but they have not opened their mouth against me.
For Thou, O God, hast sheltered me from the children of men, and hast hidden Thy Law [within me] against the time when Thou shouldst reveal Thy salvation to me.
For Thou hast not forsaken me in my soul’s distress, and Thou hast heard my cry in the bitterness of my soul;
and when I groaned, Thou didst consider my sorrowful complaint.
Thou hast preserved the soul of the poor one in the den of lions which sharpened their tongue like a sword.
Thou hast closed up their teeth, O God, lest they rend the soul of the poor and needy.
Thou hast made their tongue go back like a sword to its scabbar [lest] the soul of Thy servant [be blotted out].
Thou hast dealt wondrously with the poor one to manifest Thy might within me in the presence of the sons of men.
Thou hast placed him in the melting-pot, [like gold] in the fire, and like silver refined in the melting-pot of the smelters, to be purified seven times.
The wicked and fierce have stormed against me with their afflictions;
they have pounded my soul all day.
But Thou, O my God, hast changed the tempest to a breeze;
Thou hast delivered the soul of the poor one like [a bird from the net
and like] prey from the mouth of lions.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22
Hymn 14 (formerly 9)
I thank Thee (corrected: Blessed art Thou) O Lord, for Thou hast not abandoned the fatherless or despised the poor.
For Thy might [is boundless] and Thy glory beyond measure and wonderful Heroes minister to Thee;
yet [hast Thou done marvels] among the humble in the mire underfoot, and among those eager for righteousness, causing all the well-loved poor to rise up together from the trampling.
But I have been [iniquity to] those who contend with me, dispute and quarrelling to my friends, wrath to the members of my Covenant
and murmuring and protest to all my companions.
[All who have ea]ten my bread have lifted their heel against me,
and all those joined to my Council have mocked me with wicked lips.
The members of my [Covenant] have rebelled and have murmured round about me;
they have gone as talebearers before the children of mischief concerning the mystery which Thou hast hidden in me.
And to show Thy great[ness] through me, and because of their guilt, Thou hast hidden the fountain of understanding and the counsel of truth.
They consider but the mischief of their heart; [with] devilish [schemings] they unsheathe a perfidious tongue from which ever springs the poison of dragons.
And like (serpents) which creep in the dust, so do they let fly [their poisonous darts], viper’s [venom] against which there is no charm;
and this has brought incurable pain, a malignant scourge within the body of Thy servant, causing [his spirit] to faint and draining his strength so that he maintains no firm stand.
They have overtaken me in a narrow pass without escape and there is no [rest for me in my trial].
They sound my censure upon a harp and their murmuring and storming upon a zither.
Anguish [seizes me] like the pangs of a woman in travail, and my heart is troubled within me.
I am clothed in blackness and my tongue cleaves to the roof [of my mouth];
[for I fear the mischief of] their heart and their inclination (towards evil) appears as bitterness before me.
The light of my face is dimmed to darkness and my radiance is turned to decay.
For Thou, O God, didst widen my heart, but they straiten it with affliction and hedge me about with darkness.
I eat the bread of wailing and drink unceasing tears;
truly, my eyes are dimmed by grief, and my soul by daily bitterness.
[Groaning] and sorrow encompass me and ignominy covers my face.
My bread is turned into an adversary and my drink into an accuser;
it has entered into my bones causing my spirit to stagger and my strength to fail.
According to the mysteries of sin, they change the works of God by their transgression.
Truly, I am bound with untearable ropes and with unbreakable chains.
A thick wall [fences me in], iron bars and gates [of bronze]; my [prison] is counted with the Abyss as being without [any escape]
[The torrents of Belial] have encompassed my soul [leaving me without deliverance]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hymn 14 (formerly 9)
I thank Thee (corrected: Blessed art Thou) O Lord, for Thou hast not abandoned the fatherless or despised the poor.
For Thy might [is boundless] and Thy glory beyond measure and wonderful Heroes minister to Thee;
yet [hast Thou done marvels] among the humble in the mire underfoot, and among those eager for righteousness, causing all the well-loved poor to rise up together from the trampling.
But I have been [iniquity to] those who contend with me, dispute and quarrelling to my friends, wrath to the members of my Covenant
and murmuring and protest to all my companions.
[All who have ea]ten my bread have lifted their heel against me,
and all those joined to my Council have mocked me with wicked lips.
The members of my [Covenant] have rebelled and have murmured round about me;
they have gone as talebearers before the children of mischief concerning the mystery which Thou hast hidden in me.
And to show Thy great[ness] through me, and because of their guilt, Thou hast hidden the fountain of understanding and the counsel of truth.
They consider but the mischief of their heart; [with] devilish [schemings] they unsheathe a perfidious tongue from which ever springs the poison of dragons.
And like (serpents) which creep in the dust, so do they let fly [their poisonous darts], viper’s [venom] against which there is no charm;
and this has brought incurable pain, a malignant scourge within the body of Thy servant, causing [his spirit] to faint and draining his strength so that he maintains no firm stand.
They have overtaken me in a narrow pass without escape and there is no [rest for me in my trial].
They sound my censure upon a harp and their murmuring and storming upon a zither.
Anguish [seizes me] like the pangs of a woman in travail, and my heart is troubled within me.
I am clothed in blackness and my tongue cleaves to the roof [of my mouth];
[for I fear the mischief of] their heart and their inclination (towards evil) appears as bitterness before me.
The light of my face is dimmed to darkness and my radiance is turned to decay.
For Thou, O God, didst widen my heart, but they straiten it with affliction and hedge me about with darkness.
I eat the bread of wailing and drink unceasing tears;
truly, my eyes are dimmed by grief, and my soul by daily bitterness.
[Groaning] and sorrow encompass me and ignominy covers my face.
My bread is turned into an adversary and my drink into an accuser;
it has entered into my bones causing my spirit to stagger and my strength to fail.
According to the mysteries of sin, they change the works of God by their transgression.
Truly, I am bound with untearable ropes and with unbreakable chains.
A thick wall [fences me in], iron bars and gates [of bronze]; my [prison] is counted with the Abyss as being without [any escape]
[The torrents of Belial] have encompassed my soul [leaving me without deliverance]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
23
Hymn 14 (formerly 10)
XIV (formerly VI)
Thou hast unstopped my ears [to the correction] of those who reprove with justice
[Thou hast saved me] from the congregation of [vanity] and from the assembly of violence;
Thou hast brought me into the Council of...
[and hast purified me of]sin.
And I know there is hope for those who turn from transgression and for those who abandon sin and to walk without wickedness in the way of Thy heart.
I am consoled for the roaring of the peoples, and for the tumult of
k[ing]doms when they assemble;
[for] in a little while, I know, Thou wilt raise up survivors among Thy people and a remnant within Thine inheritance.
Thou wilt purify and cleanse them of their sin for all their deeds are in Thy truth.
Thou wilt judge them in Thy great loving-kindness and in the multitude of Thy mercies and in the abundance of Thy pardon, teaching them according to Thy word;
and Thou wilt establish them in Thy Council according to the uprightness of Thy truth.
Thou wilt do these things for Thy glory and for Thine own sake,
to [magnify] the Law and [the truth and to enlighten] the members of Thy Council in the midst of the sons of men, that they may recount Thy marvels for everlasting generations and [meditate] unceasingly upon Thy mighty deeds.
All the nations shall acknowledge Thy truth, and all the people Thy glory.
For Thou wilt bring Thy glorious [salvation] to all the men of Thy Council, to those who share a common lot with the Angels of the Face.
And among them shall be no mediator to [invoke Thee], and no messenger [to make] reply;
for ...
They shall reply according to Thy glorious word and shall be Thy princes in the company [of the Angels].
They shall send out a bud [for ever] like a flower [of the fields], and shall cause a shoot to grow into the boughs of an everlasting Plant.
It shall cover the whole [earth] with its shadow [and its crown] (shall reach) to the [clouds]; its roots (shall go down) to the Abyss [and all the rivers of Eden shall water its branches].
A source of light shall become an eternal ever-flowing fountain, and in its bright flames all the [sons of iniquity] shall be consumed;
[it shall be] a fire to devour all sinful men in utter destruction.
They who bore the yoke of my testimony have been led astray [by teachers of lies], [and have rebelled] against the service of righteousness.
Whereas Thou, O my God, didst command them to mend their ways by walking] in the way of [holiness], where no man goes who is uncircumcised or unclean or violent, they have staggered aside from the way of Thy heart and languish in [great] wretchedness.
A counsel of Belial is in their heart [and in accordance with] their wicked design they wallow in sin.
[I am] as a sailor in a ship amid furious seas; their waves and all their billows roar against me.
[There is no] calm in the whirlwind that I may restore my soul, no path that I may straighten my way on the face of the waters.
The deeps resound to my groaning and [my soul has journeyed] to the gates of death.
But I shall be as one who enters a fortified city, as one who seeks refuge behind a high wall until deliverance (comes);
I will [lean on] Thy truth, O my God. For Thou wilt set the foundation on rock and the framework by the measuring-cord of justice; and the tried stones [Thou wilt lay] by the plumb-line [of truth], to [build] a mighty [wall] which shall not sway; and no man entering there shall stagger.
For no enemy shall ever invade [it since its doors shall be] doors of protection through which no man shall pass; and its bars shall be firm and no man shall break them.
No rabble shall enter in with their weapons of war until all the [arrows] of the war of wickedness have come to an end.
And then at the time of Judgement the Sword of God shall hasten,
and all the sons of His truth shall awake to [overthrow] wickedness; all the sons of iniquity shall be no more.
The Hero shall bend his bow; the fortress shall open on to endless space and the everlasting gates shall send out weapons of war.
They shall be mighty from end to end [of the earth and there shall be no escape] for the guilty of heart [in their battle]; they shall be utterly trampled down without any [remnant.
There shall be no] hope in the greatness [of their might], no refuge for the mighty warriors;
for [the battle shall be] to the Most High God Hoist a banner,
O you who lie in the dust!
O bodies gnawed by worms, raise up an ensign for [the destruction of wickedness]!
[The sinful shall] be destroyed in the battles against the ungodly.
The scourging flood when it advances shall not invade the stronghold
XV (formerly VII)
As for me, I am dumb ...
[my arm] is torn from its shoulder and my foot has sunk into the mire.
My eyes are closed by the spectacle of evil, and my ears by the crying of blood.
My heart is dismayed by the mischievous design, for Belial is manifest in their (evil) inclination.
All the foundations of my edifice totter and my bones are pulled out of joint;
my bowels heave like a ship in a violent tempest
and my heart is utterly distressed.
A whirlwind engulfs me because of the mischief of their sin.
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Hymn 14 (formerly 10)
XIV (formerly VI)
Thou hast unstopped my ears [to the correction] of those who reprove with justice
[Thou hast saved me] from the congregation of [vanity] and from the assembly of violence;
Thou hast brought me into the Council of...
[and hast purified me of]sin.
And I know there is hope for those who turn from transgression and for those who abandon sin and to walk without wickedness in the way of Thy heart.
I am consoled for the roaring of the peoples, and for the tumult of
k[ing]doms when they assemble;
[for] in a little while, I know, Thou wilt raise up survivors among Thy people and a remnant within Thine inheritance.
Thou wilt purify and cleanse them of their sin for all their deeds are in Thy truth.
Thou wilt judge them in Thy great loving-kindness and in the multitude of Thy mercies and in the abundance of Thy pardon, teaching them according to Thy word;
and Thou wilt establish them in Thy Council according to the uprightness of Thy truth.
Thou wilt do these things for Thy glory and for Thine own sake,
to [magnify] the Law and [the truth and to enlighten] the members of Thy Council in the midst of the sons of men, that they may recount Thy marvels for everlasting generations and [meditate] unceasingly upon Thy mighty deeds.
All the nations shall acknowledge Thy truth, and all the people Thy glory.
For Thou wilt bring Thy glorious [salvation] to all the men of Thy Council, to those who share a common lot with the Angels of the Face.
And among them shall be no mediator to [invoke Thee], and no messenger [to make] reply;
for ...
They shall reply according to Thy glorious word and shall be Thy princes in the company [of the Angels].
They shall send out a bud [for ever] like a flower [of the fields], and shall cause a shoot to grow into the boughs of an everlasting Plant.
It shall cover the whole [earth] with its shadow [and its crown] (shall reach) to the [clouds]; its roots (shall go down) to the Abyss [and all the rivers of Eden shall water its branches].
A source of light shall become an eternal ever-flowing fountain, and in its bright flames all the [sons of iniquity] shall be consumed;
[it shall be] a fire to devour all sinful men in utter destruction.
They who bore the yoke of my testimony have been led astray [by teachers of lies], [and have rebelled] against the service of righteousness.
Whereas Thou, O my God, didst command them to mend their ways by walking] in the way of [holiness], where no man goes who is uncircumcised or unclean or violent, they have staggered aside from the way of Thy heart and languish in [great] wretchedness.
A counsel of Belial is in their heart [and in accordance with] their wicked design they wallow in sin.
[I am] as a sailor in a ship amid furious seas; their waves and all their billows roar against me.
[There is no] calm in the whirlwind that I may restore my soul, no path that I may straighten my way on the face of the waters.
The deeps resound to my groaning and [my soul has journeyed] to the gates of death.
But I shall be as one who enters a fortified city, as one who seeks refuge behind a high wall until deliverance (comes);
I will [lean on] Thy truth, O my God. For Thou wilt set the foundation on rock and the framework by the measuring-cord of justice; and the tried stones [Thou wilt lay] by the plumb-line [of truth], to [build] a mighty [wall] which shall not sway; and no man entering there shall stagger.
For no enemy shall ever invade [it since its doors shall be] doors of protection through which no man shall pass; and its bars shall be firm and no man shall break them.
No rabble shall enter in with their weapons of war until all the [arrows] of the war of wickedness have come to an end.
And then at the time of Judgement the Sword of God shall hasten,
and all the sons of His truth shall awake to [overthrow] wickedness; all the sons of iniquity shall be no more.
The Hero shall bend his bow; the fortress shall open on to endless space and the everlasting gates shall send out weapons of war.
They shall be mighty from end to end [of the earth and there shall be no escape] for the guilty of heart [in their battle]; they shall be utterly trampled down without any [remnant.
There shall be no] hope in the greatness [of their might], no refuge for the mighty warriors;
for [the battle shall be] to the Most High God Hoist a banner,
O you who lie in the dust!
O bodies gnawed by worms, raise up an ensign for [the destruction of wickedness]!
[The sinful shall] be destroyed in the battles against the ungodly.
The scourging flood when it advances shall not invade the stronghold
XV (formerly VII)
As for me, I am dumb ...
[my arm] is torn from its shoulder and my foot has sunk into the mire.
My eyes are closed by the spectacle of evil, and my ears by the crying of blood.
My heart is dismayed by the mischievous design, for Belial is manifest in their (evil) inclination.
All the foundations of my edifice totter and my bones are pulled out of joint;
my bowels heave like a ship in a violent tempest
and my heart is utterly distressed.
A whirlwind engulfs me because of the mischief of their sin.
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24
Hymn 15 (formerly 11)
I thank Thee, O Lord, for Thou hast upheld me by Thy strength.
Thou hast shed Thy Holy Spirit upon me that I may not stumble.
Thou hast strengthened me before the battles of wickedness, and during all their disasters Thou hast not permitted that fear should cause me to desert Thy Covenant.
Thou hast made me like a strong tower, a high wall, and hast established my edifice upon rock;
eternal foundations serve for my ground, and all my ramparts are a tried wall which shall not sway.
Thou hast placed me, O my God, among the branches of the Council of Holiness;
Thou hast [established my mouth] in Thy Covenant, and my tongue is like that of Thy disciples; whereas the spirit of disaster is without a mouth and all the sons of iniquity without a reply; for the lying lips shall be dumb.
For Thou wilt condemn in Judgement all those who assail me,
distinguishing through me between the just and the wicked.
For Thou knowest the whole intent of a creature, Thou discernest every reply, and Thou hast established my heart [on] Thy teaching and truth, directing my steps into the paths of righteousness that I may walk before Thee in the land [of the living], into paths of glory and [infinite] peace which shall [never] end.
For Thou knowest the inclination of Thy servant, that I have not relied [upon the works of my hands] to raise up [my heart],
nor have I sought refuge in my own strength.
I have no fleshly refuge, [and Thy servant has] no righteous deeds to deliver him from the [Pit of no] forgiveness.
But I lean on the [abundance of Thy mercies] and hope [for the greatness] of Thy grace, that Thou wilt bring [salvation] to flower and the branch to growth, providing refuge in (Thy) strength [and raising up my heart].
[For in] Thy righteousness Thou hast appointed me for Thy Covenant, and I have clung to Thy truth and [gone forward in Thy ways].
Thou hast made me a father to the sons of grace, and as a foster- father to men of marvel;
they have opened their mouths like little babes ...
like a child playing in the lap of its nurse.
Thou hast lifted my horn above those who insult me, and those who attack me [sway like the boughs] (of a tree);
my enemies are like chaff before the wind, and my dominion is over the sons [of iniquity, For] Thou hast succoured my soul, O my God, and hast lifted my horn on high.
And I shall shine in a seven-fold light in [the Council appointed by] Thee for Thy glory;
for Thou art an everlasting heavenly light to me and wilt establish my feet [upon level ground for ever].
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Hymn 15 (formerly 11)
I thank Thee, O Lord, for Thou hast upheld me by Thy strength.
Thou hast shed Thy Holy Spirit upon me that I may not stumble.
Thou hast strengthened me before the battles of wickedness, and during all their disasters Thou hast not permitted that fear should cause me to desert Thy Covenant.
Thou hast made me like a strong tower, a high wall, and hast established my edifice upon rock;
eternal foundations serve for my ground, and all my ramparts are a tried wall which shall not sway.
Thou hast placed me, O my God, among the branches of the Council of Holiness;
Thou hast [established my mouth] in Thy Covenant, and my tongue is like that of Thy disciples; whereas the spirit of disaster is without a mouth and all the sons of iniquity without a reply; for the lying lips shall be dumb.
For Thou wilt condemn in Judgement all those who assail me,
distinguishing through me between the just and the wicked.
For Thou knowest the whole intent of a creature, Thou discernest every reply, and Thou hast established my heart [on] Thy teaching and truth, directing my steps into the paths of righteousness that I may walk before Thee in the land [of the living], into paths of glory and [infinite] peace which shall [never] end.
For Thou knowest the inclination of Thy servant, that I have not relied [upon the works of my hands] to raise up [my heart],
nor have I sought refuge in my own strength.
I have no fleshly refuge, [and Thy servant has] no righteous deeds to deliver him from the [Pit of no] forgiveness.
But I lean on the [abundance of Thy mercies] and hope [for the greatness] of Thy grace, that Thou wilt bring [salvation] to flower and the branch to growth, providing refuge in (Thy) strength [and raising up my heart].
[For in] Thy righteousness Thou hast appointed me for Thy Covenant, and I have clung to Thy truth and [gone forward in Thy ways].
Thou hast made me a father to the sons of grace, and as a foster- father to men of marvel;
they have opened their mouths like little babes ...
like a child playing in the lap of its nurse.
Thou hast lifted my horn above those who insult me, and those who attack me [sway like the boughs] (of a tree);
my enemies are like chaff before the wind, and my dominion is over the sons [of iniquity, For] Thou hast succoured my soul, O my God, and hast lifted my horn on high.
And I shall shine in a seven-fold light in [the Council appointed by] Thee for Thy glory;
for Thou art an everlasting heavenly light to me and wilt establish my feet [upon level ground for ever].
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25
Hymn 16 (formerly 12)
I [thank Thee, O Lord], for Thou hast enlightened me through Thy truth.
In Thy marvellous mysteries, and in Thy loving-kindness to a man [of vanity, and] in the greatness of Thy mercy to a perverse heart Thou hast granted me knowledge.
Who is like Thee among the gods, O Lord, and who is according to Thy truth?
Who, when he is judged, shall be righteous before Thee?
For no spirit can reply to Thy rebuke, nor can any withstand Thy wrath.
Yet Thou bringest all the sons of Thy truth in forgiveness before Thee, [to cleanse] them of their faults through Thy great goodness, and to establish them before Thee through the multitude of Thy mercies for ever and ever.
For Thou art an eternal God; all Thy ways are determined for ever [and ever] and there is none other beside Thee.
And what is a man of Naught and Vanity that he should understand Thy marvellous mighty deeds?
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Hymn 16 (formerly 12)
I [thank Thee, O Lord], for Thou hast enlightened me through Thy truth.
In Thy marvellous mysteries, and in Thy loving-kindness to a man [of vanity, and] in the greatness of Thy mercy to a perverse heart Thou hast granted me knowledge.
Who is like Thee among the gods, O Lord, and who is according to Thy truth?
Who, when he is judged, shall be righteous before Thee?
For no spirit can reply to Thy rebuke, nor can any withstand Thy wrath.
Yet Thou bringest all the sons of Thy truth in forgiveness before Thee, [to cleanse] them of their faults through Thy great goodness, and to establish them before Thee through the multitude of Thy mercies for ever and ever.
For Thou art an eternal God; all Thy ways are determined for ever [and ever] and there is none other beside Thee.
And what is a man of Naught and Vanity that he should understand Thy marvellous mighty deeds?
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26
Hymn 17 (formerly 13)
[I thank] Thee, O God, for Thou hast not cast my lot in the congregation of Vanity, nor hast Thou placed {my decree} in the council of the cunning.
[Thou hast] called me to Thy grace and to [Thy] forgiveness Thou hast brought me, and, by the multitude of Thy mercies, to all judgements of [righteousness.
As for me, I am an] uncl[ean ma]n, and from the womb of her who conceived me I am an unclean man, and from the womb of her who has conceived me I am in sinful guilt, [and from the breast of my mother] in injustice, and in the bosom [of my nurse] in great impurity.
And from my youth (I am) in blo[od, and until [my old age in the iniquity of the flesh.
But Thou,] O my God, Thou hast established my feet in the way of Thy heart, and hast opened] my ears to [Thy wonderful] tidings, and my heart to understand Thy truth
XVI (formerly VIII)
for I have closed my ears to Thy teaching until...
... [without] knowledge hast Thou cut out of me, and glor[y] ...
[no] more for me a stumbling-block of iniquity.
For Thou dost rev[eal Thy salvation], and Thy righteousness is made firm for ever.
For m[an] is not the master of his way, f[or] Thou hast done [all this for Thy glory.]
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Hymn 17 (formerly 13)
[I thank] Thee, O God, for Thou hast not cast my lot in the congregation of Vanity, nor hast Thou placed {my decree} in the council of the cunning.
[Thou hast] called me to Thy grace and to [Thy] forgiveness Thou hast brought me, and, by the multitude of Thy mercies, to all judgements of [righteousness.
As for me, I am an] uncl[ean ma]n, and from the womb of her who conceived me I am an unclean man, and from the womb of her who has conceived me I am in sinful guilt, [and from the breast of my mother] in injustice, and in the bosom [of my nurse] in great impurity.
And from my youth (I am) in blo[od, and until [my old age in the iniquity of the flesh.
But Thou,] O my God, Thou hast established my feet in the way of Thy heart, and hast opened] my ears to [Thy wonderful] tidings, and my heart to understand Thy truth
XVI (formerly VIII)
for I have closed my ears to Thy teaching until...
... [without] knowledge hast Thou cut out of me, and glor[y] ...
[no] more for me a stumbling-block of iniquity.
For Thou dost rev[eal Thy salvation], and Thy righteousness is made firm for ever.
For m[an] is not the master of his way, f[or] Thou hast done [all this for Thy glory.]
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27
Hymn 18 (formerly 14)
I [thank Thee, O Lord, for] Thou hast placed me beside a fountain of streams in an arid land, and close to a spring of waters in a dry land,
and beside a watered garden [in a wilderness].
[For Thou didst set] a plantation of cypress, pine, and cedar for Thy glory, trees of life beside a mysterious fountain hidden among the trees by the water, and they put out a shoot of the everlasting Plant.
But before they did so, they took root and sent out their roots to the watercourse that its stem might be open to the living waters and be one with the everlasting spring.
And all [the beasts] of the forest fed on its leafy boughs; its stem was trodden by all who passed on the way and its branches by all the birds.
And all the [trees] by the water rose above it, for they grew in their plantation; but they sent out no root to the watercourse.
And the bud of the shoot of holiness of the Plant of truth was hidden and was not esteemed; and being unperceived, its mystery was sealed.
Thou didst hedge in its fruit, [O God], with the mystery of mighty Heroes and of spirits of holiness and of the whirling flame of fire.
No [man shall approach] the well-spring of life or drink the waters of holiness with the everlasting trees, or bear fruit with [the Plant] of heaven, who seeing has not discerned, and considering has not believed in the fountain of life, who has turned [his hand against] the everlasting [bud].
And I was despised by tumultuous rivers for they cast up their slime upon me.
But Thou, O my God, hast put into my mouth as it were rain for all [those who thirst] and a fount of living waters which shall not fail.
When they are opened they shall not run dry; they shall be a torrent [overflowing its banks] and like the [bottom]less seas.
They shall suddenly gush forth which were hidden in secret, [and shall be like the waters of the Flood to every tree], both the green and the barren; to every beast and bird [they shall be an abyss.
The trees shall sink like] lead in the mighty waters, fire [shall burn among them] and they shall be dried up;
but the fruitful Plant [by the] everlasting [spring shall be] an Eden of glory [bearing] fruits [of life].
By my hand Thou hast opened for them a well-spring and ditches, [that all their channels] may be laid out according to a certain measuring-cord, and the planting of their trees, according to the plumb-line of the sun, that [their boughs may becomea beautiful] Branch of glory.
When I lift my hand to dig its ditches its roots shall run deep into hardest rock and its stem ... in the earth;
in the season of heat it shall keep its strength.
But if I take away my hand it shall be like a thistle [in the wilderness]; its stem shall be like nettles in a salty land, and thistles and thorns shall grow from its ditches, and brambles and briars.
Its border [trees] shall be like the wild grapevine whose foliage withers before the heat, and its stem shall not be open to [the spring].
[Behold, I am] carried away with the sick; [I am acquainted] with scourges.
I am forsaken in [my sorrow] ... and without any strength.
For my sore breaks out in bitter pains and in incurable sickness impossible to stay;
[my heart laments] within me as in those who go down to Hell.
My spirit is imprisoned with the dead for [my life] has reached the Pit; my soul languishes [within me] day and night without rest.
My wound breaks out like burning fire shut up in [my bones], whose flames devour me for days on end, diminishing my strength for times on end and destroying my flesh for seasons on end.
The pains fly out [towards me] and my soul within me languishes even to death.
My strength has gone from my body and my heart runs out like water; my flesh is dissolved like wax and the strength of my loins is turned to fear.
My arm is torn from its socket [and I can] lift my hand [no more];
My [foot] is held by fetters and my knees slide like water; I can no longer walk.
I cannot step forward lightly, [for my legs and arms] are bound by shackles which cause me to stumble.
The tongue has gone back which Thou didst make marvellously mighty within my mouth; it can no longer give voice.
[I have no word] for my disciples to revive the spirit of those who stumble and to speak words of support to the weary.
My circumcised lips are dumb.
Hymn 18 (formerly 14)
I [thank Thee, O Lord, for] Thou hast placed me beside a fountain of streams in an arid land, and close to a spring of waters in a dry land,
and beside a watered garden [in a wilderness].
[For Thou didst set] a plantation of cypress, pine, and cedar for Thy glory, trees of life beside a mysterious fountain hidden among the trees by the water, and they put out a shoot of the everlasting Plant.
But before they did so, they took root and sent out their roots to the watercourse that its stem might be open to the living waters and be one with the everlasting spring.
And all [the beasts] of the forest fed on its leafy boughs; its stem was trodden by all who passed on the way and its branches by all the birds.
And all the [trees] by the water rose above it, for they grew in their plantation; but they sent out no root to the watercourse.
And the bud of the shoot of holiness of the Plant of truth was hidden and was not esteemed; and being unperceived, its mystery was sealed.
Thou didst hedge in its fruit, [O God], with the mystery of mighty Heroes and of spirits of holiness and of the whirling flame of fire.
No [man shall approach] the well-spring of life or drink the waters of holiness with the everlasting trees, or bear fruit with [the Plant] of heaven, who seeing has not discerned, and considering has not believed in the fountain of life, who has turned [his hand against] the everlasting [bud].
And I was despised by tumultuous rivers for they cast up their slime upon me.
But Thou, O my God, hast put into my mouth as it were rain for all [those who thirst] and a fount of living waters which shall not fail.
When they are opened they shall not run dry; they shall be a torrent [overflowing its banks] and like the [bottom]less seas.
They shall suddenly gush forth which were hidden in secret, [and shall be like the waters of the Flood to every tree], both the green and the barren; to every beast and bird [they shall be an abyss.
The trees shall sink like] lead in the mighty waters, fire [shall burn among them] and they shall be dried up;
but the fruitful Plant [by the] everlasting [spring shall be] an Eden of glory [bearing] fruits [of life].
By my hand Thou hast opened for them a well-spring and ditches, [that all their channels] may be laid out according to a certain measuring-cord, and the planting of their trees, according to the plumb-line of the sun, that [their boughs may becomea beautiful] Branch of glory.
When I lift my hand to dig its ditches its roots shall run deep into hardest rock and its stem ... in the earth;
in the season of heat it shall keep its strength.
But if I take away my hand it shall be like a thistle [in the wilderness]; its stem shall be like nettles in a salty land, and thistles and thorns shall grow from its ditches, and brambles and briars.
Its border [trees] shall be like the wild grapevine whose foliage withers before the heat, and its stem shall not be open to [the spring].
[Behold, I am] carried away with the sick; [I am acquainted] with scourges.
I am forsaken in [my sorrow] ... and without any strength.
For my sore breaks out in bitter pains and in incurable sickness impossible to stay;
[my heart laments] within me as in those who go down to Hell.
My spirit is imprisoned with the dead for [my life] has reached the Pit; my soul languishes [within me] day and night without rest.
My wound breaks out like burning fire shut up in [my bones], whose flames devour me for days on end, diminishing my strength for times on end and destroying my flesh for seasons on end.
The pains fly out [towards me] and my soul within me languishes even to death.
My strength has gone from my body and my heart runs out like water; my flesh is dissolved like wax and the strength of my loins is turned to fear.
My arm is torn from its socket [and I can] lift my hand [no more];
My [foot] is held by fetters and my knees slide like water; I can no longer walk.
I cannot step forward lightly, [for my legs and arms] are bound by shackles which cause me to stumble.
The tongue has gone back which Thou didst make marvellously mighty within my mouth; it can no longer give voice.
[I have no word] for my disciples to revive the spirit of those who stumble and to speak words of support to the weary.
My circumcised lips are dumb.
"I g[ive thanks to You, 0 Lord, for] You set me by a fountain which flows in a dry land, a spring of water in a desolate land, a well-watered garden [...] You [plan]ted a stand of juniper and pine together with cypress for Your glory; trees of life at the secret spring, hidden among all the trees by the water so that a shoot might grow up into an eternal planting. Taking root before they shoot up, they stretch out their roots to the watercourse, that its trunk might be open to the living water and become an eternal fountain. On its leafy branches every wild animal of the forest shall graze, and its trunk shall become a gathering place to all who pass and its branches roosts for all the birds." (Thanksgiving Psalm lQH + 4Q428 Frag. 7 16:4-9a)
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28
XVII (formerly IX)
[For] the throes of death [encompass me] and Hell is upon my bed; my couch utters a lamentation [and my pallet] the sound of a complaint.
My eyes are like fire in the furnace and my tears like rivers of water; my eyes grow dim with waiting, [for my salvation] is far from me and my life is apart from me.
But behold, from desolation to ruin, and from the pain to the sore, and from the travail to the throes, my soul meditates on Thy marvellous works.
In Thy mercies Thou hast not cast me aside; season by season, my soul shall delight in the abundance of mercy.
I will reply to him who slanders me and I will rebuke my oppressor;
I will declare his sentence unjust and declare Thy judgement righteous.
For I know by Thy truth, and I choose Thy judgement upon me:
I delight in my scourges for I hope for Thy loving-kindness.
Thou hast put a supplication in the mouth of Thy servant and Thou hast not threatened my life nor rejected my peace.
Thou hast not failed my expectation, but hast upheld my spirit in face of the scourge.
For it is Thou who hast founded my spirit and Thou knowest my intent; in my distress Thou hast comforted me.
I delight in forgiveness, and am consoled for the former transgression; for I know there is hope in Thy grace and expectation in Thy great power.
For no man can be just in Thy judgement or [righteous in] Thy trial.
Though one man be more just than another, one person [more] wise [than another],
one mortal more glorious than another creature [of clay], yet is there no power to compare with Thy might.
There is no [bound] to Thy glory, and to Thy wisdom, no measure; [to Thy truth] there is no ...
and all who forsake it ...
and my oppressor shall [not] prevail against me.
I will be a stumbling-block to [those who swallow me up, and a snare to] all those who battle against me;
[I will be for my enemies a] cause of shame, and a cause of disgrace, to those who murmur against me.
For Thou, O my God ...
Thou wilt plead my cause; for it is according to the mystery of Thy wisdom that Thou hast rebuked me.
Thou wilt conceal the truth until [its] time, [and righteousness] until its appointed moment.
Thy rebuke shall become my joy and gladness, and my scourges shall turn to [eternal] healing and everlasting [peace].
The scorn of my enemies shall become a crown of glory, and my stumbling (shall change) to everlasting might.
For in Thy ...
and my light shall shine forth in Thy glory.
For as a light from out of the darkness, so wilt Thou enlighten me.
[Thou wilt bring healing to] my wound, and marvellous might in place of my stumbling, and everlasting space to my straitened soul.
For Thou art my refuge, my high mountain, my stout rock and my fortress; in Thee will I shelter from all the [designs of ungodliness, for Thou wilt succour me] with eternal deliverance.
For Thou hast known me from (the time of) my father, [and hast chosen me] from the womb.
[From the belly of] my mother Thou hast dealt kindly with me, and from the breast of her who conceived me have Thy mercies been with me.
[Thy grace was with me] in the lap of her who reared me, and from my youth Thou hast illumined me with the wisdom of Thy judgement.
Thou hast upheld me with certain truth;
Thou hast delighted me with Thy Holy Spirit and [hast opened my heart] till this day.
Thy just rebuke accompanies my [faults] and Thy safeguarding peace delivers my soul.
The abundance of (Thy) forgiveness is with my steps and infinite mercy accompanies Thy judgement of me.
Until I am old Thou wilt care for me; for my father knew me not and my mother abandoned me to Thee.
For Thou art a father to all [the sons] of Thy truth, and as a woman who tenderly loves her babe, so dost Thou rejoice in them;
and as a foster-father bearing a child in his lap, so carest Thou for all Thy creatures.
Hymn 19 (formerly 15)
[I thank Thee, O Lord]
XVIII (formerly X)
... and nothing exists except by Thy will;
none can consider [Thy deep secrets] or contemplate Thy [mysteries].
What then is man that is earth, that is shaped [from clay] and returns to the dust,
that Thou shouldst give him to understand such marvels and make known to him the counsel of [Thy truth]?
Clay and dust that I am, what can I devise unless Thou wish it, and what contrive unless Thou desire it?
What strength shall I have, unless Thou keep me upright, and how shall I understand unless by (the spirit) which Thou hast shaped for me?
What can I say unless Thou open my mouth and how can I answer unless Thou enlighten me?
Behold, Thou art Prince of gods and King of majesties, Lord of all spirits, and Ruler of all creatures;
nothing is done without Thee, and nothing is known without Thy will.
Beside Thee there is nothing, and nothing can compare with Thee in strength;
in the presence of Thy glory there is nothing, and Thy might is without price.
Who among Thy great and marvellous creatures can stand in the presence of Thy glory?
How then can he who returns to his dust?
For Thy glory’s sake alone hast Thou made all these things.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XVII (formerly IX)
[For] the throes of death [encompass me] and Hell is upon my bed; my couch utters a lamentation [and my pallet] the sound of a complaint.
My eyes are like fire in the furnace and my tears like rivers of water; my eyes grow dim with waiting, [for my salvation] is far from me and my life is apart from me.
But behold, from desolation to ruin, and from the pain to the sore, and from the travail to the throes, my soul meditates on Thy marvellous works.
In Thy mercies Thou hast not cast me aside; season by season, my soul shall delight in the abundance of mercy.
I will reply to him who slanders me and I will rebuke my oppressor;
I will declare his sentence unjust and declare Thy judgement righteous.
For I know by Thy truth, and I choose Thy judgement upon me:
I delight in my scourges for I hope for Thy loving-kindness.
Thou hast put a supplication in the mouth of Thy servant and Thou hast not threatened my life nor rejected my peace.
Thou hast not failed my expectation, but hast upheld my spirit in face of the scourge.
For it is Thou who hast founded my spirit and Thou knowest my intent; in my distress Thou hast comforted me.
I delight in forgiveness, and am consoled for the former transgression; for I know there is hope in Thy grace and expectation in Thy great power.
For no man can be just in Thy judgement or [righteous in] Thy trial.
Though one man be more just than another, one person [more] wise [than another],
one mortal more glorious than another creature [of clay], yet is there no power to compare with Thy might.
There is no [bound] to Thy glory, and to Thy wisdom, no measure; [to Thy truth] there is no ...
and all who forsake it ...
and my oppressor shall [not] prevail against me.
I will be a stumbling-block to [those who swallow me up, and a snare to] all those who battle against me;
[I will be for my enemies a] cause of shame, and a cause of disgrace, to those who murmur against me.
For Thou, O my God ...
Thou wilt plead my cause; for it is according to the mystery of Thy wisdom that Thou hast rebuked me.
Thou wilt conceal the truth until [its] time, [and righteousness] until its appointed moment.
Thy rebuke shall become my joy and gladness, and my scourges shall turn to [eternal] healing and everlasting [peace].
The scorn of my enemies shall become a crown of glory, and my stumbling (shall change) to everlasting might.
For in Thy ...
and my light shall shine forth in Thy glory.
For as a light from out of the darkness, so wilt Thou enlighten me.
[Thou wilt bring healing to] my wound, and marvellous might in place of my stumbling, and everlasting space to my straitened soul.
For Thou art my refuge, my high mountain, my stout rock and my fortress; in Thee will I shelter from all the [designs of ungodliness, for Thou wilt succour me] with eternal deliverance.
For Thou hast known me from (the time of) my father, [and hast chosen me] from the womb.
[From the belly of] my mother Thou hast dealt kindly with me, and from the breast of her who conceived me have Thy mercies been with me.
[Thy grace was with me] in the lap of her who reared me, and from my youth Thou hast illumined me with the wisdom of Thy judgement.
Thou hast upheld me with certain truth;
Thou hast delighted me with Thy Holy Spirit and [hast opened my heart] till this day.
Thy just rebuke accompanies my [faults] and Thy safeguarding peace delivers my soul.
The abundance of (Thy) forgiveness is with my steps and infinite mercy accompanies Thy judgement of me.
Until I am old Thou wilt care for me; for my father knew me not and my mother abandoned me to Thee.
For Thou art a father to all [the sons] of Thy truth, and as a woman who tenderly loves her babe, so dost Thou rejoice in them;
and as a foster-father bearing a child in his lap, so carest Thou for all Thy creatures.
Hymn 19 (formerly 15)
[I thank Thee, O Lord]
XVIII (formerly X)
... and nothing exists except by Thy will;
none can consider [Thy deep secrets] or contemplate Thy [mysteries].
What then is man that is earth, that is shaped [from clay] and returns to the dust,
that Thou shouldst give him to understand such marvels and make known to him the counsel of [Thy truth]?
Clay and dust that I am, what can I devise unless Thou wish it, and what contrive unless Thou desire it?
What strength shall I have, unless Thou keep me upright, and how shall I understand unless by (the spirit) which Thou hast shaped for me?
What can I say unless Thou open my mouth and how can I answer unless Thou enlighten me?
Behold, Thou art Prince of gods and King of majesties, Lord of all spirits, and Ruler of all creatures;
nothing is done without Thee, and nothing is known without Thy will.
Beside Thee there is nothing, and nothing can compare with Thee in strength;
in the presence of Thy glory there is nothing, and Thy might is without price.
Who among Thy great and marvellous creatures can stand in the presence of Thy glory?
How then can he who returns to his dust?
For Thy glory’s sake alone hast Thou made all these things.
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29
Hymn 20 (formerly 16)
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, God of mercy [and abundant] grace, for Thou hast made known [Thy wisdom to me that I should recount] Thy marvellous deeds, keeping silence neither by day nor [by night]! [For I have trusted] in Thy grace.
In Thy great goodness, and in [the multitude of Thy mercies] For I have leaned on Thy truth [And unless] Thou rebuke, there is no stumbling;
unless Thou foreknow it, [there is no] scourge; [nothing is done without] Thy [will].
[I will cling to Thy ways] according to my knowledge [of Thy] truth; contemplating Thy glory;
I will recount Thy wonderful works, and understanding [Thy goodness I will lean on the] multitude of Thy mercies and hope for Thy forgiveness.
For Thou Thyself hast shaped [my spirit] and established me [according to Thy will];
and Thou hast not placed my support in gain, [nor does] my [heart delight in riches];
Thou hast given me no fleshly refuge.
The might of warriors [rests] on abundant delights, [and on plenty of corn] and wine and oil;
they pride themselves in possessions and wealth. [But the righteous is like a] green [tree] beside streams of water, bringing forth leaves and multiplying its branches;
for [Thou hast chosen them from among the children of] men that they may all grow fat from the land.
Thou wilt give to the children of Thy truth [unending joy and] everlasting [gladness], and according to the measure of their knowledge, so shall they be honoured one more than another.
And likewise for the son of man ...
Thou wilt increase his portion in the knowledge of Thy truth, and according to the measure of his knowledge, so shall he be honoured ...
[For the soul] of Thy servant has loathed [riches] and gain, and he has not [desired] exquisite delights.
My heart rejoices in Thy Covenant and Thy truth delights my soul.
I shall flower [like the lily] and my heart shall be open to the everlasting fountain;
my support shall be in the might from on high.
But...
and withers like a flower before [the heat].
My heart is stricken with terror, and my loins with trembling; my groaning goes down to the Abyss, and is shut up in the chambers of Hell.
I am greatly afraid when I hear of Thy judgement of the mighty Heroes, and of Thy trial of the host of Thy Holy Ones
XIX (formerly XI)
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Hymn 20 (formerly 16)
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, God of mercy [and abundant] grace, for Thou hast made known [Thy wisdom to me that I should recount] Thy marvellous deeds, keeping silence neither by day nor [by night]! [For I have trusted] in Thy grace.
In Thy great goodness, and in [the multitude of Thy mercies] For I have leaned on Thy truth [And unless] Thou rebuke, there is no stumbling;
unless Thou foreknow it, [there is no] scourge; [nothing is done without] Thy [will].
[I will cling to Thy ways] according to my knowledge [of Thy] truth; contemplating Thy glory;
I will recount Thy wonderful works, and understanding [Thy goodness I will lean on the] multitude of Thy mercies and hope for Thy forgiveness.
For Thou Thyself hast shaped [my spirit] and established me [according to Thy will];
and Thou hast not placed my support in gain, [nor does] my [heart delight in riches];
Thou hast given me no fleshly refuge.
The might of warriors [rests] on abundant delights, [and on plenty of corn] and wine and oil;
they pride themselves in possessions and wealth. [But the righteous is like a] green [tree] beside streams of water, bringing forth leaves and multiplying its branches;
for [Thou hast chosen them from among the children of] men that they may all grow fat from the land.
Thou wilt give to the children of Thy truth [unending joy and] everlasting [gladness], and according to the measure of their knowledge, so shall they be honoured one more than another.
And likewise for the son of man ...
Thou wilt increase his portion in the knowledge of Thy truth, and according to the measure of his knowledge, so shall he be honoured ...
[For the soul] of Thy servant has loathed [riches] and gain, and he has not [desired] exquisite delights.
My heart rejoices in Thy Covenant and Thy truth delights my soul.
I shall flower [like the lily] and my heart shall be open to the everlasting fountain;
my support shall be in the might from on high.
But...
and withers like a flower before [the heat].
My heart is stricken with terror, and my loins with trembling; my groaning goes down to the Abyss, and is shut up in the chambers of Hell.
I am greatly afraid when I hear of Thy judgement of the mighty Heroes, and of Thy trial of the host of Thy Holy Ones
XIX (formerly XI)
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30
Hymn 21 (formerly 17)
I thank Thee, my God, for Thou hast dealt wondrously to dust, and mightily towards a creature of clay!
I thank Thee, I thank Thee!
What am I, that Thou shouldst [teach] me the counsel of Thy truth, and give me understanding of Thy marvellous works;
that Thou shouldst lay hymns of thanksgiving within my mouth and [praise] upon my tongue, and that of my circumcised lips, (Thou shouldst make) a seat of rejoicing?
I will sing Thy mercies, and on Thy might I will meditate all day long.
I will bless Thy Name evermore.
I will declare Thy glory in the midst of the sons of men and my soul shall delight in Thy great goodness.
I know that Thy word is truth, and that righteousness is in Thy hand; that all knowledge is in Thy purpose, and that all power is in Thy might, and that every glory is Thine.
In Thy wrath are all chastisements, but in Thy goodness is much forgiveness and Thy mercy is towards the sons of Thy goodwill.
For Thou hast made known to them the counsel of Thy truth, and hast taught them Thy marvellous mysteries.
For the sake of Thy glory Thou hast purified man of sin that he may be made holy for Thee, with no abominable uncleanness and no guilty wickedness;
that he may be one [with] the children of Thy truth and partake of the lot of Thy Holy Ones;
that bodies gnawed by worms may be raised from the dust to the counsel [of Thy truth], and that the perverse spirit (may be lifted) to the understanding [which comes from Thee];
that he may stand before Thee with the everlasting host and with [Thy] spirits [of holiness], to be renewed together with all the living and to rejoice together with them that know.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hymn 21 (formerly 17)
I thank Thee, my God, for Thou hast dealt wondrously to dust, and mightily towards a creature of clay!
I thank Thee, I thank Thee!
What am I, that Thou shouldst [teach] me the counsel of Thy truth, and give me understanding of Thy marvellous works;
that Thou shouldst lay hymns of thanksgiving within my mouth and [praise] upon my tongue, and that of my circumcised lips, (Thou shouldst make) a seat of rejoicing?
I will sing Thy mercies, and on Thy might I will meditate all day long.
I will bless Thy Name evermore.
I will declare Thy glory in the midst of the sons of men and my soul shall delight in Thy great goodness.
I know that Thy word is truth, and that righteousness is in Thy hand; that all knowledge is in Thy purpose, and that all power is in Thy might, and that every glory is Thine.
In Thy wrath are all chastisements, but in Thy goodness is much forgiveness and Thy mercy is towards the sons of Thy goodwill.
For Thou hast made known to them the counsel of Thy truth, and hast taught them Thy marvellous mysteries.
For the sake of Thy glory Thou hast purified man of sin that he may be made holy for Thee, with no abominable uncleanness and no guilty wickedness;
that he may be one [with] the children of Thy truth and partake of the lot of Thy Holy Ones;
that bodies gnawed by worms may be raised from the dust to the counsel [of Thy truth], and that the perverse spirit (may be lifted) to the understanding [which comes from Thee];
that he may stand before Thee with the everlasting host and with [Thy] spirits [of holiness], to be renewed together with all the living and to rejoice together with them that know.
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31
Hymn 22 (formerly 18)
I thank Thee, my God!
I praise Thee, my Rock!
For Thou hast made known to me the counsel of Thy truth [and hast taught me Thy marvellous mysteries;] and hast revealed Thy [wonders] to me.
I have beheld {Thy marvels} (4Q427 fr. 1, i) [towards the children] of grace, and I know [that] righteousness is Thine, that in Thy mercies there is [hope for me], but without Thy grace [destruction] without end.
But a fountain of bitter mourning opens for me, [and my tears fall down].
Distress is not hidden from my eyes when I think of the (evil) inclinations of man, of his return [to dust],
{I understand and observe} (4Q427 fr. 1, iii) sin and the sorrow of guilt.
They enter my heart and reach into my bones to...
and to meditate in sorrowful meditation.
I will groan with the zither of lamentation in all grief-stricken mourning and bitter complaint until iniquity and [wickedness] are consumed and the disease-bringing scourge is no more.
Then will I play on the zither of deliverance and the harp of joy, [on the tabors of prayer] and the pipe of praise without end.
Who among all Thy creatures is able to recount [Thy wonders]?
May Thy Name be praised by the mouth of all men!
May they bless Thee for ever in accordance with [their understanding], and proclaim Thee with the voice of praise in the company of [the Sons of Heaven]!
There shall be neither groaning nor complaint and wickedness [shall be destroyed for ever];
Thy truth shall be revealed in eternal glory and everlasting peace.
Blessed art [Thou, O my Lord], who hast given to [Thy servant] the knowledge of wisdom that he may comprehend Thy wonders, and recount Thy ...
in Thy abundant grace!
Blessed art Thou, O God of mercy and compassion, for the might of Thy [power] and the greatness of Thy truth, and for the multitude of Thy favours in all Thy works!
Rejoice the soul of Thy servant with Thy truth and cleanse me by Thy righteousness.
Even as I have hoped in Thy goodness, and waited for Thy grace,
so hast Thou freed me from my calamities, in accordance with Thy forgiveness;
and in my distress Thou hast comforted me for I have leaned on Thy mercy.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, for it is Thou who hast done these things!
Thou hast set [hymns of praise] within the mouth of Thy servant, and hast established for me a response of the tongue.
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Hymn 22 (formerly 18)
I thank Thee, my God!
I praise Thee, my Rock!
For Thou hast made known to me the counsel of Thy truth [and hast taught me Thy marvellous mysteries;] and hast revealed Thy [wonders] to me.
I have beheld {Thy marvels} (4Q427 fr. 1, i) [towards the children] of grace, and I know [that] righteousness is Thine, that in Thy mercies there is [hope for me], but without Thy grace [destruction] without end.
But a fountain of bitter mourning opens for me, [and my tears fall down].
Distress is not hidden from my eyes when I think of the (evil) inclinations of man, of his return [to dust],
{I understand and observe} (4Q427 fr. 1, iii) sin and the sorrow of guilt.
They enter my heart and reach into my bones to...
and to meditate in sorrowful meditation.
I will groan with the zither of lamentation in all grief-stricken mourning and bitter complaint until iniquity and [wickedness] are consumed and the disease-bringing scourge is no more.
Then will I play on the zither of deliverance and the harp of joy, [on the tabors of prayer] and the pipe of praise without end.
Who among all Thy creatures is able to recount [Thy wonders]?
May Thy Name be praised by the mouth of all men!
May they bless Thee for ever in accordance with [their understanding], and proclaim Thee with the voice of praise in the company of [the Sons of Heaven]!
There shall be neither groaning nor complaint and wickedness [shall be destroyed for ever];
Thy truth shall be revealed in eternal glory and everlasting peace.
Blessed art [Thou, O my Lord], who hast given to [Thy servant] the knowledge of wisdom that he may comprehend Thy wonders, and recount Thy ...
in Thy abundant grace!
Blessed art Thou, O God of mercy and compassion, for the might of Thy [power] and the greatness of Thy truth, and for the multitude of Thy favours in all Thy works!
Rejoice the soul of Thy servant with Thy truth and cleanse me by Thy righteousness.
Even as I have hoped in Thy goodness, and waited for Thy grace,
so hast Thou freed me from my calamities, in accordance with Thy forgiveness;
and in my distress Thou hast comforted me for I have leaned on Thy mercy.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, for it is Thou who hast done these things!
Thou hast set [hymns of praise] within the mouth of Thy servant, and hast established for me a response of the tongue.
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32
Hymn I (formerly 23)
As Thou hast said by the hand of Moses, Thou forgivest transgression, iniquity, and sin, and pardonest rebellion and unfaithfulness.
For the bases of the mountains shall melt and fire shall consume the deep places of Hell, but Thou wilt deliver all those that are corrected by Thy judgements, that they may serve Thee faithfully and that their seed may be before Thee for ever.
Thou wilt keep Thine oath and wilt pardon their transgression;
Thou wilt cast away all their sins.
Thou wilt cause them to inherit all the glory of Adam and abundance of days.
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Hymn I (formerly 23)
As Thou hast said by the hand of Moses, Thou forgivest transgression, iniquity, and sin, and pardonest rebellion and unfaithfulness.
For the bases of the mountains shall melt and fire shall consume the deep places of Hell, but Thou wilt deliver all those that are corrected by Thy judgements, that they may serve Thee faithfully and that their seed may be before Thee for ever.
Thou wilt keep Thine oath and wilt pardon their transgression;
Thou wilt cast away all their sins.
Thou wilt cause them to inherit all the glory of Adam and abundance of days.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
33
Hymn 24(formerly 25)
[How] shall I look, unless Thou open my eyes?
Or hear, [unless Thou unstop my ears]?
My heart is astounded, for to the uncircumcised ear, a word has been disclosed, and a heart [of stone has understood the right precepts].
I know it is for Thyself that Thou hast done these things, O God;
for what is flesh [that Thou shouldst act] marvellously [towards it]?
It is Thy purpose to do mightily and to establish all things for Thy glory.
[Thou hast created] the host of knowledge to declare (Thy) mighty deeds to flesh, and the right precepts to him that is born [of woman].
Thou hast [caused the perverse heart to enter] into a Covenant with Thee, and hast uncovered the heart of dust that it may be preserved from evil and saved from the snares of Judgement in accordance with Thy mercies.
And I, a creature [of clay kneaded with water, a heap of dust] and a heart of stone, for what am I reckoned to be worthy of this?
For into an ear of dust [Thou hast put a new word] and hast engraved on a heart of [stone] things everlasting.
Thou hast caused [the straying spirit] to return that it may enter into a Covenant with Thee, and stand [before Thee for ever] in the everlasting abode, illumined with perfect Light for ever, with [no more] darkness, [for un]ending [seasons of joy] and un[numbered] ages of peace.
And as for me, a creature of dust, ...
Fr. 3
Pile of dust, how shall I stand in front of the tempest?
... and He will guard me according to the mysteries of His good pleasure.
For He knows...
And they will hide snares of wickedness, net after net.
... every creature of deceit will come to an end ...
[wickedness will] turn to nothing and the inclination towards iniquity will vanish and deeds of deceit [will perish].
As for me, creature of [clay] ...
... how will it gain strength for Thee?
Thou art the God of [knowledge] Thou hast made them [according to Thy design] and without Thee [nothing exists].
[As for me, creature] of dust, I know through the spirit which Thou hast put into me that ...
injustice and deceit will be awe-struck and insolence will cease.
[wo]rks of uncleanness will (turn into) sickness and judgements (leading to) plague and destruction ...
XXII (formerly XVIII ii, 27-29+fr. I i+fr. 52
bottom+fr. 4+fr. 47)
... [hol]iness that are in heaven
... and He is wonder.
But they cannot [understand] Thy [marvel]s and they will not be able to know all[Thy mysteries].
[How then can he who retur]ns to his dust?
As for me, I am a man of sin who has wallowed [in the ways of uncleanness] [and been defiled] by the guilt of wickedness.
As for me, in the times of wrath [I have fallen(?)].
How can I rise in view of my wound and keep myself...
For there is hope for man...
As for me, creature of clay, I have leaned [on Thy loving-kindness and on the multitude of Thy mysteries,] O my God.
And I know that truthful is [Thy mouth, and that Thy words are not] revoked.
As for me, I will rely in my time [on Thy Covenant and will rai]se myself to the post
which Thou hast established for me ...
Fr. 4
... As for me, I was frightened by Thy judgements
Who is found clean in Thy judgement?
And what is [man before Thee?
Thou bringest] him to judgement and he returns to his dust.
... [my G]o[d].
Thou hast opened my heart for Thy understanding and hast unstopped [my] ear[s] ...
to lean on Thy goodness.
My heart murmurs ...
and my heart melts like wax because of iniquity and sin....
Blessed art Thou, God of knowledge, who hast established...
And Thou hast met Thy servant with this for Thy sake.
For I know Thy [loving-kindness and in] Thy [mercies] I hope in all my existence, and I bless Thy name always.
Do not forsake me in the times [of distress (?)]
XXIII (formerly XVIII, 1-16+fr. 57 i+fr. 2 i)
they are confirmed in [the ears] of Thy servant for ever
... [to announce] Thy marvellous tidings
Withdraw not Thy hand ...
that he may be confirmed in Thy Covenant and stand before Thee [for ever].
[For Thou, O my God,] didst open a [fountain] in the mouth of Thy Servant.
Thou didst engrave by the measuring-cord [Thy mysteries] upon his tongue, [that] out of his understanding [he might] preach to a creature, and interpret these things to dust like myself.
Thou didst open [his fountain] that he might rebuke the creature of clay for his way, and him who is born of woman for the guilt of his deeds;
that he might open [the fount of] Thy truth to a creature whom Thou upholdest by Thy might;
[that he might be], according to Thy truth, a messenger [in the season] of Thy goodness;
that to the humble he might bring glad tidings of Thy great mercy, [proclaiming salvation] from out of the fountain [of holiness to the contrite] of spirit, and everlasting joy to those who mourn.
Fr. 2
... [to prai]se Thee and to recount all Thy glory.
As for me, what am I?
For I was taken from dust.
But Th[ou, O my God], Thou hast done all these [for] Thy [g]lory.
According to the greatness of Thy loving-kindness put the guard of Thy righteousness [in the hand of Th]y [servant] for ever until deliverance.
May the interpreters of knowledge be with all my steps and those who decide truth [in all my ways].
For what is dust among al[1] ...
Ashes are in their hand: nothing at all.
and Thou hast shed [Thy Holy] Spirit over dust [to bring him into the company] of the ‘gods’ and unite them with the Sons of Heaven.
Thou hast shed Thy [Ho]ly [Spirit] to atone for guilt for they are established in Thy truth.
[And Thou, my God], Thou hast acted wondrously for Thy glory
4Q427 7 i-ii (1QH, frs. 7, 46, 55, 56, 4Q428
15,40431 1)
I...
For I am made to stand with the ‘gods’, and I will not... [glory or majes]ty for me with fine gold;
gold and purified gold, [I will] not... in me;
... will not be reckoned for me.
Chant, O beloved, sing to the King [of glory.
Rejoice, in the cong]regation of God.
Exult in the tents of salvation.
Give thanks in the dwelling [of holiness], extol together with the eternal host.
Magnify our God and glorify our King.
Sanctify His name with powerful lips and a victorious tongue.
Lift up alone your voice in all ages, let a joyous meditation be heard.
Burst out in eternal rejoicings and prostrate incessantly in the common assembly.
Bless the wonderful Maker of exalted things, Him who proclaims the power of His hand, sealing mysteries and revealing secrets, lifting up those who stumble and fall, [rest]oring the progress of those who hope for knowledge and humbling the meetings of the everlastingly haughty;
[seal]ing the mysteries of sp[lendour] and establi[shing the wonlders of glory.
O Judge, whose anger is destructive,
... in righteous loving-kindness and great mercy, be gracious to ...
... mercy to those who bear fruits of His great goodness, and the source of...
II ... wickedness ends... [op]pression [ceases], the tyrant ceases... treachery [sto]ps and there are no senseless perversities.
Light shines and joy bursts forth;
mourning [vanishes] and sorrow flees.
Peace is revealed, dread ceases.
A spring has opened up for an [eternal] bles[sing] and for healing in all the everlasting ages.
Iniquity has stopped, plague has ceased with no more illn[ess].
... has been gathered in and... will be no more.
Announce and say: Great is God, Ma[ker of marvels].
For He humbles the proud spirit with no remnant and from the dust He lifts up the poor to [eternal heights].
And He lifts him up to the clouds to share a common assembly with the ‘gods’.
And...
anger for everlasting destruction.
He raises freely the totterers on earth, and [His] mi[ght is with] their steps, and everlasting joy is in their dwellings, eternal glory without end [for ever].
Let them say: Blessed be God, Author of majestic [w]onders, who reveals might splendidly, and justifies with knowledge all His creatures, so that goodness is on their faces.
They know the multitude of [His] loving [kindness] and the abundance of His mercies to all the children of His truth.
We know Thee, O God of righteousness, and we comprehend [Thy ... , O King]
of glory.
For we have seen Thy zeal through Thy mighty power and have observed [Thy] d[eeds in the abundance] of Thy mercies and wondrous forgiveness.
What is flesh compared to these?
What do [dust and ashes] amoun[t to] that they recite these things from age to age, and hold themselves upright [before Thee, and enter into communion with] the Sons of Heaven.
No interpreter can answer according to Thy mouth and... to Thee.
For Thou hast established us according to [Thy] ple[asure] in the territory [of iniquity] ...
... we have spoken to Thee and not to a medi[ator] ...
[And Thou hast lent] an ea[r] to the issue of our lips.
Annou[nce and say: Blessed be God, Creator of the heavens by His power,
Desig[ner] of all their devices [by] His strength, of the earth by [His] migh[t] ...
Hymnic Fragment
(4Q433a)
Fr. 2
... for the everlasting sea[sons].
For the Master. A sim[il]itude about the glory of ...
A plant of delight, a plant in His garden and in his vineyard.
Its twigs will bear fruit and its branches will increase...
and its branches (reaching) above the elevated support of heaven;
and its splendour offers itself for everlasting generations, producing fru[it] for all who are to taste it.
There will be no wild grapes among its fruits.
It will have foliage, leaves and blossoms.
None of its roots will be pulled up from its bed of balsam for...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hymn 24(formerly 25)
[How] shall I look, unless Thou open my eyes?
Or hear, [unless Thou unstop my ears]?
My heart is astounded, for to the uncircumcised ear, a word has been disclosed, and a heart [of stone has understood the right precepts].
I know it is for Thyself that Thou hast done these things, O God;
for what is flesh [that Thou shouldst act] marvellously [towards it]?
It is Thy purpose to do mightily and to establish all things for Thy glory.
[Thou hast created] the host of knowledge to declare (Thy) mighty deeds to flesh, and the right precepts to him that is born [of woman].
Thou hast [caused the perverse heart to enter] into a Covenant with Thee, and hast uncovered the heart of dust that it may be preserved from evil and saved from the snares of Judgement in accordance with Thy mercies.
And I, a creature [of clay kneaded with water, a heap of dust] and a heart of stone, for what am I reckoned to be worthy of this?
For into an ear of dust [Thou hast put a new word] and hast engraved on a heart of [stone] things everlasting.
Thou hast caused [the straying spirit] to return that it may enter into a Covenant with Thee, and stand [before Thee for ever] in the everlasting abode, illumined with perfect Light for ever, with [no more] darkness, [for un]ending [seasons of joy] and un[numbered] ages of peace.
And as for me, a creature of dust, ...
Fr. 3
Pile of dust, how shall I stand in front of the tempest?
... and He will guard me according to the mysteries of His good pleasure.
For He knows...
And they will hide snares of wickedness, net after net.
... every creature of deceit will come to an end ...
[wickedness will] turn to nothing and the inclination towards iniquity will vanish and deeds of deceit [will perish].
As for me, creature of [clay] ...
... how will it gain strength for Thee?
Thou art the God of [knowledge] Thou hast made them [according to Thy design] and without Thee [nothing exists].
[As for me, creature] of dust, I know through the spirit which Thou hast put into me that ...
injustice and deceit will be awe-struck and insolence will cease.
[wo]rks of uncleanness will (turn into) sickness and judgements (leading to) plague and destruction ...
XXII (formerly XVIII ii, 27-29+fr. I i+fr. 52
bottom+fr. 4+fr. 47)
... [hol]iness that are in heaven
... and He is wonder.
But they cannot [understand] Thy [marvel]s and they will not be able to know all[Thy mysteries].
[How then can he who retur]ns to his dust?
As for me, I am a man of sin who has wallowed [in the ways of uncleanness] [and been defiled] by the guilt of wickedness.
As for me, in the times of wrath [I have fallen(?)].
How can I rise in view of my wound and keep myself...
For there is hope for man...
As for me, creature of clay, I have leaned [on Thy loving-kindness and on the multitude of Thy mysteries,] O my God.
And I know that truthful is [Thy mouth, and that Thy words are not] revoked.
As for me, I will rely in my time [on Thy Covenant and will rai]se myself to the post
which Thou hast established for me ...
Fr. 4
... As for me, I was frightened by Thy judgements
Who is found clean in Thy judgement?
And what is [man before Thee?
Thou bringest] him to judgement and he returns to his dust.
... [my G]o[d].
Thou hast opened my heart for Thy understanding and hast unstopped [my] ear[s] ...
to lean on Thy goodness.
My heart murmurs ...
and my heart melts like wax because of iniquity and sin....
Blessed art Thou, God of knowledge, who hast established...
And Thou hast met Thy servant with this for Thy sake.
For I know Thy [loving-kindness and in] Thy [mercies] I hope in all my existence, and I bless Thy name always.
Do not forsake me in the times [of distress (?)]
XXIII (formerly XVIII, 1-16+fr. 57 i+fr. 2 i)
they are confirmed in [the ears] of Thy servant for ever
... [to announce] Thy marvellous tidings
Withdraw not Thy hand ...
that he may be confirmed in Thy Covenant and stand before Thee [for ever].
[For Thou, O my God,] didst open a [fountain] in the mouth of Thy Servant.
Thou didst engrave by the measuring-cord [Thy mysteries] upon his tongue, [that] out of his understanding [he might] preach to a creature, and interpret these things to dust like myself.
Thou didst open [his fountain] that he might rebuke the creature of clay for his way, and him who is born of woman for the guilt of his deeds;
that he might open [the fount of] Thy truth to a creature whom Thou upholdest by Thy might;
[that he might be], according to Thy truth, a messenger [in the season] of Thy goodness;
that to the humble he might bring glad tidings of Thy great mercy, [proclaiming salvation] from out of the fountain [of holiness to the contrite] of spirit, and everlasting joy to those who mourn.
Fr. 2
... [to prai]se Thee and to recount all Thy glory.
As for me, what am I?
For I was taken from dust.
But Th[ou, O my God], Thou hast done all these [for] Thy [g]lory.
According to the greatness of Thy loving-kindness put the guard of Thy righteousness [in the hand of Th]y [servant] for ever until deliverance.
May the interpreters of knowledge be with all my steps and those who decide truth [in all my ways].
For what is dust among al[1] ...
Ashes are in their hand: nothing at all.
and Thou hast shed [Thy Holy] Spirit over dust [to bring him into the company] of the ‘gods’ and unite them with the Sons of Heaven.
Thou hast shed Thy [Ho]ly [Spirit] to atone for guilt for they are established in Thy truth.
[And Thou, my God], Thou hast acted wondrously for Thy glory
4Q427 7 i-ii (1QH, frs. 7, 46, 55, 56, 4Q428
15,40431 1)
I...
For I am made to stand with the ‘gods’, and I will not... [glory or majes]ty for me with fine gold;
gold and purified gold, [I will] not... in me;
... will not be reckoned for me.
Chant, O beloved, sing to the King [of glory.
Rejoice, in the cong]regation of God.
Exult in the tents of salvation.
Give thanks in the dwelling [of holiness], extol together with the eternal host.
Magnify our God and glorify our King.
Sanctify His name with powerful lips and a victorious tongue.
Lift up alone your voice in all ages, let a joyous meditation be heard.
Burst out in eternal rejoicings and prostrate incessantly in the common assembly.
Bless the wonderful Maker of exalted things, Him who proclaims the power of His hand, sealing mysteries and revealing secrets, lifting up those who stumble and fall, [rest]oring the progress of those who hope for knowledge and humbling the meetings of the everlastingly haughty;
[seal]ing the mysteries of sp[lendour] and establi[shing the wonlders of glory.
O Judge, whose anger is destructive,
... in righteous loving-kindness and great mercy, be gracious to ...
... mercy to those who bear fruits of His great goodness, and the source of...
II ... wickedness ends... [op]pression [ceases], the tyrant ceases... treachery [sto]ps and there are no senseless perversities.
Light shines and joy bursts forth;
mourning [vanishes] and sorrow flees.
Peace is revealed, dread ceases.
A spring has opened up for an [eternal] bles[sing] and for healing in all the everlasting ages.
Iniquity has stopped, plague has ceased with no more illn[ess].
... has been gathered in and... will be no more.
Announce and say: Great is God, Ma[ker of marvels].
For He humbles the proud spirit with no remnant and from the dust He lifts up the poor to [eternal heights].
And He lifts him up to the clouds to share a common assembly with the ‘gods’.
And...
anger for everlasting destruction.
He raises freely the totterers on earth, and [His] mi[ght is with] their steps, and everlasting joy is in their dwellings, eternal glory without end [for ever].
Let them say: Blessed be God, Author of majestic [w]onders, who reveals might splendidly, and justifies with knowledge all His creatures, so that goodness is on their faces.
They know the multitude of [His] loving [kindness] and the abundance of His mercies to all the children of His truth.
We know Thee, O God of righteousness, and we comprehend [Thy ... , O King]
of glory.
For we have seen Thy zeal through Thy mighty power and have observed [Thy] d[eeds in the abundance] of Thy mercies and wondrous forgiveness.
What is flesh compared to these?
What do [dust and ashes] amoun[t to] that they recite these things from age to age, and hold themselves upright [before Thee, and enter into communion with] the Sons of Heaven.
No interpreter can answer according to Thy mouth and... to Thee.
For Thou hast established us according to [Thy] ple[asure] in the territory [of iniquity] ...
... we have spoken to Thee and not to a medi[ator] ...
[And Thou hast lent] an ea[r] to the issue of our lips.
Annou[nce and say: Blessed be God, Creator of the heavens by His power,
Desig[ner] of all their devices [by] His strength, of the earth by [His] migh[t] ...
Hymnic Fragment
(4Q433a)
Fr. 2
... for the everlasting sea[sons].
For the Master. A sim[il]itude about the glory of ...
A plant of delight, a plant in His garden and in his vineyard.
Its twigs will bear fruit and its branches will increase...
and its branches (reaching) above the elevated support of heaven;
and its splendour offers itself for everlasting generations, producing fru[it] for all who are to taste it.
There will be no wild grapes among its fruits.
It will have foliage, leaves and blossoms.
None of its roots will be pulled up from its bed of balsam for...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
34
Psalm 1
I...
Thou art long-suffering in Thy judgments and righteous in all Thy deeds.
By Thy wisdom [all things exist from] eternity, and before creating them Thou knewest their works for ever and ever.
[Nothing] is done [without Thee] and nothing is known unless Thou desire it.
Thou hast created all the spirits [and has established a statue] and law for all their works.
Thou hast spread the heavens for Thy glory and hast [appointed] all [their hosts] according to Thy will;
the mighty winds according to their laws before they became angles [of holiness] ...and eternal spirits in their dominions;
the heavenly lights to their mysteries, and stars to their paths, [the clouds] to their tasks, the thunderbolts and lightenings to their duty, and the perfect treasuries of snow and haik to their purposes,...to thie mysteries.
Thou hast created the earth by Thy power and the seas and deeps [by Thy might].
Thou hast fashioned [all] their [inhabi]tants according to Thy wisdom, and hast appointed all that is in them according to Thy will
[And] to the spirit of man which thou hast formed in the world, [Thou hast given dominion over the works of Thy hands] for everlasting days and unending generations.
.....in their ages
Thou hast alloted to them tasks during all their generations, and Judgment in their appointed seasons according to the rule [of the two spirits, For Thou hast established their ways] for ever and ever, [and has ordained from eternity] their visitation for reward and chastisements;
Thou hast allotted it to all their seed for eternal generations and everlasting years...
In the wisdom of Thy knowledge Thou didst establish their destiny before ever they were.
All thing [exist] according to [Thy will] and without The nothing is done.
These things I know by the wisdom which comes from Thee, for thoust unstopped my ears to marvelous mysteries.
And yet I, a shape of clay kneeded in water, a ground of shame and a source of pollution, a melting-pot of wickedness and an edifice of sin, a straying and perverted spirit of no understanding, fearful of righteous judgements, what can I say that is not foreknown, and what can I utter that is not foretold?
All things are graven before Thee on a written Reminder for everlasting ages and for the numbered cycles of the eternal years in all theit seasons; they ar not hidden or absent from Thee.
what shall a man say concerning his sin? And how shall he plead concerning his iniquities? And how shall he reply to righteous judgment?
For thine, O God of knowledge, are all righteous deeds and the counsel of truth; but to the sons of men is the work of iniquity and deeds of deceit.
It is Thou who hast created breath for the tongue and Thou knowest its words;
Thou didst establish the fruit of the lips before ever they were.
Thou dost set words to measure and the flow of breath from lips to metre.
Thou bringest forth sounds according to their mysteries, and the flow of breath from the lips according to its reckoning, that they may tell Thy glory and recount Thy wonders in all Thy words of truth and [in all Thy] righteous [judgments];
and that Thy Name be praised by the mouth of all men, and that they may know Thee
according to their understanding and bless Thee for ever.
By Thy mercies and by Thy great goodness, Thou hast strengthened the spirit of man
in the face of the scourge, and hast purified [the erring spirit] of a multitude of sins, that it may declare Thy marvels in the presence of all Thy cratures
[I will declare to the assembly of the simple] the judgments by which I was scourged, and to the sons of men, all Thy wonders by which Thou hast shown Thyself might [in me in the presence of the sons of Adam]
Hear, O you wise men, and meditate on knowledge; O you fearfuk, be steadfast!
Increase in prudence, [O all you simple]; O you fearful, be steadfast! In crease in prudence, [O all you simplej]; O just men, put away iniquity! Hold fast [to the Covenantj], O all you perfect of way;
[O all you afflicted with] misery, be patient and despise no righteous Judgment!
...
[but the fool]ish of heart shall not comprehend these things.
Psalm 1
I...
Thou art long-suffering in Thy judgments and righteous in all Thy deeds.
By Thy wisdom [all things exist from] eternity, and before creating them Thou knewest their works for ever and ever.
[Nothing] is done [without Thee] and nothing is known unless Thou desire it.
Thou hast created all the spirits [and has established a statue] and law for all their works.
Thou hast spread the heavens for Thy glory and hast [appointed] all [their hosts] according to Thy will;
the mighty winds according to their laws before they became angles [of holiness] ...and eternal spirits in their dominions;
the heavenly lights to their mysteries, and stars to their paths, [the clouds] to their tasks, the thunderbolts and lightenings to their duty, and the perfect treasuries of snow and haik to their purposes,...to thie mysteries.
Thou hast created the earth by Thy power and the seas and deeps [by Thy might].
Thou hast fashioned [all] their [inhabi]tants according to Thy wisdom, and hast appointed all that is in them according to Thy will
[And] to the spirit of man which thou hast formed in the world, [Thou hast given dominion over the works of Thy hands] for everlasting days and unending generations.
.....in their ages
Thou hast alloted to them tasks during all their generations, and Judgment in their appointed seasons according to the rule [of the two spirits, For Thou hast established their ways] for ever and ever, [and has ordained from eternity] their visitation for reward and chastisements;
Thou hast allotted it to all their seed for eternal generations and everlasting years...
In the wisdom of Thy knowledge Thou didst establish their destiny before ever they were.
All thing [exist] according to [Thy will] and without The nothing is done.
These things I know by the wisdom which comes from Thee, for thoust unstopped my ears to marvelous mysteries.
And yet I, a shape of clay kneeded in water, a ground of shame and a source of pollution, a melting-pot of wickedness and an edifice of sin, a straying and perverted spirit of no understanding, fearful of righteous judgements, what can I say that is not foreknown, and what can I utter that is not foretold?
All things are graven before Thee on a written Reminder for everlasting ages and for the numbered cycles of the eternal years in all theit seasons; they ar not hidden or absent from Thee.
what shall a man say concerning his sin? And how shall he plead concerning his iniquities? And how shall he reply to righteous judgment?
For thine, O God of knowledge, are all righteous deeds and the counsel of truth; but to the sons of men is the work of iniquity and deeds of deceit.
It is Thou who hast created breath for the tongue and Thou knowest its words;
Thou didst establish the fruit of the lips before ever they were.
Thou dost set words to measure and the flow of breath from lips to metre.
Thou bringest forth sounds according to their mysteries, and the flow of breath from the lips according to its reckoning, that they may tell Thy glory and recount Thy wonders in all Thy words of truth and [in all Thy] righteous [judgments];
and that Thy Name be praised by the mouth of all men, and that they may know Thee
according to their understanding and bless Thee for ever.
By Thy mercies and by Thy great goodness, Thou hast strengthened the spirit of man
in the face of the scourge, and hast purified [the erring spirit] of a multitude of sins, that it may declare Thy marvels in the presence of all Thy cratures
[I will declare to the assembly of the simple] the judgments by which I was scourged, and to the sons of men, all Thy wonders by which Thou hast shown Thyself might [in me in the presence of the sons of Adam]
Hear, O you wise men, and meditate on knowledge; O you fearfuk, be steadfast!
Increase in prudence, [O all you simple]; O you fearful, be steadfast! In crease in prudence, [O all you simplej]; O just men, put away iniquity! Hold fast [to the Covenantj], O all you perfect of way;
[O all you afflicted with] misery, be patient and despise no righteous Judgment!
...
[but the fool]ish of heart shall not comprehend these things.
VI ...
To David. O[n words of incanta]tion. [Cry out al]l the time in the name
of the Lor[d]
towards heave[n when] Beli[al] comes to you.
[And sa]y to him:
Who are you? [Be afraid of] man and of the seed of the ho[ly ones].
Your face is a face of [nothin]g and your horns are horns of dr[eam].
[You ar]e [d]arkness and not light; [injustic]e and not righteousness.
[The prin]ce of the h[os]t [is against you]; the Lord [will cast] you [to]
the nethermost [hell],
[closed by] bronze ga[tes] through [which n]o light [shall pass];
nor [shall shine there the light of the] sun which [will rise] over the
righteous to il[lumine his face.
And] you will say:
Is [there not an angel with the ri]ghteous when [judgement] comes [for]
S[atan for] he caused him evil?
[And the spirit of t]ruth [will save him] from dar[kness because
right]eousness is for him.
... for ever [all the] son of Bel[ial. Amen, amen.] Selah.
4Q403 I, ii, 6-29
... and from among them run ‘gods’ with the appearance of coals of
[fire] ... walking round about, most holy spirits ... Holy of Holies, divine
spirits, ever(lasting] appearances ... and divine spirits, forms of flaming
fire round about it ... wonderful spirits. And the chief dwelling on high,
the glory of His kingdom, the innermost sanctuary ... And He
consecrates the seven elevated holy places. And a voice of blessing
(comes) from the chiefs of His innermost sanctuary ... And a glorious
voice of blessing ... is heard by God (the ‘gods’) and the foundations ...
of blessing. And all the ornaments of the innermost sanctuary burst into
wonderful prayers in the innermost sanctuary ... of wonder, one
innermost sanctuary to another, by the voice of holy crowds, and all
their ornaments ... And the chariots of His innermost sanctuary will utter
praises together and their cherubim and wheels will bless wonderfully
the chiefs of the ‘godly’ figure and will bless Him in the holy innermost
sanctuary. vacat
For the Master. Song of the holocaust for the eighth Sabbath on the
tw[enty]-third [of the second month].
[Praise the God of all the highest heights, all the holy ones for ever]
and ever,
they who are second among the priests of the inner Temple, the
second council in the wonderful dwelling, with seven words of ...
eternally.
Extol Him, O sovereign Princes, in his marvellous portion, praise
[the God of gods, O you seven priesthoods of His inner Temple].
... height, the seven wonderful domains by the precept concerning
His sanctuaries.
The sovereign Princes of the [wonderful] priest[hood] ... the seven
priest[hoods] in the wonderful sanctuary for seven councils of holiness
... the Prince, the angels of the King in the wonderful dwellings. The
knowledge of their understanding is for seven ... Prince from the priest
of the inner Temple. The Princes of the congregation of the King in the
assembly of ... and praises of exaltation to the King of glory and a
tower of ... for the God of gods, the King of purity. The offering of their
tongues ... the seven mysteries of knowledge in the wonderful mystery
of the seven domains [of] the Ho[ly of holies] ... [The tongue of the first
shall be seven times stronger than the tongue of the second; the
tongue of the second shall be] seven times [stronger] than that of the
third; [the to]ngue of the thi[rd shall be] seven tim[es] stronger [than that
of the fourth; the tongue of the fourth shall be seven times stronger than
the tongue of the fifth; the tongue of the fifth shall be seven times
stronger than the tongue of] the sixth; the tongu[e of the sixth shall be
seven times stronger than the] t[ongue of the seventh]; the tongue of
the seventh shall be [seven times] stronger [than the tongue of the
eighth] ...
To David. O[n words of incanta]tion. [Cry out al]l the time in the name
of the Lor[d]
towards heave[n when] Beli[al] comes to you.
[And sa]y to him:
Who are you? [Be afraid of] man and of the seed of the ho[ly ones].
Your face is a face of [nothin]g and your horns are horns of dr[eam].
[You ar]e [d]arkness and not light; [injustic]e and not righteousness.
[The prin]ce of the h[os]t [is against you]; the Lord [will cast] you [to]
the nethermost [hell],
[closed by] bronze ga[tes] through [which n]o light [shall pass];
nor [shall shine there the light of the] sun which [will rise] over the
righteous to il[lumine his face.
And] you will say:
Is [there not an angel with the ri]ghteous when [judgement] comes [for]
S[atan for] he caused him evil?
[And the spirit of t]ruth [will save him] from dar[kness because
right]eousness is for him.
... for ever [all the] son of Bel[ial. Amen, amen.] Selah.
4Q403 I, ii, 6-29
... and from among them run ‘gods’ with the appearance of coals of
[fire] ... walking round about, most holy spirits ... Holy of Holies, divine
spirits, ever(lasting] appearances ... and divine spirits, forms of flaming
fire round about it ... wonderful spirits. And the chief dwelling on high,
the glory of His kingdom, the innermost sanctuary ... And He
consecrates the seven elevated holy places. And a voice of blessing
(comes) from the chiefs of His innermost sanctuary ... And a glorious
voice of blessing ... is heard by God (the ‘gods’) and the foundations ...
of blessing. And all the ornaments of the innermost sanctuary burst into
wonderful prayers in the innermost sanctuary ... of wonder, one
innermost sanctuary to another, by the voice of holy crowds, and all
their ornaments ... And the chariots of His innermost sanctuary will utter
praises together and their cherubim and wheels will bless wonderfully
the chiefs of the ‘godly’ figure and will bless Him in the holy innermost
sanctuary. vacat
For the Master. Song of the holocaust for the eighth Sabbath on the
tw[enty]-third [of the second month].
[Praise the God of all the highest heights, all the holy ones for ever]
and ever,
they who are second among the priests of the inner Temple, the
second council in the wonderful dwelling, with seven words of ...
eternally.
Extol Him, O sovereign Princes, in his marvellous portion, praise
[the God of gods, O you seven priesthoods of His inner Temple].
... height, the seven wonderful domains by the precept concerning
His sanctuaries.
The sovereign Princes of the [wonderful] priest[hood] ... the seven
priest[hoods] in the wonderful sanctuary for seven councils of holiness
... the Prince, the angels of the King in the wonderful dwellings. The
knowledge of their understanding is for seven ... Prince from the priest
of the inner Temple. The Princes of the congregation of the King in the
assembly of ... and praises of exaltation to the King of glory and a
tower of ... for the God of gods, the King of purity. The offering of their
tongues ... the seven mysteries of knowledge in the wonderful mystery
of the seven domains [of] the Ho[ly of holies] ... [The tongue of the first
shall be seven times stronger than the tongue of the second; the
tongue of the second shall be] seven times [stronger] than that of the
third; [the to]ngue of the thi[rd shall be] seven tim[es] stronger [than that
of the fourth; the tongue of the fourth shall be seven times stronger than
the tongue of the fifth; the tongue of the fifth shall be seven times
stronger than the tongue of] the sixth; the tongu[e of the sixth shall be
seven times stronger than the] t[ongue of the seventh]; the tongue of
the seventh shall be [seven times] stronger [than the tongue of the
eighth] ...
4Q88
Column IX
[ . . . ]
The masses
will worship God because He has come to judge everything
and to rid the earth of evil,
so that sinners shall find no repose,
the heavens shall give their due,
and there will be no wrong doings there.
The earth will produce crops in its season
and they shall not fail.
The fruit trees shall [ . . . ] of their vineyards
and their springs will not dry up.
The poor will eat for those who follow YHWH shall not go hungry.
Column X
[ . . . ]
[ . . . ] meanwhile the heavens and earth will praise together
And all the evening starts will then adore.
Rejoice, Judah, be happy!
Be glad and let your joy shine forth!
Keep your feasts[4] and your oaths
because within you there is no Belial.[5]
Raise your hand, make your right hand strong. See, your foes shall be eliminated.
And all evil doers shall fell.
But you, YHWH, shall remain forever.
Your glory is everlasting.
[Hallelujah!]
11Q6
Column XIX
Fragment A
Impoverished and feeble am I for
[ . . . ]
For not even a worm can praise You nor insects recount Your grace
The living can thank You and those who fall shall praise You highly.
You show them the ways of Your holiness and grace for You care for the souls of every living thing;
You provide for all living things. Judge us, O God, with Your kind ways, Your grace, and Your
Justice. The Lord hears the please of his followers.
He has not shunned them. Praise be to God who does good things
and rewards his followers with His kindness. May my spirit lift up Your Name,
to recount with joy Your righteous deeds, and proclaim Your eternal steadfastness.
Fragment B
And in Your grace, I have sought sanctuary. The images of Your might life up my heart. I find peace in Your righteousness.
Forgive me, Lord, and free me from my sins.
Give to me a sense of honor and knowledge. May I not be shamed in ruin.
Protect me from unclean spirits, save me from pain and temptation.
For You, O Lord, are my salvation, and I praise You everyday.
My people rejoice with me and are awestruck by Your power.
I will adore You and worship You for all eternity.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Column IX
[ . . . ]
The masses
will worship God because He has come to judge everything
and to rid the earth of evil,
so that sinners shall find no repose,
the heavens shall give their due,
and there will be no wrong doings there.
The earth will produce crops in its season
and they shall not fail.
The fruit trees shall [ . . . ] of their vineyards
and their springs will not dry up.
The poor will eat for those who follow YHWH shall not go hungry.
Column X
[ . . . ]
[ . . . ] meanwhile the heavens and earth will praise together
And all the evening starts will then adore.
Rejoice, Judah, be happy!
Be glad and let your joy shine forth!
Keep your feasts[4] and your oaths
because within you there is no Belial.[5]
Raise your hand, make your right hand strong. See, your foes shall be eliminated.
And all evil doers shall fell.
But you, YHWH, shall remain forever.
Your glory is everlasting.
[Hallelujah!]
11Q6
Column XIX
Fragment A
Impoverished and feeble am I for
[ . . . ]
For not even a worm can praise You nor insects recount Your grace
The living can thank You and those who fall shall praise You highly.
You show them the ways of Your holiness and grace for You care for the souls of every living thing;
You provide for all living things. Judge us, O God, with Your kind ways, Your grace, and Your
Justice. The Lord hears the please of his followers.
He has not shunned them. Praise be to God who does good things
and rewards his followers with His kindness. May my spirit lift up Your Name,
to recount with joy Your righteous deeds, and proclaim Your eternal steadfastness.
Fragment B
And in Your grace, I have sought sanctuary. The images of Your might life up my heart. I find peace in Your righteousness.
Forgive me, Lord, and free me from my sins.
Give to me a sense of honor and knowledge. May I not be shamed in ruin.
Protect me from unclean spirits, save me from pain and temptation.
For You, O Lord, are my salvation, and I praise You everyday.
My people rejoice with me and are awestruck by Your power.
I will adore You and worship You for all eternity.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
35
Apocryphal Psalms (III)
(11QapPsa=11Q11)
III ...
Who [has] pe[rformed these signs] and marv[els on] the earth?
The Lord is the one [who] performed th[ese through] His [might].
He adjures all [His] a[ngels] and all the see[d of holiness] who stand before [Him, and makes all the hea]vens testify and the whole earth [against those] who sinned against [all men], and acted [wickedly] against every hu[man.
And] they know [the mysteries of] His m[arvels] which they do not...
[and they fear] the Lord... to kill...
... the Lord... the Lord...
and they will fear that great blow.
IV ...
The Lord will strike you with a [grea]t b[low] for your destruction...
and in His anger He will send against you a mighty angel [to execute] all His decisions, who will be [without] mercy on you... against all these, who [will take] you [down] to the great abyss,
[and to] the nethermost [hell.]
... dark [in the gr]eat abyss... no more on the earth.
... for ever, and... by the curse of Abaddon (the bottom of hell)
...the furious anger of the L[ord]....
V...
[Ra]phael healed them. Amen, amen. Selah.
Of David ... [an incan]tation in the name of the Lor[d.
Call an]y time on heav[en], for He will come to you in the ni[ght, and] you will say to Him:
Who are you, [one born of] man And of the seed of the ho[ly on]es?
Your face is a face of in[anity] And your horns are horns of dream.
You are darkness and not light, Injustice and not righteousness.
The Prince of the host, the Lord, [will send] you [down to the lowest he]ll, [and will close the ga]tes of bronze through [which n]o light [passes] and [the] sun wh[ich rises on the] righteous [will] not [enlighten you] ...
And you will say...
VI ...
To David. O[n words of incanta]tion.
[Cry out al]l the time in the name of the Lor[d] towards heave[n when] Beli[al] comes to you.
[And sa]y to him:
Who are you? [Be afraid of] man and of the seed of the ho[ly ones].
Your face is a face of [nothin]g and your horns are horns of dr[eam].
[You ar]e [d]arkness and not light; [injustic]e and not righteousness.
[The prin]ce of the h[os]t [is against you]; the Lord [will cast] you [to] the nethermost [hell], [closed by] bronze ga[tes] through [which n]o light [shall pass];
nor [shall shine there the light of the] sun which [will rise] over the righteous to
il[lumine his face.
And] you will say:
Is [there not an angel with the ri]ghteous when [judgement] comes [for] S[atan for] he caused him evil?
[And the spirit of t]ruth [will save him] from dar[kness because right]eousness is for him.
... for ever [all the] son of Bel[ial. Amen, amen.] Selah.
Apocryphal Psalms (II)
(4Q88)
IX ...
Congregation
and they shall praise the name of the Lord, for He has come to judge every action, to remove the wicked from the earth [so that the sons] of iniquity shall not be found.
The heavens [shall give] their dew and there shall be no... [within] their [boundarie]s.
And the earth shall [give] its fruit in its time and its [prod]uct shall not fail.
The fruit trees [shall] ... of its vineyards and its ... shall not lie.
The poor shall eat and the God-fearers shall be sated.
X ...
Then heaven and earth shall exult together.
Let all the stars of the evening twilight exult.
Rejoice, Judah, rejoice!
Rejoice, rejoice and be glad with gladness!
Celebrate your feasts and pay your vows for there is no Belial in your midst.
Raise your hand and fortify your right hand!
Behold the enemy shall perish and all the workers of iniquity shall be dispersed.
But Thou, O Lord, art for eve[r].
Thy glory shall be for eve[r and eve]r.
[Ha]ll[eluiah].
Glorification Hymn A (4Q491, fr. 11)
... the righ[teo]us exult [in the streng]th of His might and the holy ones rejoice in ...
in righteousness ... He has established it in Israel Since ancient times His truth and the mysteries of His wisdom (have been) in al[l] ... power
... and the council of the poor into an eternal congregation
... the perfect... [et]ernity a throne of strength in the congregation of ‘gods’ so that not a single king of old shall sit on it, neither shall their noble men...
My glory is incomparable, and apart from me none is exalted.
None shall come to me for I dwell in ... in heaven, and there is no...
I am reckoned with the ‘gods’ and my dwelling-place is in the congregation of holiness.
[My] des[ire] is not according to the flesh, [and] all that I value is in the glory of... [... the pl]ace of holiness.
Who is counted despicable on my account, and who is comparable to me in my glory?
Who is like... the young (?) like me?
Is there a companion who resembles me? There is none!
I have been taught and no instruction resembles [my instruction] ...
Who shall attack me when [I] op[en my mouth]?
And who can contain the issue of my lips?
Who shall summon me to be destroyed by my judgement? ...
[F]or I am reckoned with the ‘gods’, and my glory is with the sons of the King.
No pure gold or gold of Ophir ...
Glorification Hymn B
(4Q471b)
I am reckoned with the ‘gods’ and my dwelling-place is in the congregation of holiness.
Who is counted as me to be despised and who is despised as me?
And who is like me, forsaken [by men (Isa. liii, 3), and is there] a companion who resembles me?
And no instruction resembles my instruction.
[For] I sit...
Who is like me among the ‘gods’?
[And who shall attack me when I open my mouth]?
And who can contain the issue of my lips?
And who [shall summon me to be destroyed by my judgement]?
[For I am] the beloved of the King and the friend of the ho[ly ones].
[No-one] ... and no-one is comparable [to my glory].
For I [have my station with the ‘gods’, and my glory is with the sons of the King].
I will not be cr[owned with pure gold nor with the gold of Ophir] ... Sing...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Apocryphal Psalms (III)
(11QapPsa=11Q11)
III ...
Who [has] pe[rformed these signs] and marv[els on] the earth?
The Lord is the one [who] performed th[ese through] His [might].
He adjures all [His] a[ngels] and all the see[d of holiness] who stand before [Him, and makes all the hea]vens testify and the whole earth [against those] who sinned against [all men], and acted [wickedly] against every hu[man.
And] they know [the mysteries of] His m[arvels] which they do not...
[and they fear] the Lord... to kill...
... the Lord... the Lord...
and they will fear that great blow.
IV ...
The Lord will strike you with a [grea]t b[low] for your destruction...
and in His anger He will send against you a mighty angel [to execute] all His decisions, who will be [without] mercy on you... against all these, who [will take] you [down] to the great abyss,
[and to] the nethermost [hell.]
... dark [in the gr]eat abyss... no more on the earth.
... for ever, and... by the curse of Abaddon (the bottom of hell)
...the furious anger of the L[ord]....
V...
[Ra]phael healed them. Amen, amen. Selah.
Of David ... [an incan]tation in the name of the Lor[d.
Call an]y time on heav[en], for He will come to you in the ni[ght, and] you will say to Him:
Who are you, [one born of] man And of the seed of the ho[ly on]es?
Your face is a face of in[anity] And your horns are horns of dream.
You are darkness and not light, Injustice and not righteousness.
The Prince of the host, the Lord, [will send] you [down to the lowest he]ll, [and will close the ga]tes of bronze through [which n]o light [passes] and [the] sun wh[ich rises on the] righteous [will] not [enlighten you] ...
And you will say...
VI ...
To David. O[n words of incanta]tion.
[Cry out al]l the time in the name of the Lor[d] towards heave[n when] Beli[al] comes to you.
[And sa]y to him:
Who are you? [Be afraid of] man and of the seed of the ho[ly ones].
Your face is a face of [nothin]g and your horns are horns of dr[eam].
[You ar]e [d]arkness and not light; [injustic]e and not righteousness.
[The prin]ce of the h[os]t [is against you]; the Lord [will cast] you [to] the nethermost [hell], [closed by] bronze ga[tes] through [which n]o light [shall pass];
nor [shall shine there the light of the] sun which [will rise] over the righteous to
il[lumine his face.
And] you will say:
Is [there not an angel with the ri]ghteous when [judgement] comes [for] S[atan for] he caused him evil?
[And the spirit of t]ruth [will save him] from dar[kness because right]eousness is for him.
... for ever [all the] son of Bel[ial. Amen, amen.] Selah.
Apocryphal Psalms (II)
(4Q88)
IX ...
Congregation
and they shall praise the name of the Lord, for He has come to judge every action, to remove the wicked from the earth [so that the sons] of iniquity shall not be found.
The heavens [shall give] their dew and there shall be no... [within] their [boundarie]s.
And the earth shall [give] its fruit in its time and its [prod]uct shall not fail.
The fruit trees [shall] ... of its vineyards and its ... shall not lie.
The poor shall eat and the God-fearers shall be sated.
X ...
Then heaven and earth shall exult together.
Let all the stars of the evening twilight exult.
Rejoice, Judah, rejoice!
Rejoice, rejoice and be glad with gladness!
Celebrate your feasts and pay your vows for there is no Belial in your midst.
Raise your hand and fortify your right hand!
Behold the enemy shall perish and all the workers of iniquity shall be dispersed.
But Thou, O Lord, art for eve[r].
Thy glory shall be for eve[r and eve]r.
[Ha]ll[eluiah].
Glorification Hymn A (4Q491, fr. 11)
... the righ[teo]us exult [in the streng]th of His might and the holy ones rejoice in ...
in righteousness ... He has established it in Israel Since ancient times His truth and the mysteries of His wisdom (have been) in al[l] ... power
... and the council of the poor into an eternal congregation
... the perfect... [et]ernity a throne of strength in the congregation of ‘gods’ so that not a single king of old shall sit on it, neither shall their noble men...
My glory is incomparable, and apart from me none is exalted.
None shall come to me for I dwell in ... in heaven, and there is no...
I am reckoned with the ‘gods’ and my dwelling-place is in the congregation of holiness.
[My] des[ire] is not according to the flesh, [and] all that I value is in the glory of... [... the pl]ace of holiness.
Who is counted despicable on my account, and who is comparable to me in my glory?
Who is like... the young (?) like me?
Is there a companion who resembles me? There is none!
I have been taught and no instruction resembles [my instruction] ...
Who shall attack me when [I] op[en my mouth]?
And who can contain the issue of my lips?
Who shall summon me to be destroyed by my judgement? ...
[F]or I am reckoned with the ‘gods’, and my glory is with the sons of the King.
No pure gold or gold of Ophir ...
Glorification Hymn B
(4Q471b)
I am reckoned with the ‘gods’ and my dwelling-place is in the congregation of holiness.
Who is counted as me to be despised and who is despised as me?
And who is like me, forsaken [by men (Isa. liii, 3), and is there] a companion who resembles me?
And no instruction resembles my instruction.
[For] I sit...
Who is like me among the ‘gods’?
[And who shall attack me when I open my mouth]?
And who can contain the issue of my lips?
And who [shall summon me to be destroyed by my judgement]?
[For I am] the beloved of the King and the friend of the ho[ly ones].
[No-one] ... and no-one is comparable [to my glory].
For I [have my station with the ‘gods’, and my glory is with the sons of the King].
I will not be cr[owned with pure gold nor with the gold of Ophir] ... Sing...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
36
11Q6
Column XIX
Fragment A
Impoverished and feeble am I for
[ . . . ]
For not even a worm can praise You nor insects recount Your grace
The living can thank You and those who fall shall praise You highly.
You show them the ways of Your holiness and grace for You care for the souls of every living thing;
You provide for all living things. Judge us, O God, with Your kind ways, Your grace, and Your
Justice. The Lord hears the please of his followers.
He has not shunned them. Praise be to God who does good things
and rewards his followers with His kindness. May my spirit lift up Your Name,
to recount with joy Your righteous deeds, and proclaim Your eternal steadfastness.
Fragment B
And in Your grace, I have sought sanctuary. The images of Your might life up my heart. I find peace in Your righteousness.
Forgive me, Lord, and free me from my sins.
Give to me a sense of honor and knowledge. May I not be shamed in ruin.
Protect me from unclean spirits, save me from pain and temptation.
For You, O Lord, are my salvation, and I praise You everyday.
My people rejoice with me and are awestruck by Your power.
I will adore You and worship You for all eternity.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11Q6
Column XIX
Fragment A
Impoverished and feeble am I for
[ . . . ]
For not even a worm can praise You nor insects recount Your grace
The living can thank You and those who fall shall praise You highly.
You show them the ways of Your holiness and grace for You care for the souls of every living thing;
You provide for all living things. Judge us, O God, with Your kind ways, Your grace, and Your
Justice. The Lord hears the please of his followers.
He has not shunned them. Praise be to God who does good things
and rewards his followers with His kindness. May my spirit lift up Your Name,
to recount with joy Your righteous deeds, and proclaim Your eternal steadfastness.
Fragment B
And in Your grace, I have sought sanctuary. The images of Your might life up my heart. I find peace in Your righteousness.
Forgive me, Lord, and free me from my sins.
Give to me a sense of honor and knowledge. May I not be shamed in ruin.
Protect me from unclean spirits, save me from pain and temptation.
For You, O Lord, are my salvation, and I praise You everyday.
My people rejoice with me and are awestruck by Your power.
I will adore You and worship You for all eternity.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
37
Lamentations
(4Q]179,4Q501)
4Q179, fr. 2
[How] solitary [lies] the city, the princess of all the peoples is desolate like a forsaken woman;
and all her [daughters are forsak[en] [like] a forsaken woman, like a woman hurt and forsaken by her [husband].
All her palaces and [her] wal[ls] are like a barren woman; and like a sheltered woman are all [her] paths;
[all her] ...
like a woman of bitterness, and all her daughters are like women mourning fo [their] hus[bands];
[all her] ... like women deprived of their only children.
Weep, weep, Jer[usalem] [her tears flow] upon her cheeks because of her sons ...
4Q501
Give not our inheritance to strangers, nor our (hard-earned) property to foreigners.
Remember that we are [the forsaken] of Thy people and the forsaken of Thine inheritance.
Remember the desolate children of Thy Covenant...
T[hy] freely devoted ... ;
they err with no one to bring them back;
they are broken with none to bind them;
[they are bent down with none to ra]ise them up.
The damned of Thy people have surrounded me with their lying tongues.
They have been turned ...
and Thy boughs to the progeny of a woman.
Look and see the shame of the sons of [Thy people (?), for] our skin [is burning] and feverish heat has seized us because of their reviling tongue.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lamentations
(4Q]179,4Q501)
4Q179, fr. 2
[How] solitary [lies] the city, the princess of all the peoples is desolate like a forsaken woman;
and all her [daughters are forsak[en] [like] a forsaken woman, like a woman hurt and forsaken by her [husband].
All her palaces and [her] wal[ls] are like a barren woman; and like a sheltered woman are all [her] paths;
[all her] ...
like a woman of bitterness, and all her daughters are like women mourning fo [their] hus[bands];
[all her] ... like women deprived of their only children.
Weep, weep, Jer[usalem] [her tears flow] upon her cheeks because of her sons ...
4Q501
Give not our inheritance to strangers, nor our (hard-earned) property to foreigners.
Remember that we are [the forsaken] of Thy people and the forsaken of Thine inheritance.
Remember the desolate children of Thy Covenant...
T[hy] freely devoted ... ;
they err with no one to bring them back;
they are broken with none to bind them;
[they are bent down with none to ra]ise them up.
The damned of Thy people have surrounded me with their lying tongues.
They have been turned ...
and Thy boughs to the progeny of a woman.
Look and see the shame of the sons of [Thy people (?), for] our skin [is burning] and feverish heat has seized us because of their reviling tongue.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
38
Liturgical Prayer
(1Q 34 and 34 bis)
I ... Thou wilt cause the wicked to be our ransom and the unfaithful to be our redemption.
[Thou wilt] blot out all our oppressors and we shall praise Thy Name for ever [and ever].
For this hast Thou created us and [to say to Thee] this: Blessed art Thou ...
II ... the Great Light (of heaven) for the [day]time, [and the Little Light
(of heaven) for the night] ... without transgressing their laws, ... and their dominion is over all the world.
But the seed of man did not understand all that Thou caused them to inherit;
they did not discern Thee in all Thy words and wickedly turned aside from every one. They heeded not Thy great power and therefore Thou didst reject them.
For wickedness pleases Thee not, and the ungodly shall not be established before Thee.
But in the time of Thy goodwill Thou didst choose for Thyself a people.
Thou didst remember Thy Covenant and [granted] that they should be set apart for Thyself from among all the peoples as a holy thing.
And Thou didst renew for them Thy Covenant (founded) on a glorious vision and the words of Thy Holy [Spirit], on the works of Thy hands and the writing of Thy Right Hand, that they might know the foundations of glory and the steps towards eternity... [Thou didst raise up] for them a faithful shepherd ...
The Words of the Heavenly Lights
(4Q504—6)
4Q504
I ... Amen! Amen! ... II ... We pray Thee, O Lord, do in accordance with Thyself, in accordance with the greatness of Thy might, Thou who didst pardon our fathers when they rebelled against Thy saying.
Thou wert angry with them so as to wish to destroy them, but because of Thy love for them and for the sake of Thy Covenant - for Moses had atoned for their sin - and in order that Thy great might and the abundance of Thy mercy might be known to everlasting generations, Thou didst take pity on them.
So let Thine anger and wrath against all [their] sin turn away from Thy people Israel. Remember Thy marvels which Thou didst for the poor of the nations.
For we were called by Thy Name... to [cause] us [to repent] with all (our) heart and soul and to plant Thy Law in our heart [that we might never depart from it, straying neither] to right nor to left.
For Thou wilt heal us of foolishness and of blindness and confusion [of heart... Behold] we were sold because of our iniquities but despite our offences Thou didst call us ...
Thou wilt save us from sinning against Thee ... and to make us understand the testimonies ...
III ... Behold, all the nations are as nothing beside Thee, they are counted as void and naught before Thee.
We have called on Thy Name alone.
Thou hast created us for Thy glory and made us Thy children in the sight of all the nations.
For Thou hast named Israel ‘My son, my first-born’, and hast chastised us as a man chastises his son.
Thou hast brought us up throughout the years of our generations [by means of] evil diseases, famine, thirst, pestilence, and the sword ... of Thy Covenant.
Because Thou hast chosen us [from all] the earth [to be Thy people,] therefore hast Thou poured out Thine anger [and jealousy] upon us in all the fury of Thy wrath. Thou hast caused [the scourge] of Thy [plagues] to cleave to us of which Moses wrote, and Thy servants the Prophets, that Thou wouldst send evil against us in the last days...
IV ... Thy dwelling-place ... a resting-place in Jerus[alem, the city which] Thou hast [chosen] from all the earth that Thy [Name] might remain there for ever.
For Thou hast loved Israel above all the peoples.
Thou hast chosen the tribe of Judah and hast established Thy Covenant with David that he might be as a princely shepherd over Thy people and sit before Thee on the throne of Israel for ever.
All the nations have seen Thy glory, Thou who hast sanctified Thyself in the midst of Thy people Israel.
They brought their offering to Thy great Name, silver and gold and precious stones together with all the treasures of their lands, that they might glorify Thy people, and Zion Thy holy city, and the House of Thy majesty.
And there was neither adversary nor misfortune, but peace and blessing... and they ate and were satisfied and grew fat ...
V ... [they forsook] the fount of living waters... and served a strange god in their land.
Also, their land was ravaged by their enemies; for Thy fury and the heat of Thy wrath overflowed, in the fire of Thy jealousy, making of it a desert where no man could go and return.
Yet notwithstanding all this, Thou didst not reject the seed of Jacob, neither didst Thou cast away Israel to destruction, breaking Thy Covenant with them.
For Thou alone art a living God and there is none beside Thee.
Thou didst remember Thy Covenant, Thou who didst rescue us in the presence of all the nations, and didst not forsake us amid the nations.
Thou wert gracious towards Thy people Israel in all the lands to which Thou didst banish them, that they might remember to return to Thee and to hearken to Thy voice [according to] all Thou hadst commanded by the hand of Moses Thy servant.
For Thou hast shed Thy Holy Spirit upon us, bringing upon us Thy blessings, that we might seek Thee in our distress [and whis]per (prayers) in the ordeal of Thy chastisement.
We have entered into distress, have been [stri]cken and tried by the fury of the oppressor.
For we also have tired God with our iniquity, we have wearied the Rock with [our] sins.
[But] in order that we may profit, Thou hast not wearied us who leadest [us] in the way in [which we must walk. But] we have not heeded ...
VI ... [Thou hast taken away] all our transgressions and hast purified us of our sin for Thine own sake.
Thine, Thine is righteousness, O Lord, for it is Thou who hast done all this!
Now, on the day when our heart is humbled, we expiate our iniquity and the iniquity of our fathers, together with our unfaithfulness and rebellion.
We have not rejected Thy trials and scourges; our soul has not despised them to the point of breaking Thy Covenant despite all the distress of our soul.
For Thou, who hast sent our enemies against us, strengthenest our heart that we may recount Thy mighty deeds to everlasting generations.
We pray Thee, O Lord, since Thou workest marvels from everlasting to everlasting, to let Thine anger and wrath retreat from us.
Look on [our affliction] and trouble and distress, and deliver Thy people Israel[from all] the lands, near and far, [to which Thou hast banished them], every man who is inscribed in the Book of Life...
serve Thee and give thanks to [Thy holy Name] ... from those who vex them ...
VII ... who deliverest us from all distress. Amen! [Amen!]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Liturgical Prayer
(1Q 34 and 34 bis)
I ... Thou wilt cause the wicked to be our ransom and the unfaithful to be our redemption.
[Thou wilt] blot out all our oppressors and we shall praise Thy Name for ever [and ever].
For this hast Thou created us and [to say to Thee] this: Blessed art Thou ...
II ... the Great Light (of heaven) for the [day]time, [and the Little Light
(of heaven) for the night] ... without transgressing their laws, ... and their dominion is over all the world.
But the seed of man did not understand all that Thou caused them to inherit;
they did not discern Thee in all Thy words and wickedly turned aside from every one. They heeded not Thy great power and therefore Thou didst reject them.
For wickedness pleases Thee not, and the ungodly shall not be established before Thee.
But in the time of Thy goodwill Thou didst choose for Thyself a people.
Thou didst remember Thy Covenant and [granted] that they should be set apart for Thyself from among all the peoples as a holy thing.
And Thou didst renew for them Thy Covenant (founded) on a glorious vision and the words of Thy Holy [Spirit], on the works of Thy hands and the writing of Thy Right Hand, that they might know the foundations of glory and the steps towards eternity... [Thou didst raise up] for them a faithful shepherd ...
The Words of the Heavenly Lights
(4Q504—6)
4Q504
I ... Amen! Amen! ... II ... We pray Thee, O Lord, do in accordance with Thyself, in accordance with the greatness of Thy might, Thou who didst pardon our fathers when they rebelled against Thy saying.
Thou wert angry with them so as to wish to destroy them, but because of Thy love for them and for the sake of Thy Covenant - for Moses had atoned for their sin - and in order that Thy great might and the abundance of Thy mercy might be known to everlasting generations, Thou didst take pity on them.
So let Thine anger and wrath against all [their] sin turn away from Thy people Israel. Remember Thy marvels which Thou didst for the poor of the nations.
For we were called by Thy Name... to [cause] us [to repent] with all (our) heart and soul and to plant Thy Law in our heart [that we might never depart from it, straying neither] to right nor to left.
For Thou wilt heal us of foolishness and of blindness and confusion [of heart... Behold] we were sold because of our iniquities but despite our offences Thou didst call us ...
Thou wilt save us from sinning against Thee ... and to make us understand the testimonies ...
III ... Behold, all the nations are as nothing beside Thee, they are counted as void and naught before Thee.
We have called on Thy Name alone.
Thou hast created us for Thy glory and made us Thy children in the sight of all the nations.
For Thou hast named Israel ‘My son, my first-born’, and hast chastised us as a man chastises his son.
Thou hast brought us up throughout the years of our generations [by means of] evil diseases, famine, thirst, pestilence, and the sword ... of Thy Covenant.
Because Thou hast chosen us [from all] the earth [to be Thy people,] therefore hast Thou poured out Thine anger [and jealousy] upon us in all the fury of Thy wrath. Thou hast caused [the scourge] of Thy [plagues] to cleave to us of which Moses wrote, and Thy servants the Prophets, that Thou wouldst send evil against us in the last days...
IV ... Thy dwelling-place ... a resting-place in Jerus[alem, the city which] Thou hast [chosen] from all the earth that Thy [Name] might remain there for ever.
For Thou hast loved Israel above all the peoples.
Thou hast chosen the tribe of Judah and hast established Thy Covenant with David that he might be as a princely shepherd over Thy people and sit before Thee on the throne of Israel for ever.
All the nations have seen Thy glory, Thou who hast sanctified Thyself in the midst of Thy people Israel.
They brought their offering to Thy great Name, silver and gold and precious stones together with all the treasures of their lands, that they might glorify Thy people, and Zion Thy holy city, and the House of Thy majesty.
And there was neither adversary nor misfortune, but peace and blessing... and they ate and were satisfied and grew fat ...
V ... [they forsook] the fount of living waters... and served a strange god in their land.
Also, their land was ravaged by their enemies; for Thy fury and the heat of Thy wrath overflowed, in the fire of Thy jealousy, making of it a desert where no man could go and return.
Yet notwithstanding all this, Thou didst not reject the seed of Jacob, neither didst Thou cast away Israel to destruction, breaking Thy Covenant with them.
For Thou alone art a living God and there is none beside Thee.
Thou didst remember Thy Covenant, Thou who didst rescue us in the presence of all the nations, and didst not forsake us amid the nations.
Thou wert gracious towards Thy people Israel in all the lands to which Thou didst banish them, that they might remember to return to Thee and to hearken to Thy voice [according to] all Thou hadst commanded by the hand of Moses Thy servant.
For Thou hast shed Thy Holy Spirit upon us, bringing upon us Thy blessings, that we might seek Thee in our distress [and whis]per (prayers) in the ordeal of Thy chastisement.
We have entered into distress, have been [stri]cken and tried by the fury of the oppressor.
For we also have tired God with our iniquity, we have wearied the Rock with [our] sins.
[But] in order that we may profit, Thou hast not wearied us who leadest [us] in the way in [which we must walk. But] we have not heeded ...
VI ... [Thou hast taken away] all our transgressions and hast purified us of our sin for Thine own sake.
Thine, Thine is righteousness, O Lord, for it is Thou who hast done all this!
Now, on the day when our heart is humbled, we expiate our iniquity and the iniquity of our fathers, together with our unfaithfulness and rebellion.
We have not rejected Thy trials and scourges; our soul has not despised them to the point of breaking Thy Covenant despite all the distress of our soul.
For Thou, who hast sent our enemies against us, strengthenest our heart that we may recount Thy mighty deeds to everlasting generations.
We pray Thee, O Lord, since Thou workest marvels from everlasting to everlasting, to let Thine anger and wrath retreat from us.
Look on [our affliction] and trouble and distress, and deliver Thy people Israel[from all] the lands, near and far, [to which Thou hast banished them], every man who is inscribed in the Book of Life...
serve Thee and give thanks to [Thy holy Name] ... from those who vex them ...
VII ... who deliverest us from all distress. Amen! [Amen!]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
39
Blessings
(1QSb=1Q28b)
I Words of blessing.
The Master shall bless them that fear [God and do] His will, that keep His commandments, and hold fast to His holy [Covenant], and walk perfectly [in all the ways of] His [truth], whom He has chosen for an eternal Covenant which shall endure for ever.
May the [Lord bless you from the Abode of His holiness]; may He open for you from heaven an eternal fountain which [shall not fail]!
May He [favour] you with every [heavenly] blessing; [may He teach you] the knowledge of the Holy Ones!
[May He unlock for you the] everlasting [fountain; may He not withhold the waters of life from] them that thirst!
The Blessing of the High Priest
III May the Lord lift His countenance towards you; [may He delight in
the] sweet odour [of your sacrifices]!
May He choose [all] them that sit in your pries[tly college]; may He
store up all your sacred offerings, and in the [season of] ... all your
seed!
May He [lift] His countenance towards all your congregation!
May He place upon your head [a diadem] ... in [everlasting] glory; may
He sanctify your seed in glory without end!
May He grant you everlasting [peace] ...
May He fight [at the head of] your Thousands [until the generation of
falsehood is ended] ... [to bend] many peoples before you ... all the
riches of the world ...
For God has established all the foundations of ... may He lay the
foundation of your peace for ever!
The Blessing of the Priests
Words of blessing.
The M[aster shall bless] the sons of Zadok the Priests, whom God has chosen to confirm His Covenant for [ever, and to inquire] into all His precepts in the midst of His people, and to instruct them as He commanded;
who have established [His Covenant] on truth and watched over all His laws with righteousness and walked according to the way of His choice.
May the Lord bless you from His holy [Abode]; may He set you as a splendid jewel in the midst of the congregation of the saints!
May He [renew] for you the Covenant of the [everlasting] priesthood;
may He sanctify you [for the House] of Holiness!
May He [judge all] the leaders by your works, and all [the princes] of the peoples by the words from out of your lips!
May He give you as your portion the firstfruits of [all delectable things];
may He bless by your hand the counsel of all flesh!
IV ... may everlasting blessings be the crown upon your head!
... [For] He has chosen you [to] ... and to number the saints and to
[bless] your people ... the men of the Council of God by your hand, and not by the hand of a prince ...
... May you be as an Angel of the Presence in the Abode of Holiness to the glory of the God of [hosts] ...
May you attend upon the service in the Temple of the Kingdom and decree destiny in company with the Angels of the Presence, in common council [with the Holy Ones] for everlasting ages and time without end; for [all] His judgements are [truth]!
May He make you holy among His people, and an [eternal] light [to illumine] the world with knowledge and to enlighten the face of the Congregation [with wisdom]!
[May He] consecrate you to the Holy of Holies! For [you are made] holy for Him and you shall glorify His Name and His holiness ...
V...
The Blessing of the Prince of the Congregation
The Master shall bless the Prince of the Congregation ...
and shall renew for him the Covenant of the Community that he may establish the kingdom of His people for ever, [that he may judge the poor with righteousness and] dispense justice with {equity to the oppressed}
(Schøyen) of the land, and that he may walk perfectly before Him in all the ways [of truth], and that he may establish His holy Covenant at the time of the affliction of those who seek God.
May the Lord raise you up to everlasting heights, and as a fortified
tower upon a high wall!
[May you smite the peoples] with the might of your hand and ravage the earth with your sceptre; may you bring death to the ungodly with the
breath of your lips!
[May He shed upon you the spirit of counsel] and everlasting might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of God; may righteousness be the girdle [of your loins] and may your reins be girdled [with faithfulness]!
May He make your horns of iron and your hooves of bronze; may you toss like a young bull [and trample the peoples] like the mire of the streets!
For God has established you as the sceptre.
The rulers ... [and all the kings of the] nations shall serve you.
He shall strengthen you with His holy Name and you shall be as a [lion; and you shall not lie down until you have devoured the] prey which naught shall deliver ...
4Q286=4QBerakhota
Blessings
Fr. 1a ii
II The seat of Thy splendour and the footstool of Thy glory in the [h]eights of Thy standing and Thy holy stepping-place.
And Thy glorious chariots, their cherubim and their wheels and all [their]companies;
foundations of fire and flames of brightness and shinings of majesty and
str[eams of fire and wonderful luminaries;
[majes]ty and splendour and glorious height, holy foundation and sou[rce of] majesty and height of glory, ma[rvel of than]ksgivings and reservoir of might, splendour of praises and great in wonderful things and healing[s] and miraculous deeds, foundation of wisdom and pattern of knowledge and source of
understanding, source of prudence and holy counsel and true foundation, treasure-house of intelligence, building of righteousness and place of
upright[ness, great] in loving-kindness and in meekness and true loving-kindness and everlasting mercies and mysteries of mar[vels] in [the]ir reve[lations] and holy weeks in their appointed time and squads of months ... [... of ye]ars in their circuits and glorious festive seasons in [their] ... fixed moments ... and the sabbatical years of the land in [their] divi[sions, ap]pointed times for libe[rty ... eternity ...
[l]ight and dar[kness ... ]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blessings
(1QSb=1Q28b)
I Words of blessing.
The Master shall bless them that fear [God and do] His will, that keep His commandments, and hold fast to His holy [Covenant], and walk perfectly [in all the ways of] His [truth], whom He has chosen for an eternal Covenant which shall endure for ever.
May the [Lord bless you from the Abode of His holiness]; may He open for you from heaven an eternal fountain which [shall not fail]!
May He [favour] you with every [heavenly] blessing; [may He teach you] the knowledge of the Holy Ones!
[May He unlock for you the] everlasting [fountain; may He not withhold the waters of life from] them that thirst!
The Blessing of the High Priest
III May the Lord lift His countenance towards you; [may He delight in
the] sweet odour [of your sacrifices]!
May He choose [all] them that sit in your pries[tly college]; may He
store up all your sacred offerings, and in the [season of] ... all your
seed!
May He [lift] His countenance towards all your congregation!
May He place upon your head [a diadem] ... in [everlasting] glory; may
He sanctify your seed in glory without end!
May He grant you everlasting [peace] ...
May He fight [at the head of] your Thousands [until the generation of
falsehood is ended] ... [to bend] many peoples before you ... all the
riches of the world ...
For God has established all the foundations of ... may He lay the
foundation of your peace for ever!
The Blessing of the Priests
Words of blessing.
The M[aster shall bless] the sons of Zadok the Priests, whom God has chosen to confirm His Covenant for [ever, and to inquire] into all His precepts in the midst of His people, and to instruct them as He commanded;
who have established [His Covenant] on truth and watched over all His laws with righteousness and walked according to the way of His choice.
May the Lord bless you from His holy [Abode]; may He set you as a splendid jewel in the midst of the congregation of the saints!
May He [renew] for you the Covenant of the [everlasting] priesthood;
may He sanctify you [for the House] of Holiness!
May He [judge all] the leaders by your works, and all [the princes] of the peoples by the words from out of your lips!
May He give you as your portion the firstfruits of [all delectable things];
may He bless by your hand the counsel of all flesh!
IV ... may everlasting blessings be the crown upon your head!
... [For] He has chosen you [to] ... and to number the saints and to
[bless] your people ... the men of the Council of God by your hand, and not by the hand of a prince ...
... May you be as an Angel of the Presence in the Abode of Holiness to the glory of the God of [hosts] ...
May you attend upon the service in the Temple of the Kingdom and decree destiny in company with the Angels of the Presence, in common council [with the Holy Ones] for everlasting ages and time without end; for [all] His judgements are [truth]!
May He make you holy among His people, and an [eternal] light [to illumine] the world with knowledge and to enlighten the face of the Congregation [with wisdom]!
[May He] consecrate you to the Holy of Holies! For [you are made] holy for Him and you shall glorify His Name and His holiness ...
V...
The Blessing of the Prince of the Congregation
The Master shall bless the Prince of the Congregation ...
and shall renew for him the Covenant of the Community that he may establish the kingdom of His people for ever, [that he may judge the poor with righteousness and] dispense justice with {equity to the oppressed}
(Schøyen) of the land, and that he may walk perfectly before Him in all the ways [of truth], and that he may establish His holy Covenant at the time of the affliction of those who seek God.
May the Lord raise you up to everlasting heights, and as a fortified
tower upon a high wall!
[May you smite the peoples] with the might of your hand and ravage the earth with your sceptre; may you bring death to the ungodly with the
breath of your lips!
[May He shed upon you the spirit of counsel] and everlasting might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of God; may righteousness be the girdle [of your loins] and may your reins be girdled [with faithfulness]!
May He make your horns of iron and your hooves of bronze; may you toss like a young bull [and trample the peoples] like the mire of the streets!
For God has established you as the sceptre.
The rulers ... [and all the kings of the] nations shall serve you.
He shall strengthen you with His holy Name and you shall be as a [lion; and you shall not lie down until you have devoured the] prey which naught shall deliver ...
4Q286=4QBerakhota
Blessings
Fr. 1a ii
II The seat of Thy splendour and the footstool of Thy glory in the [h]eights of Thy standing and Thy holy stepping-place.
And Thy glorious chariots, their cherubim and their wheels and all [their]companies;
foundations of fire and flames of brightness and shinings of majesty and
str[eams of fire and wonderful luminaries;
[majes]ty and splendour and glorious height, holy foundation and sou[rce of] majesty and height of glory, ma[rvel of than]ksgivings and reservoir of might, splendour of praises and great in wonderful things and healing[s] and miraculous deeds, foundation of wisdom and pattern of knowledge and source of
understanding, source of prudence and holy counsel and true foundation, treasure-house of intelligence, building of righteousness and place of
upright[ness, great] in loving-kindness and in meekness and true loving-kindness and everlasting mercies and mysteries of mar[vels] in [the]ir reve[lations] and holy weeks in their appointed time and squads of months ... [... of ye]ars in their circuits and glorious festive seasons in [their] ... fixed moments ... and the sabbatical years of the land in [their] divi[sions, ap]pointed times for libe[rty ... eternity ...
[l]ight and dar[kness ... ]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40
Celebration of God 1 Great is the chief Power who abides forever!
Let us put on fear [dahaltah = "worship"] of him before we speak of him!
The secret is not hidden from him and everything is within his power.
He knows what was and what (is) now and what will take place.
He stands to strengthen himself, he who is not in need of anything.
He learns all secrets without learning;
and he is not discovered, but he does what he requires.
(There is) no king and no ruler who can withstand him.
YHWH, he (is) God and there is none beside him!
Great is he who is not large and all greatness belongs to him!
He taught Moses the secrets in the bush (Exod 3:2f),
which revealed his greatness and his glory!
And the angel first confronted him and spoke with him
about what was and what will take place. --- Marqah, Memar 1.1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Celebration of God 1 Great is the chief Power who abides forever!
Let us put on fear [dahaltah = "worship"] of him before we speak of him!
The secret is not hidden from him and everything is within his power.
He knows what was and what (is) now and what will take place.
He stands to strengthen himself, he who is not in need of anything.
He learns all secrets without learning;
and he is not discovered, but he does what he requires.
(There is) no king and no ruler who can withstand him.
YHWH, he (is) God and there is none beside him!
Great is he who is not large and all greatness belongs to him!
He taught Moses the secrets in the bush (Exod 3:2f),
which revealed his greatness and his glory!
And the angel first confronted him and spoke with him
about what was and what will take place. --- Marqah, Memar 1.1
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41
Exaltation of Moses 9 And should we search for the Truth and learn Wisdom no apostasy will be found in us; except any time we run to the guidance of the wicked.
Let's attend to the Truth and trust in YHWH, our Lord and our Maker;
and also in Moses, our Prophet and Redeemer!
Except for Moses the world would not have been created and none of these wonders would have been revealed. 12 Lifted up is Moses, the great Prophet,
whom his Lord clothed with his name [cf. Exod 7:1]!
He dwelt in hidden things and was surrounded with Light.
The Truth was revealed to him and he gave him the writing of his own hand.
He gave him to drink from ten precious springs, seven above and three below.
Deity drew for him the waters of Life [mayah chayyah]
which watered his heart, until it produced that which gives life.
Prophecy drew for him the waters of Life which purified his soul,
until it made every soul great.
Truth drew for him the waters of Life which made his spirit great,
until it was able to illumine.
And the four Names [of God]* drew for him the waters of life,
so that he might be lifted up and glorified in every place. --- Marqah, Memar 2.9, 12 * The four Names: Elah [God] (Exod 7:1); Ehyeh asher ehyeh [I am who I am] (Exod 3:14), Anaki [I am] (Exod 3:15), and YHWH (Exod 6:3).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Exaltation of Moses 9 And should we search for the Truth and learn Wisdom no apostasy will be found in us; except any time we run to the guidance of the wicked.
Let's attend to the Truth and trust in YHWH, our Lord and our Maker;
and also in Moses, our Prophet and Redeemer!
Except for Moses the world would not have been created and none of these wonders would have been revealed. 12 Lifted up is Moses, the great Prophet,
whom his Lord clothed with his name [cf. Exod 7:1]!
He dwelt in hidden things and was surrounded with Light.
The Truth was revealed to him and he gave him the writing of his own hand.
He gave him to drink from ten precious springs, seven above and three below.
Deity drew for him the waters of Life [mayah chayyah]
which watered his heart, until it produced that which gives life.
Prophecy drew for him the waters of Life which purified his soul,
until it made every soul great.
Truth drew for him the waters of Life which made his spirit great,
until it was able to illumine.
And the four Names [of God]* drew for him the waters of life,
so that he might be lifted up and glorified in every place. --- Marqah, Memar 2.9, 12 * The four Names: Elah [God] (Exod 7:1); Ehyeh asher ehyeh [I am who I am] (Exod 3:14), Anaki [I am] (Exod 3:15), and YHWH (Exod 6:3).
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42
Waters of Life 1 In the depths of an abundant spring is the life of the world.
Let us rise with understanding to drink from its waters!
We thirst for the waters of life.
There are great rivers here before us.
Blessed be God who brought into being (all) kinds of creatures
for the sake of Adam.
Worthy is the form which is in the Image of God!
The form of the heart is not the form of the appearance! --- Marqah, Memar 2.1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Waters of Life 1 In the depths of an abundant spring is the life of the world.
Let us rise with understanding to drink from its waters!
We thirst for the waters of life.
There are great rivers here before us.
Blessed be God who brought into being (all) kinds of creatures
for the sake of Adam.
Worthy is the form which is in the Image of God!
The form of the heart is not the form of the appearance! --- Marqah, Memar 2.1
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43
Well of Living Water 3 There is a Well of living water
dug by a Prophet whose like has not arisen since Adam
and the water which is in it is from the mouth of God.
Let us eat from the fruit that is in this garden
and let us drink from the waters that are in this well.
There is no need for us to see it in a place we cannot get to.
"It is not in heaven" and it is not in crossing the sea (Deut 30:12-13).
"In the mouth and in the heart" it is done (Deut 30:14).
And woe to us! For we do not do it; it is far from us.
We do not learn it though we came down from heaven!
It was given to us and we believed in it.
It was with them; it was within the Light.
And the glory was around, for it was the word of God.
His hand wrote and the Prophet received it with signs from on high.
And YHWH came down and dwelt with him. --- Marqah, Memar 6.3
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Well of Living Water 3 There is a Well of living water
dug by a Prophet whose like has not arisen since Adam
and the water which is in it is from the mouth of God.
Let us eat from the fruit that is in this garden
and let us drink from the waters that are in this well.
There is no need for us to see it in a place we cannot get to.
"It is not in heaven" and it is not in crossing the sea (Deut 30:12-13).
"In the mouth and in the heart" it is done (Deut 30:14).
And woe to us! For we do not do it; it is far from us.
We do not learn it though we came down from heaven!
It was given to us and we believed in it.
It was with them; it was within the Light.
And the glory was around, for it was the word of God.
His hand wrote and the Prophet received it with signs from on high.
And YHWH came down and dwelt with him. --- Marqah, Memar 6.3
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44
The Prophet & the Restorer 7 Let us stand where we are and listen to the Truth,
for our Lord and Master is merciful to us...
Let us follow after the great Prophet Moses, who leads us well,
for he was sent to us by our Lord.
Where is there a prophet life Moses?
He was a good father to all Israel, bringing them up and looking after them,
appeasing God with his fast and healing them with his prayer...
He was a good physician, healing and giving compensation...
His words are from the words of his Lord:
Believe in him! You will be safe from all wrath;
on the day of vengeance you will be at rest...
He who believes in him believes in his Lord!
Woe to us if we do not remember that!
Let us believe in YHWH and in Moses his servant!... 12 A Restorer [Taheb] will come in peace;
he will rule the places of the perfect and reveal the Truth.
Heed and hear! Stand in Truth! Clear your arguments!
"For YHWH will judge his people" (Deut 32:36a):
The "people" of YHWH is Jacob, the branches and the chief root,
and the branches from fathers to sons;
from Noah, the root, even to the Restorer, the branch...
The word of Truth will penetrate and illumine the world,
in which he will come to dwell.
How great is the hour when one comes to hear the voice of God
walking throughout the world;
and all creatures shall be in order and bow their heads;
their hearts will shiver and their eyes droop
and their limbs shake from fear on the day of Judgment.
And the mouth of Deity will speak:
-- "Now see that I, I am he [ani ani hu]!" (Deut 32:39a)
Those who rest and know this will then be saved.
-- "See, I have taught you rules and judgments" (Deut 4:5).
-- "Only be on your guard" (Deut 4:9)!
I, I (am) he who stands above creation and above Mount Sinai!
I, I (am) he who is and there is none beside me!
I, I (am) he who is without time and without place!
I, I (am) he who who is the life of the world [chayyei 'olam]!
I, I (am) he who suspended and split by my power!
I, I (am) he who planted the Garden and uprooted Sodom!
I, I (am) he who uprooted and stripped away!
I, I (am) he to whom all belongs and to whom (all) return!
I, I (am) he who puts all the living to death and makes all the dead live!
I, I (am) he who encircles my foes with vengeance!
And now it is good for us to rely on the Truth
and to tremble because of his might!
Perhaps we will find the way of prosperity! --- Marqah, Memar 4.7, 12
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The Prophet & the Restorer 7 Let us stand where we are and listen to the Truth,
for our Lord and Master is merciful to us...
Let us follow after the great Prophet Moses, who leads us well,
for he was sent to us by our Lord.
Where is there a prophet life Moses?
He was a good father to all Israel, bringing them up and looking after them,
appeasing God with his fast and healing them with his prayer...
He was a good physician, healing and giving compensation...
His words are from the words of his Lord:
Believe in him! You will be safe from all wrath;
on the day of vengeance you will be at rest...
He who believes in him believes in his Lord!
Woe to us if we do not remember that!
Let us believe in YHWH and in Moses his servant!... 12 A Restorer [Taheb] will come in peace;
he will rule the places of the perfect and reveal the Truth.
Heed and hear! Stand in Truth! Clear your arguments!
"For YHWH will judge his people" (Deut 32:36a):
The "people" of YHWH is Jacob, the branches and the chief root,
and the branches from fathers to sons;
from Noah, the root, even to the Restorer, the branch...
The word of Truth will penetrate and illumine the world,
in which he will come to dwell.
How great is the hour when one comes to hear the voice of God
walking throughout the world;
and all creatures shall be in order and bow their heads;
their hearts will shiver and their eyes droop
and their limbs shake from fear on the day of Judgment.
And the mouth of Deity will speak:
-- "Now see that I, I am he [ani ani hu]!" (Deut 32:39a)
Those who rest and know this will then be saved.
-- "See, I have taught you rules and judgments" (Deut 4:5).
-- "Only be on your guard" (Deut 4:9)!
I, I (am) he who stands above creation and above Mount Sinai!
I, I (am) he who is and there is none beside me!
I, I (am) he who is without time and without place!
I, I (am) he who who is the life of the world [chayyei 'olam]!
I, I (am) he who suspended and split by my power!
I, I (am) he who planted the Garden and uprooted Sodom!
I, I (am) he who uprooted and stripped away!
I, I (am) he to whom all belongs and to whom (all) return!
I, I (am) he who puts all the living to death and makes all the dead live!
I, I (am) he who encircles my foes with vengeance!
And now it is good for us to rely on the Truth
and to tremble because of his might!
Perhaps we will find the way of prosperity! --- Marqah, Memar 4.7, 12
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45
Jacob's Ladder 3 Wisdom is a light burning in the heart;
and any heart that does not have Wisdom as its comrade is like the blind groping in the dark.
For Wisdom is the Ladder [sollam] erected from the heart to heaven;
if the heart is guarded it sees every wonder for what it is.
The heart of Jacob was full of the Spirit of Wisdom [ruach hakamah].
There was revealed to him every good;
for the wisdom which was in it was the Wisdom of Truth [qashat]. --- Marqah, Memar 6.3
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Jacob's Ladder 3 Wisdom is a light burning in the heart;
and any heart that does not have Wisdom as its comrade is like the blind groping in the dark.
For Wisdom is the Ladder [sollam] erected from the heart to heaven;
if the heart is guarded it sees every wonder for what it is.
The heart of Jacob was full of the Spirit of Wisdom [ruach hakamah].
There was revealed to him every good;
for the wisdom which was in it was the Wisdom of Truth [qashat]. --- Marqah, Memar 6.3
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46
Songs for the Holocaust of the Sabbath
(4Q400—407, 11Q17, Masada 1039-200)
[To the Master. Song of the holocaust of the] first [Sabba]th, on the
fourth of the first month.
Praise [the God of ... ] the ‘gods’ (= elohim) of supreme holiness; in [his] divine [kingship, rejoice. For he has established] supreme holiness among the everlastingly holy, the Holy of Holies, to be for him, the priests of [the inner Temple in his royal sanctuary], ministers of the Presence in his glorious innermost Temple chamber.
In the congregation of all the gods (= elim) of [knowledge, and in the congregation of all the ‘gods’ of] God, he engraved his precepts for all the spiritual works, and [his glorious] judgements [for all who lay the foundations of] knowledge, the people (endowed with) his glorious understanding, the ‘gods’ who are close to knowledge ... of eternity and from the fountain of holiness to the sanctuary of supreme [holiness]
... prie[sts] of the inner Temple, ministers of the Presence of the [most] holy King ... his glory.
They shall grow in strength decree by decree to be seven [eternal councils. For he fo]unded them [for] himself as the most [holy, who minister in the h]oly of holies ... do not endure [those who per]vert the way.
There is [n]othing impure in their sanctuaries.
He engraved for them [precepts relating to ho]ly gifts; by them, all the everlastingly holy shall sanctify themselves.
He shall purify the [luminously] pure [to repa]y all those who render their way crooked.
Their expiations shall obtain his goodwill for all those who repent from sin... knowledge among the priests of the inner Temple, and from their mouth (proceed the teachings of the holy with the judgements of [his glory] ...
his [gra]ces for everlasting merciful forgiveness.
In his zealousvengeance ...
he has established for himself as priests of the inner Temple, the most holy ...
of gods, the priests of the highest heights who are near [to] ...
4Q4002 (4Q401, fr. 14, 7-8)
... wonderfully to extol Thy glory among the divine beings of knowledge, and the praises of Thy kingship among the most ho[ly].
More wonderfully than ‘gods’ and men they are glorified amid all the camps of the ‘gods’ and feared by companies of men.
They recount his royal majesty according to their knowledge and exalt [his glory in all] his royal heavens.
In all the highest heights [they shall sing] marvellous psalms according to all [their understanding, and the glorious splendour] of the King of the ‘gods’ they shall recount on their stations
... for what shall we be counted among them?
For what shall our priesthood be counted in their dwellings?
[How shall our] ho[liness compare with their supreme] holiness?
How does the offering of our tongue of dust compare with the knowledge of the divine [beings] ... our jubilation.
Let us extol the God of knowledge ... Holy of Holies and His understanding is above all those who possess knowledge ...
4Q402, fr. 4, 9-10
... ‘gods’ run to his visitation and the voice of a crowd ... of ‘gods’ in the war of heaven.
And it will be ...
4Q402 4, 11-15=MASADA FRAGMENT 1, 1-7
... wonderful new works.
All these he has done wonder[fully with all the eternally hidden things] ...
all the words of knowledge; for from the God of knowledge (comes) all that exists for ever, [and from] his [plan]s (come) all the eternally appointed.
He produces the former things in their appointed times, and the latter things in their seasons.
None among those who know the [wonderfully] revealed things can comprehend them before he makes them. When he makes them, none of [the doers of righteous]ness can understand his plan, for they are his glorious works.
Before they come into being, (they derive) [from] his [pla]n.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Songs for the Holocaust of the Sabbath
(4Q400—407, 11Q17, Masada 1039-200)
[To the Master. Song of the holocaust of the] first [Sabba]th, on the
fourth of the first month.
Praise [the God of ... ] the ‘gods’ (= elohim) of supreme holiness; in [his] divine [kingship, rejoice. For he has established] supreme holiness among the everlastingly holy, the Holy of Holies, to be for him, the priests of [the inner Temple in his royal sanctuary], ministers of the Presence in his glorious innermost Temple chamber.
In the congregation of all the gods (= elim) of [knowledge, and in the congregation of all the ‘gods’ of] God, he engraved his precepts for all the spiritual works, and [his glorious] judgements [for all who lay the foundations of] knowledge, the people (endowed with) his glorious understanding, the ‘gods’ who are close to knowledge ... of eternity and from the fountain of holiness to the sanctuary of supreme [holiness]
... prie[sts] of the inner Temple, ministers of the Presence of the [most] holy King ... his glory.
They shall grow in strength decree by decree to be seven [eternal councils. For he fo]unded them [for] himself as the most [holy, who minister in the h]oly of holies ... do not endure [those who per]vert the way.
There is [n]othing impure in their sanctuaries.
He engraved for them [precepts relating to ho]ly gifts; by them, all the everlastingly holy shall sanctify themselves.
He shall purify the [luminously] pure [to repa]y all those who render their way crooked.
Their expiations shall obtain his goodwill for all those who repent from sin... knowledge among the priests of the inner Temple, and from their mouth (proceed the teachings of the holy with the judgements of [his glory] ...
his [gra]ces for everlasting merciful forgiveness.
In his zealousvengeance ...
he has established for himself as priests of the inner Temple, the most holy ...
of gods, the priests of the highest heights who are near [to] ...
4Q4002 (4Q401, fr. 14, 7-8)
... wonderfully to extol Thy glory among the divine beings of knowledge, and the praises of Thy kingship among the most ho[ly].
More wonderfully than ‘gods’ and men they are glorified amid all the camps of the ‘gods’ and feared by companies of men.
They recount his royal majesty according to their knowledge and exalt [his glory in all] his royal heavens.
In all the highest heights [they shall sing] marvellous psalms according to all [their understanding, and the glorious splendour] of the King of the ‘gods’ they shall recount on their stations
... for what shall we be counted among them?
For what shall our priesthood be counted in their dwellings?
[How shall our] ho[liness compare with their supreme] holiness?
How does the offering of our tongue of dust compare with the knowledge of the divine [beings] ... our jubilation.
Let us extol the God of knowledge ... Holy of Holies and His understanding is above all those who possess knowledge ...
4Q402, fr. 4, 9-10
... ‘gods’ run to his visitation and the voice of a crowd ... of ‘gods’ in the war of heaven.
And it will be ...
4Q402 4, 11-15=MASADA FRAGMENT 1, 1-7
... wonderful new works.
All these he has done wonder[fully with all the eternally hidden things] ...
all the words of knowledge; for from the God of knowledge (comes) all that exists for ever, [and from] his [plan]s (come) all the eternally appointed.
He produces the former things in their appointed times, and the latter things in their seasons.
None among those who know the [wonderfully] revealed things can comprehend them before he makes them. When he makes them, none of [the doers of righteous]ness can understand his plan, for they are his glorious works.
Before they come into being, (they derive) [from] his [pla]n.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
47
[For the Master. So]ng of the holocaust of the sixth Sabbath on the
ninth of the [second] month.
[Praise the G]od of gods, you inhabitants of the highest heights...
[h]oly of holies and exalt his glory ...
[kn]owledge of the everlasting gods ...
4Q403 1, i, 1-29 (4Q404-5)=MASADA FRAGMENT
1039-200
[Psalm of exaltation (uttered) by the tongue] of the third of the sovereign Princes, an exaltation ...
He shall exalt the God of the angels on high seven times with seven wonderful exaltations.
Psalm of praise (uttered) by the tongue of the four[th] to the Mighty One above all the [gods], seven wonderful mighty deeds.
He shall praise the God of mighty deeds seven times with seven words of [marvellous] prais[e].
Psalm of thanksgiving (uttered) by the tongue of the fifth to the [K]in[g] of glory with its seven wonderful thanksgivings.
He shall thank the God of glory se[ven times with se]v[en wor]ds of wonderful thanksgivings.
[Psalm of] exultation (uttered) by the tongue of the sixth to [the] God of goodness with its seven [wonderful] exultations.
He shall exult before the Ki[ng of] goodness seven times with sev[en words of wonderful exultation.
Psalm of [singing (uttered) by the t] ongue of the seventh of the [sovereign] Prin[ces], a powerful song [to the Go]d of ho[liness] with its se[ven] marvellous [songs].
He shall sing [to] the Kin[g of ho]liness seven times with [seven w]ords of [wonderful] so[ngs;
sev]en psa[lms (singing) his blessings;
sev]en [psalm]s of magnification of [his righteousness;
seven psalms] of exaltation of [his] kingshi[p;
seven] psalms of [praises of his glory;
sev]en p[salms of thanksgivings for his marvellous deeds];
[seven psalms of ex]ul[tation of] his power;
seven [psalms singin]g his holiness; ...
[seven times with seven wonderful words, words of exaltation of the Sovereign Princes.]
In the glo[ri]ous name of God, [the first of] the sov[erei]gn Princes sha[ll bless] all the ... [with seven wonderful words blessing all] their [councils] in [his holy] sanctuary [with sev]en wonderful wo[rd]s, [and he shall bless those who kn]ow the everlasting things.
[In the name of] his truth, [the second of the sovereign Princes shall bless] all [their] sta[tions with] se[ven] wonderful word[s and he shall bless with] seven [wonderful]words.
[He shall bless all those who exalt the] King with seven g[lor]iou[s] w[ords of his] marvels, [all the] eternally pure.
[In the name of] his exalted kingship, the third [of the sovereign Princes shall bless all who are lif]ted up [in kn]owledge with se[ven w]ords of exal[ta]tion ... [of his true kn]ow[ledge], he shall bless with
seven marvellous words; and he shall bless all [who are destined] for righteousness [with seven] wonderful [w]ords.
In the name of the King’s majesty, [the fourth] of the [sovereign] Princes shall bless with seven [majestic] words [all who] walk [up]rightly.
He shall bless all the gods [close to] true knowledge [with seve]n righteous words (for gaining) [his gl]o[rious] favours.
In the name of [the majesty] of his marvellous deeds, the fifth [sovereign] Prince shall bless with seven [words] of his exalted truth [all who] ... purity.
[He shall bless] all who eagerly do his will with seven [marvellous words.
And he shall bless] all who confess him with seven majestic [wor]ds that they may thank [him for ever].
In the name of [the mighty deeds of] the gods the sixth sovereign Prince shall bless with seven words of his marvellous mighty deeds all who are mighty in wisdom.
He shall bless all the perfect of way with seven marvellous words to be in attendance for [ever].
He shall bless all who wait for him with seven marvellous words that they may obtain
the return of his [gracious] favours.
In the name of his holiness, the seventh of the sovereign Princes shall bless with seven words of his marvellous holiness all the holy founders of kno[wledge.
He shall bless] all who exalt his statutes with sev[en] marvellous [wo]rds (which shall be for them) stout shields.
He shall bless all [who are destined for] righteousness [and always] forever [pra]ise his glorious kingship with seven [marvellous words] for everlasting peace.
In [the name of his holiness] all the [sovereign] Princes [shall bless together] the God of the divine beings [in] all their sevenfold t[estimonies].
They shall bless those destined for righteousness and all the blessed... the eter[na]ll[y ble]ssed for them.
Blessed be [the] Lo[r]d, the Kin[g of] all, who is above all blessing and p[raise.
He shall bless all the holy] who bless [him and proclaim him righ]te[ous] in the name of his glory.
[And he shall b]less all who are blessed for ever.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[For the Master. So]ng of the holocaust of the sixth Sabbath on the
ninth of the [second] month.
[Praise the G]od of gods, you inhabitants of the highest heights...
[h]oly of holies and exalt his glory ...
[kn]owledge of the everlasting gods ...
4Q403 1, i, 1-29 (4Q404-5)=MASADA FRAGMENT
1039-200
[Psalm of exaltation (uttered) by the tongue] of the third of the sovereign Princes, an exaltation ...
He shall exalt the God of the angels on high seven times with seven wonderful exaltations.
Psalm of praise (uttered) by the tongue of the four[th] to the Mighty One above all the [gods], seven wonderful mighty deeds.
He shall praise the God of mighty deeds seven times with seven words of [marvellous] prais[e].
Psalm of thanksgiving (uttered) by the tongue of the fifth to the [K]in[g] of glory with its seven wonderful thanksgivings.
He shall thank the God of glory se[ven times with se]v[en wor]ds of wonderful thanksgivings.
[Psalm of] exultation (uttered) by the tongue of the sixth to [the] God of goodness with its seven [wonderful] exultations.
He shall exult before the Ki[ng of] goodness seven times with sev[en words of wonderful exultation.
Psalm of [singing (uttered) by the t] ongue of the seventh of the [sovereign] Prin[ces], a powerful song [to the Go]d of ho[liness] with its se[ven] marvellous [songs].
He shall sing [to] the Kin[g of ho]liness seven times with [seven w]ords of [wonderful] so[ngs;
sev]en psa[lms (singing) his blessings;
sev]en [psalm]s of magnification of [his righteousness;
seven psalms] of exaltation of [his] kingshi[p;
seven] psalms of [praises of his glory;
sev]en p[salms of thanksgivings for his marvellous deeds];
[seven psalms of ex]ul[tation of] his power;
seven [psalms singin]g his holiness; ...
[seven times with seven wonderful words, words of exaltation of the Sovereign Princes.]
In the glo[ri]ous name of God, [the first of] the sov[erei]gn Princes sha[ll bless] all the ... [with seven wonderful words blessing all] their [councils] in [his holy] sanctuary [with sev]en wonderful wo[rd]s, [and he shall bless those who kn]ow the everlasting things.
[In the name of] his truth, [the second of the sovereign Princes shall bless] all [their] sta[tions with] se[ven] wonderful word[s and he shall bless with] seven [wonderful]words.
[He shall bless all those who exalt the] King with seven g[lor]iou[s] w[ords of his] marvels, [all the] eternally pure.
[In the name of] his exalted kingship, the third [of the sovereign Princes shall bless all who are lif]ted up [in kn]owledge with se[ven w]ords of exal[ta]tion ... [of his true kn]ow[ledge], he shall bless with
seven marvellous words; and he shall bless all [who are destined] for righteousness [with seven] wonderful [w]ords.
In the name of the King’s majesty, [the fourth] of the [sovereign] Princes shall bless with seven [majestic] words [all who] walk [up]rightly.
He shall bless all the gods [close to] true knowledge [with seve]n righteous words (for gaining) [his gl]o[rious] favours.
In the name of [the majesty] of his marvellous deeds, the fifth [sovereign] Prince shall bless with seven [words] of his exalted truth [all who] ... purity.
[He shall bless] all who eagerly do his will with seven [marvellous words.
And he shall bless] all who confess him with seven majestic [wor]ds that they may thank [him for ever].
In the name of [the mighty deeds of] the gods the sixth sovereign Prince shall bless with seven words of his marvellous mighty deeds all who are mighty in wisdom.
He shall bless all the perfect of way with seven marvellous words to be in attendance for [ever].
He shall bless all who wait for him with seven marvellous words that they may obtain
the return of his [gracious] favours.
In the name of his holiness, the seventh of the sovereign Princes shall bless with seven words of his marvellous holiness all the holy founders of kno[wledge.
He shall bless] all who exalt his statutes with sev[en] marvellous [wo]rds (which shall be for them) stout shields.
He shall bless all [who are destined for] righteousness [and always] forever [pra]ise his glorious kingship with seven [marvellous words] for everlasting peace.
In [the name of his holiness] all the [sovereign] Princes [shall bless together] the God of the divine beings [in] all their sevenfold t[estimonies].
They shall bless those destined for righteousness and all the blessed... the eter[na]ll[y ble]ssed for them.
Blessed be [the] Lo[r]d, the Kin[g of] all, who is above all blessing and p[raise.
He shall bless all the holy] who bless [him and proclaim him righ]te[ous] in the name of his glory.
[And he shall b]less all who are blessed for ever.
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48
4Q403 I, i, 30-46 (4Q405)
For the Master. Song of the holocaust of the seventh Sabbath on the
sixteenth of the month.
Praise the most high God, O you high among all the gods of knowledge.
Let the holy ones of the ‘gods’ sanctify the King of glory, who sanctifies by his holiness all his holy ones.
O Princes of the praises of all the ‘gods’, praise the God of majestic praises, For in the splendour of praises is the glory of His kingship.
In it are (contained) the praises of all the ‘gods’ together with the splendour of all [His] king[ship].
Exalt His exaltation on high, O ‘gods’, above the gods on high, and His glorious divinity above all the highest heights.
For He [is the God of gods], of all the Princes on high, and the King of king[s] of all the eternal councils.
By a discerning goodwill (expressed by) the words of His mouth a[ll the gods on high]come into being, at the opening of His lips, all the eternal spirits, by His discerning goodwill, all His creatures in their undertakings.
Exult, O you who exult [in his knowledge, with] an exultation among the wonderful ‘gods’;
utter His glory with the tongue of all who utter knowledge;
may His wonderful exultation be in the mouth of all who utter [His knowledge].
[For He] is the God of all who exult in everlasting knowledge, and the Judge through His might of all the spirits of understanding.
Celebrate O all celebrating gods, the King of majesty, for all the gods of knowledge celebrate His glory, and all the spirits of righteousness celebrate His truth, and seek
acceptance of their knowledge by the judgements of His mouth, and of their celebrations when His mighty hand executes (?) judgements of reward.
Sing to the God of power with an offering of the princely spirit, a song of divine joy,
and a jubilation among all the holy, a wonderful song for eter[nal] rejoicing.
With these all the f[oundations of the hol]y of holies shall praise, the pillars bearing the highest abode, and all the corners of its structure.
Sing to the Go[d who is a]wesome in strength ...
to extol together the splendid firmament, the supreme purity of [His] holy sanctuary.
[Praise] Him, O divine spirits, prai[sing for ever and] ever the firmament of the highest heavens, all ...
and its walls, a[l]l its [structure, its shape.
[The spi]rits of the hol[y] of holies, the living ‘gods’, [the spir]its of [et]ernal holiness above all the holy [ones];
... marvellous marvel, majesty and beauty and marvel.
[Gl]ory is in the perfect light of knowledge ... in all the marvellous sanctuaries.
The divine spirits surround the dwelling of the King of truth and righteousness;
all its walls ...
4Q403 I, ii, 6-29
... and from among them run ‘gods’ with the appearance of coals of [fire] ...
walking round about, most holy spirits ...
Holy of Holies, divine spirits, ever(lasting] appearances ...
and divine spirits, forms of flaming fire round about it ... wonderful spirits.
And the chief dwelling on high, the glory of His kingdom, the innermost sanctuary ... And He consecrates the seven elevated holy places.
And a voice of blessing (comes) from the chiefs of His innermost sanctuary ...
And a glorious voice of blessing ... is heard by God (the ‘gods’) and the foundations ...
of blessing.
And all the ornaments of the innermost sanctuary burst into wonderful prayers in the innermost sanctuary ... of wonder, one innermost sanctuary to another, by the voice of holy crowds, and all their ornaments ...
And the chariots of His innermost sanctuary will utter praises together and their cherubim and wheels will bless wonderfully the chiefs of the ‘godly’ figure and will bless Him in the holy innermost sanctuary.
vacat
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4Q403 I, i, 30-46 (4Q405)
For the Master. Song of the holocaust of the seventh Sabbath on the
sixteenth of the month.
Praise the most high God, O you high among all the gods of knowledge.
Let the holy ones of the ‘gods’ sanctify the King of glory, who sanctifies by his holiness all his holy ones.
O Princes of the praises of all the ‘gods’, praise the God of majestic praises, For in the splendour of praises is the glory of His kingship.
In it are (contained) the praises of all the ‘gods’ together with the splendour of all [His] king[ship].
Exalt His exaltation on high, O ‘gods’, above the gods on high, and His glorious divinity above all the highest heights.
For He [is the God of gods], of all the Princes on high, and the King of king[s] of all the eternal councils.
By a discerning goodwill (expressed by) the words of His mouth a[ll the gods on high]come into being, at the opening of His lips, all the eternal spirits, by His discerning goodwill, all His creatures in their undertakings.
Exult, O you who exult [in his knowledge, with] an exultation among the wonderful ‘gods’;
utter His glory with the tongue of all who utter knowledge;
may His wonderful exultation be in the mouth of all who utter [His knowledge].
[For He] is the God of all who exult in everlasting knowledge, and the Judge through His might of all the spirits of understanding.
Celebrate O all celebrating gods, the King of majesty, for all the gods of knowledge celebrate His glory, and all the spirits of righteousness celebrate His truth, and seek
acceptance of their knowledge by the judgements of His mouth, and of their celebrations when His mighty hand executes (?) judgements of reward.
Sing to the God of power with an offering of the princely spirit, a song of divine joy,
and a jubilation among all the holy, a wonderful song for eter[nal] rejoicing.
With these all the f[oundations of the hol]y of holies shall praise, the pillars bearing the highest abode, and all the corners of its structure.
Sing to the Go[d who is a]wesome in strength ...
to extol together the splendid firmament, the supreme purity of [His] holy sanctuary.
[Praise] Him, O divine spirits, prai[sing for ever and] ever the firmament of the highest heavens, all ...
and its walls, a[l]l its [structure, its shape.
[The spi]rits of the hol[y] of holies, the living ‘gods’, [the spir]its of [et]ernal holiness above all the holy [ones];
... marvellous marvel, majesty and beauty and marvel.
[Gl]ory is in the perfect light of knowledge ... in all the marvellous sanctuaries.
The divine spirits surround the dwelling of the King of truth and righteousness;
all its walls ...
4Q403 I, ii, 6-29
... and from among them run ‘gods’ with the appearance of coals of [fire] ...
walking round about, most holy spirits ...
Holy of Holies, divine spirits, ever(lasting] appearances ...
and divine spirits, forms of flaming fire round about it ... wonderful spirits.
And the chief dwelling on high, the glory of His kingdom, the innermost sanctuary ... And He consecrates the seven elevated holy places.
And a voice of blessing (comes) from the chiefs of His innermost sanctuary ...
And a glorious voice of blessing ... is heard by God (the ‘gods’) and the foundations ...
of blessing.
And all the ornaments of the innermost sanctuary burst into wonderful prayers in the innermost sanctuary ... of wonder, one innermost sanctuary to another, by the voice of holy crowds, and all their ornaments ...
And the chariots of His innermost sanctuary will utter praises together and their cherubim and wheels will bless wonderfully the chiefs of the ‘godly’ figure and will bless Him in the holy innermost sanctuary.
vacat
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
49
For the Master. Song of the holocaust for the eighth Sabbath on the
tw[enty]-third [of the second month].
[Praise the God of all the highest heights, all the holy ones for ever] and ever, they who are second among the priests of the inner Temple, the second council in the wonderful dwelling, with seven words of ... eternally.
Extol Him, O sovereign Princes, in his marvellous portion, praise [the God of gods, O you seven priesthoods of His inner Temple].
... height, the seven wonderful domains by the precept concerning His sanctuaries.
The sovereign Princes of the [wonderful] priest[hood] ... the seven
priest[hoods] in the wonderful sanctuary for seven councils of holiness
... the Prince, the angels of the King in the wonderful dwellings.
The knowledge of their understanding is for seven ...
Prince from the priest of the inner Temple.
The Princes of the congregation of the King in the assembly of ... and praises of exaltation to the King of glory and a tower of ... for the God of gods, the King of purity.
The offering of their tongues ... the seven mysteries of knowledge in the wonderful mystery of the seven domains [of] the Ho[ly of holies] ...
[The tongue of the first shall be seven times stronger than the tongue of the second;
the tongue of the second shall be] seven times [stronger] than that of the third;
[the to]ngue of the thi[rd shall be] seven tim[es] stronger [than that of the fourth; the tongue of the fourth shall be seven times stronger than the tongue of the fifth; the tongue of the fifth shall be seven times stronger than the tongue of] the sixth; the tongu[e of the sixth shall be seven times stronger than the] t[ongue of the seventh];
the tongue of the seventh shall be [seven times] stronger [than the tongue of the
eighth] ...
4Q405 14-15, i
... tongue of blessing from the likeness [of the gods] issues a [v]oice of blessing for the King of those who exalt, and their wonderful praise is for the God of gods ... their many-coloured ... and they sing ... the vestibules by which they enter, the spirits of the most holy inner Temple
... [And the likene]ss of the living ‘gods’ is engraved on the vestibules by which the King enters, luminous spiritual figures ...
[K]ing, figures of a glorious l[ight, wonderful] spirits; [amo]ng the spirits of splendour there are works of (art of) marvellous colours, figures of the living
‘gods’ ... [in the] glorious innermost Temple chambers, the structure of [the most ho]ly [sanctuary] in the innermost chambers of the King,
design[s of ‘go] ds’ ... likeness of ... most holy ... [the Temple] chambers of the
Ki[ng] ... figur[es of the ‘g]o[ds’ and from] the likeness
... of the Holy of Holies ...
4Q405 19 ABCD (IIQ17 vii, 5-6)
The figures of the ‘gods’ shall praise Him, [the most] h[oly] spirits ... of glory;
the floor of the marvellous innermost chambers, the spirits of the eternal gods, all ... fi[gures of the innermost] chamber of the King,
the spiritual works of the marvellous firmament are purified with salt, [spi]rits of knowledge, truth [and] righteousness in the holy of [hollies, [f]orms of the living ‘gods’, forms of the illuminating spirits.
All their [works (of art)] are marvellously linked, many-coloured [spirits], artistic figures of the ‘gods’, engraved all around their glorious bricks, glorious
figures on b[ri]cks of splendour and majes[ty].
All their works (of art) are living ‘gods’, and their artistic figures are holy angels. From beneath the marvellous inner[most chambers] comes a sound of quiet
silence: the ‘gods’ bless ... the King ...
4Q405 20 ii, 21—2
... His glorious chariots.
When they go ... they do not turn aside ... but advance straight ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For the Master. Song of the holocaust for the eighth Sabbath on the
tw[enty]-third [of the second month].
[Praise the God of all the highest heights, all the holy ones for ever] and ever, they who are second among the priests of the inner Temple, the second council in the wonderful dwelling, with seven words of ... eternally.
Extol Him, O sovereign Princes, in his marvellous portion, praise [the God of gods, O you seven priesthoods of His inner Temple].
... height, the seven wonderful domains by the precept concerning His sanctuaries.
The sovereign Princes of the [wonderful] priest[hood] ... the seven
priest[hoods] in the wonderful sanctuary for seven councils of holiness
... the Prince, the angels of the King in the wonderful dwellings.
The knowledge of their understanding is for seven ...
Prince from the priest of the inner Temple.
The Princes of the congregation of the King in the assembly of ... and praises of exaltation to the King of glory and a tower of ... for the God of gods, the King of purity.
The offering of their tongues ... the seven mysteries of knowledge in the wonderful mystery of the seven domains [of] the Ho[ly of holies] ...
[The tongue of the first shall be seven times stronger than the tongue of the second;
the tongue of the second shall be] seven times [stronger] than that of the third;
[the to]ngue of the thi[rd shall be] seven tim[es] stronger [than that of the fourth; the tongue of the fourth shall be seven times stronger than the tongue of the fifth; the tongue of the fifth shall be seven times stronger than the tongue of] the sixth; the tongu[e of the sixth shall be seven times stronger than the] t[ongue of the seventh];
the tongue of the seventh shall be [seven times] stronger [than the tongue of the
eighth] ...
4Q405 14-15, i
... tongue of blessing from the likeness [of the gods] issues a [v]oice of blessing for the King of those who exalt, and their wonderful praise is for the God of gods ... their many-coloured ... and they sing ... the vestibules by which they enter, the spirits of the most holy inner Temple
... [And the likene]ss of the living ‘gods’ is engraved on the vestibules by which the King enters, luminous spiritual figures ...
[K]ing, figures of a glorious l[ight, wonderful] spirits; [amo]ng the spirits of splendour there are works of (art of) marvellous colours, figures of the living
‘gods’ ... [in the] glorious innermost Temple chambers, the structure of [the most ho]ly [sanctuary] in the innermost chambers of the King,
design[s of ‘go] ds’ ... likeness of ... most holy ... [the Temple] chambers of the
Ki[ng] ... figur[es of the ‘g]o[ds’ and from] the likeness
... of the Holy of Holies ...
4Q405 19 ABCD (IIQ17 vii, 5-6)
The figures of the ‘gods’ shall praise Him, [the most] h[oly] spirits ... of glory;
the floor of the marvellous innermost chambers, the spirits of the eternal gods, all ... fi[gures of the innermost] chamber of the King,
the spiritual works of the marvellous firmament are purified with salt, [spi]rits of knowledge, truth [and] righteousness in the holy of [hollies, [f]orms of the living ‘gods’, forms of the illuminating spirits.
All their [works (of art)] are marvellously linked, many-coloured [spirits], artistic figures of the ‘gods’, engraved all around their glorious bricks, glorious
figures on b[ri]cks of splendour and majes[ty].
All their works (of art) are living ‘gods’, and their artistic figures are holy angels. From beneath the marvellous inner[most chambers] comes a sound of quiet
silence: the ‘gods’ bless ... the King ...
4Q405 20 ii, 21—2
... His glorious chariots.
When they go ... they do not turn aside ... but advance straight ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
50
For the Mas[ter. Song of the holocaust of] the twelfth [S]abbath [on
the twenty-first of the third month.]
[Praise the God of... w]onder, and exalt Him ...
of glory in the te[nt of the God of]knowledge.
The [cheru]bim prostrate themselves before Him and bless.
As they rise, a whispered divine voice [is heard], and there is a roar of praise.
When they drop their wings, there is a [whispere] d divine voice.
The cherubim bless the image of the thronechariot above the firmament, [and] they praise [the majes]ty of the luminous firmament beneath His seat of glory.
When the wheels advance, angels of holiness come and go.
From between His glorious wheels, there is as it were a fiery vision of most holy spirits.
About them, the appearance of rivulets of fire in the likeness of gleaming brass, and a work of ... radiance in many-coloured glory, marvellous pigments, clearly mingled.
The spirits of the living ‘gods’ move perpetually with the glory of the marvellous chariot(s).
The whispered voice of blessing accompanies the roar of their advance, and they praise the Holy One on their way of return.
When they ascend, they ascend marvellously and when they settle, they stand still. The sound of joyful praise is silenced and there is a whispered blessing of the ‘gods’
in all the camps of God.
And the sound of praise ... from among all their divisions ... and all their numbered ones praise, each in his turn.
4Q405 23 i
... his whole-offering. The ‘gods’ praise Him [when they take] up their station, and all the s[pirits of] the clear firm[am]ent rejoice in His glory.
A sound of blessing (is heard) from all His divisions speaking of the firmaments of His glory, and His gates praise with a resounding voice.
When the gods of knowledge enter by the doors of glory, and when the holy angels depart towards their realm, the entrance doors and the gates of exit proclaim the glory of the King, blessing and praising all the spirits of God when they depart and enter by the gates.
None among them skips over a precept, nor do they ... against the saying of the King ... They run not away from the path, nor slip away from His domain.
They are neither too high for His commission nor too lowly.
For He shall be compassionate in the realm of His furious, destr[oying ange]r;
He will not judge in the provinces of His glorious wrath.
The fear of the King of ‘gods’ is awe-inspiring to [al]l the ‘gods’, [and they undertake] all His commissions by virtue of His true order, and they go
4Q405
4Q405 23 ii
... At their marvellous stations are spirits, many-coloured like the work of a weaver, splendid engraved figures.
In the midst of a glorious appearance of scarlet, colours of the most holy spiritual light, they hold to their holy station before [the K]ing, spirits of [pure] colours in the midst of an appearance of whiteness.
The likeness of the glorious spirit is like a work (of art) of sparkling fine gold.
All their pattern is clearly mingled like the work (of art) of a weaver.
These are the Princes of those marvellously clothed for service, the Princes of the
kingdom, the kingdom of the holy ones of the King of holiness in all the heights of the sanctuaries of His glorious kingdom.
The Princes in charge of offerings have tongues of knowledge, [and] they bless the
God of knowledge among all His glorious works ...
IIQ17 viii
... their [mar]vellous marvels by the power of the God of [eter]nity;
and they shall exalt the mighty deeds of the G[od] ... From the four foundations of the marvellous firmament they shall pr[oclaim] soundlessly (?) a divine oracle ... wall.
They bless and praise the God of gods ...
4Q405 14-15, i
... tongue of blessing from the likeness [of the gods] issues a [v]oice of
blessing for the King of those who exalt, and their wonderful praise is
for the God of gods ... their many-coloured ... and they sing ... the
vestibules by which they enter, the spirits of the most holy inner Temple ... [And the likene]ss of the living ‘gods’ is engraved on the vestibules by which the King enters, luminous spiritual figures ...
[K]ing, figures of a glorious l[ight, wonderful] spirits; [amo]ng the spirits of splendour there are works of (art of) marvellous colours, figures of the living ‘gods’ ... [in the] glorious innermost Temple chambers, the structure of [the most ho]ly [sanctuary] in the innermost chambers of the King, design[s of ‘go] ds’ ... likeness of ... most holy ... [the Temple] chambers of the Ki[ng] ... figur[es of the ‘g]o[ds’ and from] the likeness ... of the Holy of Holies ...
4Q405 19 ABCD (IIQ17 vii, 5-6)
The figures of the ‘gods’ shall praise Him, [the most] h[oly] spirits ... of
glory; the floor of the marvellous innermost chambers, the spirits of the eternal gods, all ... fi[gures of the innermost] chamber of the King, the spiritual works of the marvellous firmament are purified with salt,
[spi]rits of knowledge, truth [and] righteousness in the holy of [hollies,
[f]orms of the living ‘gods’, forms of the illuminating spirits. All their
[works (of art)] are marvellously linked, many-coloured [spirits], artistic figures of the ‘gods’, engraved all around their glorious bricks, glorious figures on b[ri]cks of splendour and majes[ty]. All their works (of art) are living ‘gods’, and their artistic figures are holy angels. From beneath the marvellous inner[most chambers] comes a sound of quiet silence: the ‘gods’ bless ... the King ...
4Q405 20 ii, 21—2
... His glorious chariots. When they go ... they do not turn aside ... but
advance straight ...
For the Mas[ter. Song of the holocaust of] the twelfth [S]abbath [on
the twenty-first of the third month.]
[Praise the God of... w]onder, and exalt Him ... of glory in the te[nt of
the God of] knowledge. The [cheru]bim prostrate themselves before
Him and bless. As they rise, a whispered divine voice [is heard], and
there is a roar of praise. When they drop their wings, there is a
[whispere] d divine voice. The cherubim bless the image of the thronechariot above the firmament, [and] they praise [the majes]ty of the luminous firmament beneath His seat of glory. When the wheels
advance, angels of holiness come and go. From between His glorious
wheels, there is as it were a fiery vision of most holy spirits. About
them, the appearance of rivulets of fire in the likeness of gleaming
brass, and a work of ... radiance in many-coloured glory, marvellous
pigments, clearly mingled. The spirits of the living ‘gods’ move
perpetually with the glory of the marvellous chariot(s). The whispered
voice of blessing accompanies the roar of their advance, and they
praise the Holy One on their way of return. When they ascend, they
ascend marvellously and when they settle, they stand still. The sound of joyful praise is silenced and there is a whispered blessing of the ‘gods’ in all the camps of God. And the sound of praise ... from among all their divisions ... and all their numbered ones praise, each in his turn
4Q405 23 i
... his whole-offering. The ‘gods’ praise Him [when they take] up their
station, and all the s[pirits of] the clear firm[am]ent rejoice in His glory. A sound of blessing (is heard) from all His divisions speaking of the firmaments of His glory, and His gates praise with a resounding voice. When the gods of knowledge enter by the doors of glory, and when the holy angels depart towards their realm, the entrance doors and the gates of exit proclaim the glory of the King, blessing and praising all the spirits of God when they depart and enter by the gates. None among them skips over a precept, nor do they ... against the saying of the King ... They run not away from the path, nor slip away from His domain. They are neither too high for His commission nor too lowly. For He shall be compassionate in the realm of His furious, destr[oying ange]r; He will not judge in the provinces of His glorious wrath. The fear of the King of ‘gods’ is awe-inspiring to [al]l the ‘gods’, [and they undertake] all His commissions by virtue of His true order, and they go
4Q405 23 ii
... At their marvellous stations are spirits, many-coloured like the work
of a weaver, splendid engraved figures. In the midst of a glorious
appearance of scarlet, colours of the most holy spiritual light, they hold to their holy station before [the K]ing, spirits of [pure] colours in the midst of an appearance of whiteness. The likeness of the glorious
spirit is like a work (of art) of sparkling fine gold. All their pattern is
clearly mingled like the work (of art) of a weaver. These are the
Princes of those marvellously clothed for service, the Princes of the
kingdom, the kingdom of the holy ones of the King of holiness in all the
heights of the sanctuaries of His glorious kingdom. The Princes in
charge of offerings have tongues of knowledge, [and] they bless the God of knowledge among all His glorious works ...
IIQ17 viii
... their [mar]vellous marvels by the power of the God of [eter]nity; and
they shall exalt the mighty deeds of the G[od] ... From the four
foundations of the marvellous firmament they shall pr[oclaim]
soundlessly (?) a divine oracle ... wall. They bless and praise the God
of gods ...
For the Mas[ter. Song of the holocaust of] the twelfth [S]abbath [on
the twenty-first of the third month.]
[Praise the God of... w]onder, and exalt Him ...
of glory in the te[nt of the God of]knowledge.
The [cheru]bim prostrate themselves before Him and bless.
As they rise, a whispered divine voice [is heard], and there is a roar of praise.
When they drop their wings, there is a [whispere] d divine voice.
The cherubim bless the image of the thronechariot above the firmament, [and] they praise [the majes]ty of the luminous firmament beneath His seat of glory.
When the wheels advance, angels of holiness come and go.
From between His glorious wheels, there is as it were a fiery vision of most holy spirits.
About them, the appearance of rivulets of fire in the likeness of gleaming brass, and a work of ... radiance in many-coloured glory, marvellous pigments, clearly mingled.
The spirits of the living ‘gods’ move perpetually with the glory of the marvellous chariot(s).
The whispered voice of blessing accompanies the roar of their advance, and they praise the Holy One on their way of return.
When they ascend, they ascend marvellously and when they settle, they stand still. The sound of joyful praise is silenced and there is a whispered blessing of the ‘gods’
in all the camps of God.
And the sound of praise ... from among all their divisions ... and all their numbered ones praise, each in his turn.
4Q405 23 i
... his whole-offering. The ‘gods’ praise Him [when they take] up their station, and all the s[pirits of] the clear firm[am]ent rejoice in His glory.
A sound of blessing (is heard) from all His divisions speaking of the firmaments of His glory, and His gates praise with a resounding voice.
When the gods of knowledge enter by the doors of glory, and when the holy angels depart towards their realm, the entrance doors and the gates of exit proclaim the glory of the King, blessing and praising all the spirits of God when they depart and enter by the gates.
None among them skips over a precept, nor do they ... against the saying of the King ... They run not away from the path, nor slip away from His domain.
They are neither too high for His commission nor too lowly.
For He shall be compassionate in the realm of His furious, destr[oying ange]r;
He will not judge in the provinces of His glorious wrath.
The fear of the King of ‘gods’ is awe-inspiring to [al]l the ‘gods’, [and they undertake] all His commissions by virtue of His true order, and they go
4Q405
4Q405 23 ii
... At their marvellous stations are spirits, many-coloured like the work of a weaver, splendid engraved figures.
In the midst of a glorious appearance of scarlet, colours of the most holy spiritual light, they hold to their holy station before [the K]ing, spirits of [pure] colours in the midst of an appearance of whiteness.
The likeness of the glorious spirit is like a work (of art) of sparkling fine gold.
All their pattern is clearly mingled like the work (of art) of a weaver.
These are the Princes of those marvellously clothed for service, the Princes of the
kingdom, the kingdom of the holy ones of the King of holiness in all the heights of the sanctuaries of His glorious kingdom.
The Princes in charge of offerings have tongues of knowledge, [and] they bless the
God of knowledge among all His glorious works ...
IIQ17 viii
... their [mar]vellous marvels by the power of the God of [eter]nity;
and they shall exalt the mighty deeds of the G[od] ... From the four foundations of the marvellous firmament they shall pr[oclaim] soundlessly (?) a divine oracle ... wall.
They bless and praise the God of gods ...
4Q405 14-15, i
... tongue of blessing from the likeness [of the gods] issues a [v]oice of
blessing for the King of those who exalt, and their wonderful praise is
for the God of gods ... their many-coloured ... and they sing ... the
vestibules by which they enter, the spirits of the most holy inner Temple ... [And the likene]ss of the living ‘gods’ is engraved on the vestibules by which the King enters, luminous spiritual figures ...
[K]ing, figures of a glorious l[ight, wonderful] spirits; [amo]ng the spirits of splendour there are works of (art of) marvellous colours, figures of the living ‘gods’ ... [in the] glorious innermost Temple chambers, the structure of [the most ho]ly [sanctuary] in the innermost chambers of the King, design[s of ‘go] ds’ ... likeness of ... most holy ... [the Temple] chambers of the Ki[ng] ... figur[es of the ‘g]o[ds’ and from] the likeness ... of the Holy of Holies ...
4Q405 19 ABCD (IIQ17 vii, 5-6)
The figures of the ‘gods’ shall praise Him, [the most] h[oly] spirits ... of
glory; the floor of the marvellous innermost chambers, the spirits of the eternal gods, all ... fi[gures of the innermost] chamber of the King, the spiritual works of the marvellous firmament are purified with salt,
[spi]rits of knowledge, truth [and] righteousness in the holy of [hollies,
[f]orms of the living ‘gods’, forms of the illuminating spirits. All their
[works (of art)] are marvellously linked, many-coloured [spirits], artistic figures of the ‘gods’, engraved all around their glorious bricks, glorious figures on b[ri]cks of splendour and majes[ty]. All their works (of art) are living ‘gods’, and their artistic figures are holy angels. From beneath the marvellous inner[most chambers] comes a sound of quiet silence: the ‘gods’ bless ... the King ...
4Q405 20 ii, 21—2
... His glorious chariots. When they go ... they do not turn aside ... but
advance straight ...
For the Mas[ter. Song of the holocaust of] the twelfth [S]abbath [on
the twenty-first of the third month.]
[Praise the God of... w]onder, and exalt Him ... of glory in the te[nt of
the God of] knowledge. The [cheru]bim prostrate themselves before
Him and bless. As they rise, a whispered divine voice [is heard], and
there is a roar of praise. When they drop their wings, there is a
[whispere] d divine voice. The cherubim bless the image of the thronechariot above the firmament, [and] they praise [the majes]ty of the luminous firmament beneath His seat of glory. When the wheels
advance, angels of holiness come and go. From between His glorious
wheels, there is as it were a fiery vision of most holy spirits. About
them, the appearance of rivulets of fire in the likeness of gleaming
brass, and a work of ... radiance in many-coloured glory, marvellous
pigments, clearly mingled. The spirits of the living ‘gods’ move
perpetually with the glory of the marvellous chariot(s). The whispered
voice of blessing accompanies the roar of their advance, and they
praise the Holy One on their way of return. When they ascend, they
ascend marvellously and when they settle, they stand still. The sound of joyful praise is silenced and there is a whispered blessing of the ‘gods’ in all the camps of God. And the sound of praise ... from among all their divisions ... and all their numbered ones praise, each in his turn
4Q405 23 i
... his whole-offering. The ‘gods’ praise Him [when they take] up their
station, and all the s[pirits of] the clear firm[am]ent rejoice in His glory. A sound of blessing (is heard) from all His divisions speaking of the firmaments of His glory, and His gates praise with a resounding voice. When the gods of knowledge enter by the doors of glory, and when the holy angels depart towards their realm, the entrance doors and the gates of exit proclaim the glory of the King, blessing and praising all the spirits of God when they depart and enter by the gates. None among them skips over a precept, nor do they ... against the saying of the King ... They run not away from the path, nor slip away from His domain. They are neither too high for His commission nor too lowly. For He shall be compassionate in the realm of His furious, destr[oying ange]r; He will not judge in the provinces of His glorious wrath. The fear of the King of ‘gods’ is awe-inspiring to [al]l the ‘gods’, [and they undertake] all His commissions by virtue of His true order, and they go
4Q405 23 ii
... At their marvellous stations are spirits, many-coloured like the work
of a weaver, splendid engraved figures. In the midst of a glorious
appearance of scarlet, colours of the most holy spiritual light, they hold to their holy station before [the K]ing, spirits of [pure] colours in the midst of an appearance of whiteness. The likeness of the glorious
spirit is like a work (of art) of sparkling fine gold. All their pattern is
clearly mingled like the work (of art) of a weaver. These are the
Princes of those marvellously clothed for service, the Princes of the
kingdom, the kingdom of the holy ones of the King of holiness in all the
heights of the sanctuaries of His glorious kingdom. The Princes in
charge of offerings have tongues of knowledge, [and] they bless the God of knowledge among all His glorious works ...
IIQ17 viii
... their [mar]vellous marvels by the power of the God of [eter]nity; and
they shall exalt the mighty deeds of the G[od] ... From the four
foundations of the marvellous firmament they shall pr[oclaim]
soundlessly (?) a divine oracle ... wall. They bless and praise the God
of gods ...
English Translation of Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice (Shirot `Olat ha-Shabbat)
4Q403(ShirShabbd)
Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority (9)
Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority (9)
30. By the instructor. Song of the sacrifice of the seventh
Sabbath on the sixteenth of the month. Praise the God of
the lofty heights, O you lofty ones among all the
31. elim of knowledge. Let the holiest of the godlike ones
sanctify the King of glory who sanctifies by holiness
all His holy ones. O you chiefs of the praises of
32. all the godlike beings, praise the splendidly
[pr]aiseworthy God. For in the splendor of praise
is the glory of His realm. From it (comes) the praises
of all
Sabbath on the sixteenth of the month. Praise the God of
the lofty heights, O you lofty ones among all the
31. elim of knowledge. Let the holiest of the godlike ones
sanctify the King of glory who sanctifies by holiness
all His holy ones. O you chiefs of the praises of
32. all the godlike beings, praise the splendidly
[pr]aiseworthy God. For in the splendor of praise
is the glory of His realm. From it (comes) the praises
of all
33. the godlike ones together with the splendor of all [His]
maj[esty. And] exalt his exaltedness to exalted heaven,
you most godlike ones of the lofty elim,
and (exalt) His glorious divinity above
maj[esty. And] exalt his exaltedness to exalted heaven,
you most godlike ones of the lofty elim,
and (exalt) His glorious divinity above
34. all the lofty heights. For H[e is God of gods] of all
the chiefs of the heights of heaven and King
of ki[ngs] of all the eternal councils.
(by the intention of)
the chiefs of the heights of heaven and King
of ki[ngs] of all the eternal councils.
(by the intention of)
35. (His knowledge) At the words of His mouth come into
being [all the lofty angels]; at the utterance
of His lips all the eternal spirits; [by the in]tention
of His knowledge all His creatures
36. in their undertakings. Sing with joy, you who rejoice
[in His knowledge with] rejoicing among the wondrous
godlike beings. And chant His glory with the
tongue of all who chant with knowledge;
and (chant) His wonderful songs of joy
being [all the lofty angels]; at the utterance
of His lips all the eternal spirits; [by the in]tention
of His knowledge all His creatures
36. in their undertakings. Sing with joy, you who rejoice
[in His knowledge with] rejoicing among the wondrous
godlike beings. And chant His glory with the
tongue of all who chant with knowledge;
and (chant) His wonderful songs of joy
37. with the mouth of all who chant [of Him. For He is]
God of all who rejoice {in knowledge}
forever and Judge in His power of all the
spirits of understanding.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
God of all who rejoice {in knowledge}
forever and Judge in His power of all the
spirits of understanding.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Angels and the Thirteen Sabbath Songs
Among the most intriguing discoveries from the Dead Sea Scrolls are the thirteen songs of Sabbath sacrifice. These songs address an angelic priesthood, God on his chariot, and an elaborate heavenly temple thronged with spiritual beings. What can we learn from these ancient songs?
By Kenneth Westby
In the spring of 1947 the Bedouin Muhammad ed Dib who, while looking for a lost sheep, discovered a cave containing a whole quantity of ancient Hebrew scrolls. His find was made while climbing the cliffs above the west shore of the Dead Sea near the ruins of Qumran. During the next ten years many more caves would be searched and scrolls that had not seen the light of day for two thousand years would be discovered and presented to an amazed world.
In the years since, the mystery of who hid these precious writings and what prevented them from ever returning to claim them has largely been solved. Scholars have combed the evidence and there is general agreement that the Dead Sea Scrolls belonged to the Essenes,[1] one of three major religious sects of Judaism during the time of Christ, the Sadducees and Pharisees being the other two.[2] The Essenes had several communities in Judea, but the one at Qumran was its spiritual center.
Today, one can visit the unearthed ruins of what remains of ancient Qumran, see the synagogue, the baptism pools, and the many water channels required by the lively community devoted to holiness and the study of Scripture. I’ve visited Qumran twice, once in the 80s and then in 2003, each time a moving experience.
The scholars and writers of Qumran never retrieved their hidden scrolls because they were surely killed by the invading Romans around the time of the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. Some may have joined the resistance at Masada further south, from which there were no survivors. The Qumran community’s scrolls were its most precious possession and the fact that no one ever returned for them can only be explained by the Roman’s complete annihilation of the Essenes at Qumran.
Their treasures of Scripture (fragments from all books of the Hebrew Bible save Esther have been found in addition to hundreds of other manuscripts, books, and commentaries—and the 13 Sabbath songs) remained lost for two millennia. Among the scrolls are the oldest manuscripts of Scripture we have, some of them dating 300 years before Christ. Their discovery is of immense importance to biblical studies and they open a window to better understand one of the major sects during the time of Christ. The community of Qumran was thriving during the ministry of Jesus and must have been well known to him. It was to a cave in that same wilderness area he retreated for his time of testing and temptation.
The scrolls show that the Qumran community called itself the “Covenant” (berit), or “New Covenant.” They saw themselves as the “little Remnant” foretold by the Prophets, i.e. the true Israel. They also called themselves the “Holy Council of God.”[3]
John the Baptist
There is good reason to believe that John the Baptist spent his early years in the Essene community of Qumran. Recall that his father Zechariah was an elderly but still active temple priest in Jerusalem when approached by Gabriel, the angel of “the presence,” to announce that his wife Elizabeth, long past menopause, would have a son. Many devout priests had become fed up with the politicized priesthood and had withdrawn to the community at Qumran. Elizabeth and Zechariah, already in their 70s or 80s, with a baby to care for considered what would be best for the child. They likely had relatives already residing in Qumran and may have felt led to bring their son to grow up among them.
The Gospel of Luke records that John came forth from the desert wilderness and began preaching along the Jordan River, saying, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”[4] Qumran is in the desert wilderness south of where the Jordan dumps into the Dead Sea. Clearly, The Baptist did not hold to all Essene teachings for he left the community which taught its members to withdraw from society and politics. Instead, The Baptist plunged headlong into direct engagement by actively critiquing and condemning the current religious/political establishment. His comments on Herod’s adulterous behavior finally got him killed, a fate common to God’s prophets.
John was a scholarly prophet, an ascetic, and a dynamic preacher of repentance and the pursuit of holiness—qualities reflecting training and teachings he received from scripture and possibly fromthe discipline of Qumran. He also established his own school of disciples, many of whom later became disciples of Jesus.
Cave 4
Since the Essenes had rejected the corrupt temple establishment in Jerusalem, they had no access to it. Instead, they focused their attention toward the heavenly temple described in the book of Ezekiel (chapters 40-48). They understood that true sacrifice was not limited to offerings of grains and animals offered up in a gilded building, rather in praise and holy devotion to the God to whom the physical temple was dedicated. They believed, as did early Christians, that one could have access directly to the heavenly temple and to Yahweh whose glory filled it; the earthly temple was merely an inferior symbol of that above.
Much emphasis was placed upon understanding this celestial temple and the heavenly host of angels and spiritual creatures that attended it. An elaborate angelogy was developed—based partly on Scripture, partly upon mystic imagination. This sect of Judaism had its strong, mystical elements. Prime among them were notions derived from Ezekiel’s vision of the divine chariot-throne (“merkavah”). Later Jewish mystics would develop a labyrinth of esoteric mystery systems the most well known today being the kabbalah (cabala), formulated in 11th century France.
The history of religions groups is often the story of excesses. Truth carried too far and over-laden with too many manmade inventions. Such was the story of Qumran’s angelogy. Much truth and insight, but lost in a context of fanciful inventions. The discovery of Dead Sea Scroll Cave 4 revealed an amazing song book which prominently featured angels in Essene worship.
Cave 4 contained fragmentary forms of eight manuscripts the oldest of which has been dated to 75-50 B.C.[5] These manuscripts are a liturgical text composed of thirteen separate sections, one for each of the first thirteen Sabbaths of the year. Why just the first thirteen Sabbaths is not known and there is no evidence this series of songs was repeated during the remaining three quarters of the year.
Carol Newsom who’s Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice: A Critical Edition is the definitive work on this topic writes in her introduction: “These thirteen compositions invoke angelic praise, describe the angelic priesthood and the heavenly temple, and give an account of the worship performed on the Sabbath in the heavenly sanctuary.”[6]
These songs aren’t just congregational hymns sung in praise to God; they were apparently regarded as real-time liturgical participation in the heavenly temple’s Sabbath service. Great care was taken to acknowledge and describe the various details of this other worldly divine scene from the vestments of the angelic priesthood, to the temple itself, to the great Merkavah or chariot throne of Yahweh.
A Celestial Sabbath Service
The notion that earthly temples and their service are in some sense dependent upon heavenly prototypes was widespread in the ancient world. Among the Israelites it had biblical precedent as Moses and David were given a divine “pattern.”[7]
The writer of Hebrews, who obviously had priestly experience, wrote: They [human high priests] serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: ‘See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain’” (Heb 8:5). The writer said that Jesus now “serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man” (vs 2).
The worshippers at Qumran operated on the principle that the entire earthly apparatus of temple, priesthood, and sacrifices were but types of the great archetype in heaven—the seventh heaven to be precise; true Zion, true Eden, and locus of the true Temple. The leaders of the community were priests and they considered their movement to be a priestly enterprise. The dominant personality of the movement, the Righteous Teacher, was a priest. They saw themselves as a pure priesthood replacing the present pollution of the Jerusalem temple and priesthood.
Newsom writes: “Since the Qumran community could not conduct an actual sacrificial cult [worship, ritual], atonement was effected through the community’s prayer, praise and obedience to the law.” They regarded the community as temple-like by exclusions of the impure, requirements of purity and through distinctions between priesthood and laity. “The development of the idea of the community as a temple was not, to be sure, a matter of spiritualization…the Qumran community anticipated restoration of the Jerusalem cult to a condition of purity in the eschatological age and planned for its reconstitution.”[8] They were a Messianic movement looking forward to the Kingdom of God and toward restoring a purified priesthood.
The function of reciting the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice was to bring the congregation into the heavenly courts and participate in a Sabbath service administered by angelic priests.
“Both the highly descriptive content and the carefully crafted rhetoric direct the worshipper who hears the songs recited toward a particular kind of religious experience, a sense of being in the heavenly sanctuary and in the presence of the angelic priests and worshippers. That this experience is intended as a communal experience of the human worshipping community is made clear by the first person plural forms which appear…’our priesthood,’ ‘the offering of our mortal tongue,’ ‘how shall we be considered among them’…. Even though the Sabbath Shirot [songs] do not appear to have been designed as vehicles for the incubation of visions or of mystical ascent by individuals, the sophisticated manipulation of religious emotion in the songs would seem to have increased the possibility of ecstatic experience among some worshippers…. It [is] possible for one to assume with confidence that the recitation of these Sabbath songs was a major vehicle for the experience of communion with angels ….”[9]
Smoke, Fire, Music, Song
The close coordination between liturgical song and sacrifice was an ancient feature of temple worship. The Chronicler’s account of the purification of the temple by Hezekiah, for example, keyed the Levites’ songs precisely to the firing of the offerings.
“As the offering began, singing to the LORD began also, accompanied by trumpets and the instruments of David king of Israel. The whole assembly bowed in worship, while the singers sang and the trumpeters played. All this continued until the sacrifice of the burnt offering was completed” (2 Ch 29:27-28).
Qumran’s Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice were choreographed to fit within the perceived Sabbath service taking place in heaven. Early Jewish thought associated a special connection between earth and heaven with Sabbath observance. The Sabbath and certain holydays provided a special opportunity for communion with angels in the worship of Yahweh who sat upon his chariot throne. These Essene Sabbath songs exploited this belief in a particularly close relationship between heavenly and earthly worshippers on the Sabbath.
David is also credited with writing many Sabbath worship songs. Hebrew tradition holds that David wrote 3600 psalms to be used for singing before the altar over the whole-burnt perpetual offering every day of the year. He also wrote 52 special Sabbath songs and songs for offerings of the New Moons and Solemn Assemblies and 30 songs for the Day of Atonement. In all David wrote a total of 4,050 songs![10]
The Thirteen Sabbath Songs describe a heavenly scene not unlike some of those described in the Book of Revelation. They draw heavily from Isaiah’s vision when he “saw the Lord, seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple” (Isa 6:1-7). Isaiah tells of flying seraphs with six wings, voices so loud they shook the temple, fire and much smoke. He thought he would die for his “eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”
Ezekiel’s visions provide further material to enrich the canvas the Essenes paint of the heavenly host and their courts. Ezekiel tells of the vision he received in Babylon along the Kebar River. He is startled by a windstorm, clouds, flashing lightning, brilliant light, and at the center fire like glowing metal. Then he sees living creatures with four faces and four wings with hands under their wings. He sees a maze of breathtaking colors and creatures that looked like they were torches of fire. He sees huge intersecting gyroscopic wheel-like creatures that sparkle, move like lightening, and are full of piercing eyes. And above all this he sees an expanse of sparkling crystal and winged creatures whose moving wings create immense noise. Above that he sees a throne of sapphire and above that he sees “a figure like that of a man,” like glowing metal as if full of fire. A brilliant light surrounded him and it had the colors and radiance of a rainbow. Ezekiel exclaimed, “This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord” (Ezk 1:1-28).
In the tenth chapter he continues with his description of the throne chariot of Yahweh with its attending angelic creatures. Later in his book (chapters 40-48) he recounts his detailed vision of an idealized prophetic temple, one often associated with the Messianic age or Millennial Kingdom.
The Beauty of the Qumran Songs
If one could place herself/himself in that desert setting during one of the first thirteen Sabbath day services of the year and try to capture what was taking place, what might be experienced? In the first place you would be considered one of the fortunate elect to participate in this ceremonial assent to the throne of God. This was special knowledge unique to the Righteous Community.
Your assent via the songs of sacrifice would pass you through levels of spiritual powers: seven princes of the seven heavens associated with the then known seven planets, each commanding 496,000 myriads of angels; you would acknowledge the seven orders of the angelic priesthood and their deputies and vast companies of angelic attendants; you would come to the seven chief princes; then you would acknowledge the two highest angelic classes, the angels of the Presence and the angels of sanctification.
You would hear dozens of these angelic powers called by name. Your song would describe and praise the fine details of textures and colors woven into the garments of the angelic priests, the bejeweled furnishings, god-like beings of every description moving about, and music, glorious music. The heavenly temple would be described in such detail you could feel like you were actually in the presence of angels joining them is joyful praise and adoration of Yahweh. You would be shaken by the intense sights and sounds, by chariots of light, shining eagles, Seraphim, Cherubim, Michael, Gabriel--almost too much for your soul.
As you sang the songs the words would meld with your mind’s vision of the angelic host and the heavenly courts. You would marvel at the splendorous color, light, and energy emanating from the celestial scene—a scene you couldn’t have otherwise imagined. Your spirits would soar as you anticipated a glimpse of the Merkavah—his Majesty’s throne chariot and above it, God himself!
The apostle Paul received actual visions and revelations of the heavenly scene, of Paradise, which sights he called “inexpressible things” and sights he was not permitted to publicly describe (see 2 Cor 12:1-4).
Nowadays, with available cinemagrapic high-tech special effects spectacular other worldly scenes can be created. In the deserts of Qumran one only the Scriptures and one’s imagination—and the Essenes put both into creative overdrive. Admittedly, the angelological doctrine of Qumran got a little out of hand.
Some scholars see in it an early form of Jewish Gnosticism. In some of these hymns angels are called “spirits of Knowledge.” Essenes regarded their ascent through the angelic realm to the chariot throne a matter of having the right knowledge in addition to living a pure life of obedience to Torah. Proper Gnosis/Knowledge impregnates the whole of Qumran thought and mysticism.
“They had rules peculiar to themselves which they were forbidden to divulge to postulants without the permission of the overseer; they possessed secret doctrines, revelations reserved to initiates, a higher Knowledge—a Gnosis of salvation—which was the privilege of the elect. From these elect, the brethren admitted to the sect, nothing was to be concealed.”[11]
As I mentioned earlier, the story of religion is often the story of excesses. But we should not miss appreciating some of their spiritual insights and virtues even if we criticize their preoccupation with angels and Gnostic theology.
Heptads
The thirteen Sabbath songs were artfully arranged in a Heptad, or series of sevens. The content and intensity of the songs peaked at the seventh Sabbath. The two legs of six weeks met at the crowning seventh forming a triangle (see illustration). As we saw, sevens were used throughout the Sabbath songs and are an important part of Jewish apocalyptical tradition, very much like John uses them in the Book of Revelation. The Sabbath or Seventh day has cosmic significance in the biblical world view. Seven is the rhythm of life and emanates from the Creator of Life.
(Illustration)
Essene Doctrine and the Early Church
There is no doubt that Paul and the other apostles had to deal with elements of mystical theology and with the beginning stages of Gnostic heresy. In his letter to the Colossians Paul acknowledged the existence of unseen heavenly powers, rulers, and authorities, but noted that Christ was superior to them all. Our focus should be on Jesus, not the lesser unnamed powers he rules (1:16-18). He also takes a cut at asceticism and “the worship of angels” (2:18) which puff people up with idle notions of what they think they have seen and know (Gnosticism?).
To the Ephesians Paul is bold to introduce “God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in the heavenly realms” (1:3). Paul means for us to realize that we have a place next to Christ in the heavenly realms. Our name is written in heaven meaning our place or citizenship is there. We need not genuflect through legions of angelic powers to have an audience with God and his Son. A humble prayer brings us directly to the Merkavah and the face of God.
Again Paul lifts us up to visions like those 13 Sabbath Songs might evoke by saying, “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms” (2:6). Now how spectacular is that? Do we need to navigate through a hierarchy of angelic hosts to catch a glimpse of the throne? If we are “in Christ” we share his throne!—and Jesus is the head over everything except God himself. Rather than being subordinate to angels, we are called to join Jesus in managing angels in the Messianic Kingdom.
Angels are servants of Yahweh; they follow his orders and are ministers for good. Paul indicated that they may disapprovingly report breaches of decorum and disrespect in how the church conducts its worship of God.[12] They deserve our respect and admiration, but they rarely intrude into our consciousness. The Bible readily discloses their existence and function, but all worship and attention is to be directed toward their God and ours. We should not be preoccupied with discovering details of the angelic world for that is God’s undisclosed domain.
Neither should we be ignorant of angels. They surround us and fill the skies doing God’s bidding. Knowing they exist to protect and serve should impart comfort to us as it did to the terrified servant of Elisha. Remember the story of the poor fellow who looked about to find himself and Elisha surrounded by an army with horses and chariots set to destroy them (2 Kings 6:15-17. Elisha prayed to God on behalf of his servant saying “open his eyes so he may see.” His poor servant saw what he though was reality and was struck with fear. As Elisha’s servant was to learn, there is a greater reality than that we see with physical eyes.
Elisha said to his servant, “Don’t be afraid for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” How true. As soon as God opened up his servant’s eyes to see the spiritual world he “saw the hills full of horses and chariots and of fire all around Elisha.” I recall one of the 13 Sabbath songs described a scene of hundreds of thousands of fiery chariots in the armies of God standing at the ready waiting for His Majesty’s order. I believe such angelic armies exist.
Lessons from the Dead Sea
I fear many of us think too little, not too much, about the heavenly Kingdom of God. I fear our eyes are too low to the ground to see beyond the exigencies of our mundane lives and are too burdened with day to day troubles that seem to box us in.
We could take a lesson from our ancient friends in Qumran. We can stop short of their excesses for we now know Christ who triumphs all principalities and powers giving us direct access to the great chariot throne of God’s grace.
Yet it might do us well to lift up our eyes, let our imagination soar after God’s Kingdom and in our mind’s eye see the majestic and mighty kingdom of which we are a part. Wouldn’t we be both humbled and inspired to sense the spine-tingling reality that we are in actual, direct and daily contact with the Master of the Universe, with his kingdom of amazing spiritual beings of varied powers and descriptions? Perhaps on the Sabbath our singing could be more passionate and worshipful were this reality to intrude into our minds.
This is “real reality.” The real world we need to be aware of isn’t the freeway traffic, the stack of bills on your desk, the people and politics of life, but rather the real world is God and his Son. Jesus said “learn of me”; God said the most important knowledge is all the cosmos is to “know Me and what I am like.”[13]
The writer of Hebrews gives Christians this picture to keep before them as they pray:
“But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly [singing?], to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant…so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire!”[14]
I think the Essenes of Qumran could even join us in saying “Amen” to that.
Among the most intriguing discoveries from the Dead Sea Scrolls are the thirteen songs of Sabbath sacrifice. These songs address an angelic priesthood, God on his chariot, and an elaborate heavenly temple thronged with spiritual beings. What can we learn from these ancient songs?
By Kenneth Westby
In the spring of 1947 the Bedouin Muhammad ed Dib who, while looking for a lost sheep, discovered a cave containing a whole quantity of ancient Hebrew scrolls. His find was made while climbing the cliffs above the west shore of the Dead Sea near the ruins of Qumran. During the next ten years many more caves would be searched and scrolls that had not seen the light of day for two thousand years would be discovered and presented to an amazed world.
In the years since, the mystery of who hid these precious writings and what prevented them from ever returning to claim them has largely been solved. Scholars have combed the evidence and there is general agreement that the Dead Sea Scrolls belonged to the Essenes,[1] one of three major religious sects of Judaism during the time of Christ, the Sadducees and Pharisees being the other two.[2] The Essenes had several communities in Judea, but the one at Qumran was its spiritual center.
Today, one can visit the unearthed ruins of what remains of ancient Qumran, see the synagogue, the baptism pools, and the many water channels required by the lively community devoted to holiness and the study of Scripture. I’ve visited Qumran twice, once in the 80s and then in 2003, each time a moving experience.
The scholars and writers of Qumran never retrieved their hidden scrolls because they were surely killed by the invading Romans around the time of the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. Some may have joined the resistance at Masada further south, from which there were no survivors. The Qumran community’s scrolls were its most precious possession and the fact that no one ever returned for them can only be explained by the Roman’s complete annihilation of the Essenes at Qumran.
Their treasures of Scripture (fragments from all books of the Hebrew Bible save Esther have been found in addition to hundreds of other manuscripts, books, and commentaries—and the 13 Sabbath songs) remained lost for two millennia. Among the scrolls are the oldest manuscripts of Scripture we have, some of them dating 300 years before Christ. Their discovery is of immense importance to biblical studies and they open a window to better understand one of the major sects during the time of Christ. The community of Qumran was thriving during the ministry of Jesus and must have been well known to him. It was to a cave in that same wilderness area he retreated for his time of testing and temptation.
The scrolls show that the Qumran community called itself the “Covenant” (berit), or “New Covenant.” They saw themselves as the “little Remnant” foretold by the Prophets, i.e. the true Israel. They also called themselves the “Holy Council of God.”[3]
John the Baptist
There is good reason to believe that John the Baptist spent his early years in the Essene community of Qumran. Recall that his father Zechariah was an elderly but still active temple priest in Jerusalem when approached by Gabriel, the angel of “the presence,” to announce that his wife Elizabeth, long past menopause, would have a son. Many devout priests had become fed up with the politicized priesthood and had withdrawn to the community at Qumran. Elizabeth and Zechariah, already in their 70s or 80s, with a baby to care for considered what would be best for the child. They likely had relatives already residing in Qumran and may have felt led to bring their son to grow up among them.
The Gospel of Luke records that John came forth from the desert wilderness and began preaching along the Jordan River, saying, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”[4] Qumran is in the desert wilderness south of where the Jordan dumps into the Dead Sea. Clearly, The Baptist did not hold to all Essene teachings for he left the community which taught its members to withdraw from society and politics. Instead, The Baptist plunged headlong into direct engagement by actively critiquing and condemning the current religious/political establishment. His comments on Herod’s adulterous behavior finally got him killed, a fate common to God’s prophets.
John was a scholarly prophet, an ascetic, and a dynamic preacher of repentance and the pursuit of holiness—qualities reflecting training and teachings he received from scripture and possibly fromthe discipline of Qumran. He also established his own school of disciples, many of whom later became disciples of Jesus.
Cave 4
Since the Essenes had rejected the corrupt temple establishment in Jerusalem, they had no access to it. Instead, they focused their attention toward the heavenly temple described in the book of Ezekiel (chapters 40-48). They understood that true sacrifice was not limited to offerings of grains and animals offered up in a gilded building, rather in praise and holy devotion to the God to whom the physical temple was dedicated. They believed, as did early Christians, that one could have access directly to the heavenly temple and to Yahweh whose glory filled it; the earthly temple was merely an inferior symbol of that above.
Much emphasis was placed upon understanding this celestial temple and the heavenly host of angels and spiritual creatures that attended it. An elaborate angelogy was developed—based partly on Scripture, partly upon mystic imagination. This sect of Judaism had its strong, mystical elements. Prime among them were notions derived from Ezekiel’s vision of the divine chariot-throne (“merkavah”). Later Jewish mystics would develop a labyrinth of esoteric mystery systems the most well known today being the kabbalah (cabala), formulated in 11th century France.
The history of religions groups is often the story of excesses. Truth carried too far and over-laden with too many manmade inventions. Such was the story of Qumran’s angelogy. Much truth and insight, but lost in a context of fanciful inventions. The discovery of Dead Sea Scroll Cave 4 revealed an amazing song book which prominently featured angels in Essene worship.
Cave 4 contained fragmentary forms of eight manuscripts the oldest of which has been dated to 75-50 B.C.[5] These manuscripts are a liturgical text composed of thirteen separate sections, one for each of the first thirteen Sabbaths of the year. Why just the first thirteen Sabbaths is not known and there is no evidence this series of songs was repeated during the remaining three quarters of the year.
Carol Newsom who’s Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice: A Critical Edition is the definitive work on this topic writes in her introduction: “These thirteen compositions invoke angelic praise, describe the angelic priesthood and the heavenly temple, and give an account of the worship performed on the Sabbath in the heavenly sanctuary.”[6]
These songs aren’t just congregational hymns sung in praise to God; they were apparently regarded as real-time liturgical participation in the heavenly temple’s Sabbath service. Great care was taken to acknowledge and describe the various details of this other worldly divine scene from the vestments of the angelic priesthood, to the temple itself, to the great Merkavah or chariot throne of Yahweh.
A Celestial Sabbath Service
The notion that earthly temples and their service are in some sense dependent upon heavenly prototypes was widespread in the ancient world. Among the Israelites it had biblical precedent as Moses and David were given a divine “pattern.”[7]
The writer of Hebrews, who obviously had priestly experience, wrote: They [human high priests] serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: ‘See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain’” (Heb 8:5). The writer said that Jesus now “serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man” (vs 2).
The worshippers at Qumran operated on the principle that the entire earthly apparatus of temple, priesthood, and sacrifices were but types of the great archetype in heaven—the seventh heaven to be precise; true Zion, true Eden, and locus of the true Temple. The leaders of the community were priests and they considered their movement to be a priestly enterprise. The dominant personality of the movement, the Righteous Teacher, was a priest. They saw themselves as a pure priesthood replacing the present pollution of the Jerusalem temple and priesthood.
Newsom writes: “Since the Qumran community could not conduct an actual sacrificial cult [worship, ritual], atonement was effected through the community’s prayer, praise and obedience to the law.” They regarded the community as temple-like by exclusions of the impure, requirements of purity and through distinctions between priesthood and laity. “The development of the idea of the community as a temple was not, to be sure, a matter of spiritualization…the Qumran community anticipated restoration of the Jerusalem cult to a condition of purity in the eschatological age and planned for its reconstitution.”[8] They were a Messianic movement looking forward to the Kingdom of God and toward restoring a purified priesthood.
The function of reciting the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice was to bring the congregation into the heavenly courts and participate in a Sabbath service administered by angelic priests.
“Both the highly descriptive content and the carefully crafted rhetoric direct the worshipper who hears the songs recited toward a particular kind of religious experience, a sense of being in the heavenly sanctuary and in the presence of the angelic priests and worshippers. That this experience is intended as a communal experience of the human worshipping community is made clear by the first person plural forms which appear…’our priesthood,’ ‘the offering of our mortal tongue,’ ‘how shall we be considered among them’…. Even though the Sabbath Shirot [songs] do not appear to have been designed as vehicles for the incubation of visions or of mystical ascent by individuals, the sophisticated manipulation of religious emotion in the songs would seem to have increased the possibility of ecstatic experience among some worshippers…. It [is] possible for one to assume with confidence that the recitation of these Sabbath songs was a major vehicle for the experience of communion with angels ….”[9]
Smoke, Fire, Music, Song
The close coordination between liturgical song and sacrifice was an ancient feature of temple worship. The Chronicler’s account of the purification of the temple by Hezekiah, for example, keyed the Levites’ songs precisely to the firing of the offerings.
“As the offering began, singing to the LORD began also, accompanied by trumpets and the instruments of David king of Israel. The whole assembly bowed in worship, while the singers sang and the trumpeters played. All this continued until the sacrifice of the burnt offering was completed” (2 Ch 29:27-28).
Qumran’s Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice were choreographed to fit within the perceived Sabbath service taking place in heaven. Early Jewish thought associated a special connection between earth and heaven with Sabbath observance. The Sabbath and certain holydays provided a special opportunity for communion with angels in the worship of Yahweh who sat upon his chariot throne. These Essene Sabbath songs exploited this belief in a particularly close relationship between heavenly and earthly worshippers on the Sabbath.
David is also credited with writing many Sabbath worship songs. Hebrew tradition holds that David wrote 3600 psalms to be used for singing before the altar over the whole-burnt perpetual offering every day of the year. He also wrote 52 special Sabbath songs and songs for offerings of the New Moons and Solemn Assemblies and 30 songs for the Day of Atonement. In all David wrote a total of 4,050 songs![10]
The Thirteen Sabbath Songs describe a heavenly scene not unlike some of those described in the Book of Revelation. They draw heavily from Isaiah’s vision when he “saw the Lord, seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple” (Isa 6:1-7). Isaiah tells of flying seraphs with six wings, voices so loud they shook the temple, fire and much smoke. He thought he would die for his “eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”
Ezekiel’s visions provide further material to enrich the canvas the Essenes paint of the heavenly host and their courts. Ezekiel tells of the vision he received in Babylon along the Kebar River. He is startled by a windstorm, clouds, flashing lightning, brilliant light, and at the center fire like glowing metal. Then he sees living creatures with four faces and four wings with hands under their wings. He sees a maze of breathtaking colors and creatures that looked like they were torches of fire. He sees huge intersecting gyroscopic wheel-like creatures that sparkle, move like lightening, and are full of piercing eyes. And above all this he sees an expanse of sparkling crystal and winged creatures whose moving wings create immense noise. Above that he sees a throne of sapphire and above that he sees “a figure like that of a man,” like glowing metal as if full of fire. A brilliant light surrounded him and it had the colors and radiance of a rainbow. Ezekiel exclaimed, “This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord” (Ezk 1:1-28).
In the tenth chapter he continues with his description of the throne chariot of Yahweh with its attending angelic creatures. Later in his book (chapters 40-48) he recounts his detailed vision of an idealized prophetic temple, one often associated with the Messianic age or Millennial Kingdom.
The Beauty of the Qumran Songs
If one could place herself/himself in that desert setting during one of the first thirteen Sabbath day services of the year and try to capture what was taking place, what might be experienced? In the first place you would be considered one of the fortunate elect to participate in this ceremonial assent to the throne of God. This was special knowledge unique to the Righteous Community.
Your assent via the songs of sacrifice would pass you through levels of spiritual powers: seven princes of the seven heavens associated with the then known seven planets, each commanding 496,000 myriads of angels; you would acknowledge the seven orders of the angelic priesthood and their deputies and vast companies of angelic attendants; you would come to the seven chief princes; then you would acknowledge the two highest angelic classes, the angels of the Presence and the angels of sanctification.
You would hear dozens of these angelic powers called by name. Your song would describe and praise the fine details of textures and colors woven into the garments of the angelic priests, the bejeweled furnishings, god-like beings of every description moving about, and music, glorious music. The heavenly temple would be described in such detail you could feel like you were actually in the presence of angels joining them is joyful praise and adoration of Yahweh. You would be shaken by the intense sights and sounds, by chariots of light, shining eagles, Seraphim, Cherubim, Michael, Gabriel--almost too much for your soul.
As you sang the songs the words would meld with your mind’s vision of the angelic host and the heavenly courts. You would marvel at the splendorous color, light, and energy emanating from the celestial scene—a scene you couldn’t have otherwise imagined. Your spirits would soar as you anticipated a glimpse of the Merkavah—his Majesty’s throne chariot and above it, God himself!
The apostle Paul received actual visions and revelations of the heavenly scene, of Paradise, which sights he called “inexpressible things” and sights he was not permitted to publicly describe (see 2 Cor 12:1-4).
Nowadays, with available cinemagrapic high-tech special effects spectacular other worldly scenes can be created. In the deserts of Qumran one only the Scriptures and one’s imagination—and the Essenes put both into creative overdrive. Admittedly, the angelological doctrine of Qumran got a little out of hand.
Some scholars see in it an early form of Jewish Gnosticism. In some of these hymns angels are called “spirits of Knowledge.” Essenes regarded their ascent through the angelic realm to the chariot throne a matter of having the right knowledge in addition to living a pure life of obedience to Torah. Proper Gnosis/Knowledge impregnates the whole of Qumran thought and mysticism.
“They had rules peculiar to themselves which they were forbidden to divulge to postulants without the permission of the overseer; they possessed secret doctrines, revelations reserved to initiates, a higher Knowledge—a Gnosis of salvation—which was the privilege of the elect. From these elect, the brethren admitted to the sect, nothing was to be concealed.”[11]
As I mentioned earlier, the story of religion is often the story of excesses. But we should not miss appreciating some of their spiritual insights and virtues even if we criticize their preoccupation with angels and Gnostic theology.
Heptads
The thirteen Sabbath songs were artfully arranged in a Heptad, or series of sevens. The content and intensity of the songs peaked at the seventh Sabbath. The two legs of six weeks met at the crowning seventh forming a triangle (see illustration). As we saw, sevens were used throughout the Sabbath songs and are an important part of Jewish apocalyptical tradition, very much like John uses them in the Book of Revelation. The Sabbath or Seventh day has cosmic significance in the biblical world view. Seven is the rhythm of life and emanates from the Creator of Life.
(Illustration)
Essene Doctrine and the Early Church
There is no doubt that Paul and the other apostles had to deal with elements of mystical theology and with the beginning stages of Gnostic heresy. In his letter to the Colossians Paul acknowledged the existence of unseen heavenly powers, rulers, and authorities, but noted that Christ was superior to them all. Our focus should be on Jesus, not the lesser unnamed powers he rules (1:16-18). He also takes a cut at asceticism and “the worship of angels” (2:18) which puff people up with idle notions of what they think they have seen and know (Gnosticism?).
To the Ephesians Paul is bold to introduce “God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in the heavenly realms” (1:3). Paul means for us to realize that we have a place next to Christ in the heavenly realms. Our name is written in heaven meaning our place or citizenship is there. We need not genuflect through legions of angelic powers to have an audience with God and his Son. A humble prayer brings us directly to the Merkavah and the face of God.
Again Paul lifts us up to visions like those 13 Sabbath Songs might evoke by saying, “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms” (2:6). Now how spectacular is that? Do we need to navigate through a hierarchy of angelic hosts to catch a glimpse of the throne? If we are “in Christ” we share his throne!—and Jesus is the head over everything except God himself. Rather than being subordinate to angels, we are called to join Jesus in managing angels in the Messianic Kingdom.
Angels are servants of Yahweh; they follow his orders and are ministers for good. Paul indicated that they may disapprovingly report breaches of decorum and disrespect in how the church conducts its worship of God.[12] They deserve our respect and admiration, but they rarely intrude into our consciousness. The Bible readily discloses their existence and function, but all worship and attention is to be directed toward their God and ours. We should not be preoccupied with discovering details of the angelic world for that is God’s undisclosed domain.
Neither should we be ignorant of angels. They surround us and fill the skies doing God’s bidding. Knowing they exist to protect and serve should impart comfort to us as it did to the terrified servant of Elisha. Remember the story of the poor fellow who looked about to find himself and Elisha surrounded by an army with horses and chariots set to destroy them (2 Kings 6:15-17. Elisha prayed to God on behalf of his servant saying “open his eyes so he may see.” His poor servant saw what he though was reality and was struck with fear. As Elisha’s servant was to learn, there is a greater reality than that we see with physical eyes.
Elisha said to his servant, “Don’t be afraid for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” How true. As soon as God opened up his servant’s eyes to see the spiritual world he “saw the hills full of horses and chariots and of fire all around Elisha.” I recall one of the 13 Sabbath songs described a scene of hundreds of thousands of fiery chariots in the armies of God standing at the ready waiting for His Majesty’s order. I believe such angelic armies exist.
Lessons from the Dead Sea
I fear many of us think too little, not too much, about the heavenly Kingdom of God. I fear our eyes are too low to the ground to see beyond the exigencies of our mundane lives and are too burdened with day to day troubles that seem to box us in.
We could take a lesson from our ancient friends in Qumran. We can stop short of their excesses for we now know Christ who triumphs all principalities and powers giving us direct access to the great chariot throne of God’s grace.
Yet it might do us well to lift up our eyes, let our imagination soar after God’s Kingdom and in our mind’s eye see the majestic and mighty kingdom of which we are a part. Wouldn’t we be both humbled and inspired to sense the spine-tingling reality that we are in actual, direct and daily contact with the Master of the Universe, with his kingdom of amazing spiritual beings of varied powers and descriptions? Perhaps on the Sabbath our singing could be more passionate and worshipful were this reality to intrude into our minds.
This is “real reality.” The real world we need to be aware of isn’t the freeway traffic, the stack of bills on your desk, the people and politics of life, but rather the real world is God and his Son. Jesus said “learn of me”; God said the most important knowledge is all the cosmos is to “know Me and what I am like.”[13]
The writer of Hebrews gives Christians this picture to keep before them as they pray:
“But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly [singing?], to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant…so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire!”[14]
I think the Essenes of Qumran could even join us in saying “Amen” to that.
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55
IV. Spoken by David when he was contending with the lion and the wolf which took a sheep from his flock.
(1) O God, O God, come to my aid; help Thou me and save me; deliver Thou my soul from the slayer. (2) Shall I go down to Sheol by the mouth of the lion? or shall the wolf confound me? (3) Was it not enough for them that they lay in wait for my father's flock, and rent in pieces a sheep of my father's drove, but they were wishing also to destroy my soul? (4) Have pity, O Lord, and save Thy holy one from destruction; that he may rehearse Thy glories in all his times, and may praise Thy great name: (5) when Thou hast delivered him from the hands of the destroying lion and of the ravening wolf, and when Thou hast rescued my captivity from the hands of the wild beasts. (6) Quickly, O my Lord (Adonai), send from before Thee a deliverer, and draw me out of the gaping pit, which imprisons me in its depths.
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55
IV. Spoken by David when he was contending with the lion and the wolf which took a sheep from his flock.
(1) O God, O God, come to my aid; help Thou me and save me; deliver Thou my soul from the slayer. (2) Shall I go down to Sheol by the mouth of the lion? or shall the wolf confound me? (3) Was it not enough for them that they lay in wait for my father's flock, and rent in pieces a sheep of my father's drove, but they were wishing also to destroy my soul? (4) Have pity, O Lord, and save Thy holy one from destruction; that he may rehearse Thy glories in all his times, and may praise Thy great name: (5) when Thou hast delivered him from the hands of the destroying lion and of the ravening wolf, and when Thou hast rescued my captivity from the hands of the wild beasts. (6) Quickly, O my Lord (Adonai), send from before Thee a deliverer, and draw me out of the gaping pit, which imprisons me in its depths.
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56
V. Spoken by David when returning thanks to God, who had delivered him from the lion and the wolf and he had slain both of them.
(1) Praise the Lord, all ye nations; glorify Him, and bless His name: (2) Who rescued the soul of His elect from the hands of death, and delivered His holy one from destruction: (3) and saved me from the nets of Sheol, and my soul from the pit that cannot be fathomed. (4) Because, ere my deliverance could go forth from before Him, I was well nigh rent in two pieces by two wild beasts. (5) But He sent His angel, and shut up from me the gaping mouths, and rescued my life from destruction. (6) My soul shall glorify Him and exalt Him, because of all His kindnesses which He hath done and will do unto me.
V. Spoken by David when returning thanks to God, who had delivered him from the lion and the wolf and he had slain both of them.
(1) Praise the Lord, all ye nations; glorify Him, and bless His name: (2) Who rescued the soul of His elect from the hands of death, and delivered His holy one from destruction: (3) and saved me from the nets of Sheol, and my soul from the pit that cannot be fathomed. (4) Because, ere my deliverance could go forth from before Him, I was well nigh rent in two pieces by two wild beasts. (5) But He sent His angel, and shut up from me the gaping mouths, and rescued my life from destruction. (6) My soul shall glorify Him and exalt Him, because of all His kindnesses which He hath done and will do unto me.
An Account of David’s Poems
XXVII David son of Jesse was wise and brilliant like the light of the
sun; (he was) a scribe, intelligent and perfect in all his ways before
God and men.
YHWH gave him an intelligent and brilliant spirit, and he wrote 3,600
psalms and 364 songs to sing before the altar for the daily perpetual
sacrifice, for all the days of the year; and 52 songs for the Sabbath
offerings; and 30 songs for the New Moons, for Feast-days and for the
Day of Atonement.
In all, the songs which he uttered were 446, and 4 songs to make
music on behalf of those stricken (by evil spirits).
In all, they were 4,050.
All these he uttered through prophecy which was given him from
before the Most High.
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XXVII David son of Jesse was wise and brilliant like the light of the
sun; (he was) a scribe, intelligent and perfect in all his ways before
God and men.
YHWH gave him an intelligent and brilliant spirit, and he wrote 3,600
psalms and 364 songs to sing before the altar for the daily perpetual
sacrifice, for all the days of the year; and 52 songs for the Sabbath
offerings; and 30 songs for the New Moons, for Feast-days and for the
Day of Atonement.
In all, the songs which he uttered were 446, and 4 songs to make
music on behalf of those stricken (by evil spirits).
In all, they were 4,050.
All these he uttered through prophecy which was given him from
before the Most High.
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57
Non-canonical Psalms
(4Q380-81)
I ... [Jeru]salem, that is [the city chosen by the L]ord from everlasting to [everlasting.]
... the holy ones [for the na]me of the Lord is called on her, [and his glory] is seen on Jerusalem and Zion.
Who will utter the name of the Lord, and who makes all his praises heard?
The Lord [remem]bered him in his favour and visited him that he might show him the prosperity [of] his [cho]sen ones, making him re[joice in the gladness of his nation]
(cf. Ps. cvi, 2,4-5).
II [And] he made for you a man w[ho ... ]
for he is the one [whose] words they kept which are for all the sons of Israel...
... your hand will [not] save you, for the strength of [your] God does good.
And those (filled with) wicked hatred, how long will you delight to do evil? ...
vacat
Psalm of Obadiah.
God... truth is in it, and his loving kindness ...
Fr. 2
... mountains and hills...
All who are founded on it will shake...
[and they will cry to] the Lord in their distress.
From their oppression He will deliver them, For the Lord is gracious to the pious...
To the man...
4Q381, fr. I
... [his wisdom] I have declared, and I will meditate on his marvel, and it will become my teacher.
Judgement... of my mouth, and to the simple and they will understand, and to the senseless and they will know.
O Lord, how mi[ghty] ... marvels
He made heaven and earth in his days (?), and by his word ... the riverbeds
He...
night and st[a]rs and constellations...
and He caused them to shine ...
[every] tree and every fru[it of the vineyar]d and every produce of the field.
And according to his words... all...
m[ankind] and by his spirit he established them to have dominion over all this,
over the ground and all [its produce(?)]
from new moon to new moon, from festival to festival, from day to day to eat its fruit, fruit of ...
... and birds and all that belongs to them to eat the best of everything and also...
... in them and all his hosts and His ange[ls] ...
to serve man and to minister to him...
Fr. 15
... Thou wilt turn my heart ...
[Turn to me and take pity on me;
give thy strength to Thy servant] and save the son of Thy handmaid.
Show me [a sign of Thy favour, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because Thou,] my [G]od, hast helped me (Ps. lxxxvi, 16-17)
and I will prepare (a sacrifice) for Thee, my God.
... [Thou dost rule the rag]ing of the sea;
Thou stillest its waves.
[Thou didst crush Rahab like a carcass, Thou didst scatter Thine enemies with Thy mighty arm]
(Ps. lxxxix, 10-11).
[The world and] all that is in it, Thou hast founded them
(ibid. 12).
Thou hast a [mighty] arm; strong is Thy hand, high Thy right hand (ibid. 14)
[For who in the skies can be compared to thee,] my God?
And who among the sons of ‘gods’ and in all [the council of the holy ones? ...
... For Thou] art the glory of its majesty.
As for me, Thine anointed one, I have understood...
[I will make] thee [know]n, for Thou hast made me know;
I will have insight, for Thou hast given me insight...
For on Thy name, my God, we shall call, and [we shall wait] for Thy salvation.
And they will put it on like a garment and like a dress...
Fr. 17
...In splendour Thou wilt look on Judah and...
My God, Thou wilt swallow them up And [fire] will de[vour them] ...
Fr. 24
... Psalm of the Man of God.
Lord, God ...
He has redeemed Judah from all distress and from Ephraim...
... generation.
Those who have passed his test will praise him and say, ‘Arise [O God’] ...
Thy name is my salvation, my rock, my fortress and [my] refuge [is my God] (Ps. xviii, 3).
On the day of... I will call on the Lord and he will answer me, my help... those who hate me.
And he will say,...
[My c]ry be[fore him] comes to his ears (Ps. xviii, 7)
[From his temple he will hear my] voi[ce].
[And] the earth will [re]el [and rock, and the foundations of the mountains tremble... for he is angry.
Smoke went up from his nostrils (Ps. xviii, 7-9) ...
Fr. 31
... in the net which they have concealed ...
I will sing to ...
I will meditate over Thy wonders for to ... before Thee...
Thou dost save me and lift me up from the tents of death
... before all ...
All its ways come to ...
In a holy place ... [Selah.] vacat
... [Prayer of... k]ing of Judah.
Hear o [my] Go[d] ...
I will recount before those who fear Thee...
Who can understand Thy [th]oughts?
For my oppressors have increased before Thee.
Thou hast known them and Thou hast subdued the enemies of my soul before Thine
e[yes].
For I will live ...
[and] Thou shalt [not] conceal my iniquity to those with understanding.
Thou shalt slay them (the enemies) O God of my salvation.
The days of my existence are treasured up.
What can a man say (but) ‘Here I am’ ?
And how [dost Thou deliver] to the sword those who wait for me, those who say... on the day of wrath?
They have woven a crown for my head.
For their glory is a splendid pillar...
... from the Book of li[fe].
Those who frighten me will be cut off
And my enemies will finish ...
... a song and thanksgiving ...
Fr. 33
... Rise [above the heaven]s, O Lord, and [my] God ...
And let us glory in Thy might for [Thy wonders] are inscrutable
... Thou shalt place me and Thy chastisement will be my [joy].
... everlasting and to extol. Thee.
For my sins have become too many for me...
But Thou, my God, shalt send Thy spi[rit] [and Thy mercy] to the son of Thy handmaid and Thy loving-kindness to the servant who is near Thee ...
I will exult and rejoice in Thee before those who fear [Thee], for [Thou shalt judge] Thy servants in Thy righteousness, and according to Thy loving-kindness
... to save ... to thee. Selah.
vacat
Prayer of Manasseh, King of Judah when the King of Assyria
gaoled him.
... [my G]od ... my salvation is near in Thine eyes ...
I wait for Thy delivering presence, and I feel faint before Thee because of my s[in].
For [Thou hast] enlarged [Thy mercies(?)], and I have multiplied guilt.
And thus ...
from eternal joy and my soul shall not see goodness ...
He has lifted me up on high above a nation ...
And I did not remember thee [in Thy plac]e of h[oliness];
I did not serve [Thee] ...
Fr. 45
... I will make understand .... - - . :
I fear Thee and will cleanse myself Of abominations known to me.
I give my soul to be humbled before Thee.
They have multiplied sin And they plot against me to imprison me.
But I have trusted Thee ...
And do not judge me, my God, ...
Those who conspire against me Let loose their lying tongue ...
Fr. 46
... [f]ools.
... Thy precepts and Thy splendour and Thy beauty ...
and like clouds they spread over the fa[ce] of the earth.
They will be scattered greatly until ...
Man will not be strong and will not rise
... [and] Thou hast [t]ested all.
And the elect, like offerings, Thou wilt purify before Thee, but the hated ones Thou wilt reject like impurity.
And a stormy wind ... their [p]ractice.
And those who fear Thee shall be before Thee always.
(Their) horns are horns made of iron to gore many, and they will gore ...
And Thou wilt make their hoofs of bronze, but sinners like dung shall be trampled upon the ground ...
Fr. 69
... When he saw that the peoples [of the la]nd behaved abominably,
... all the land (turned) wholly into impure uncleanness, and from the beginning marvellously ... he consulted his heart to destroy them from it (the land) and make on it a [holy(?)] people.
... in you and he gave you through his spirit prophets to instruct and teach you ...
... your [God(?)] descended from heaven and spoke to you to instruct you and bring you back from the works of the inhabitants [of the land].
... [pre]cepts, laws and commandments he established through a covenant by the hand [of Moses].
... dwelt (?) on the land. Then it will be cleansed and ...
... to consider you whether you will be his.
And if [not,] ...
And to breach the covenant which he made with you and to become a stranger and not ...
... over wickedness and to change the words of his mouth ...
Frs. 76-7
... [the congregati]on of the Holy of Holies and the lot of the King of Kings ...
... my words and they will consider the wisdom which is issued from my mouth.
... and a true judge and faithful witness.
Is there strength in you to answer Him ...
... to hear.
... Who among you will answer and stand up against his rebuke? ...
... For you have many judges and countless (hostile) witnesses.
But ... the Lord will sit in judgement against you, judging truly and without injustice ...
... his spirits to pronounce on you true judgements.
Is there understanding for you to learn ... ?
... Lord of lords, mighty and marvellous and none is like him.
He has chosen y[ou instead of power]ful [peoples] and great nations to be his people to rule over all ...
... [hea]ven and earth and as the highest above all the nations of the earth ...
Hymnsforthe Sabbath Day
Give thanks ...
[Bless] His holy Name always
... all the angels of the holy firmament
... [above] the heavens, the earth and all its deep places, the great [Abyss] and Abaddon and the waters and all that is [in them.]
[Let] all His creatures [bless Him] always for everlasting [ages. Amen! Amen!]
... bless His holy Name.
Sing to God...
II ... Blessed be the God who has given us rest. [Amen], amen.
[Prayer on the] fourth [da]y.
Remember, O Lord ...
Fr. 4
II ... We know these through Thy Ho[ly] Spirit which Thou hast granted us.
[Have mercy on us] and remember us not for the iniquities of the men of old in all their evi[l] dealings, [nor] their stiff necks.
Thou redeem us and, [pray,] forgive our iniquities and [our] s[ins].
Fr. 6
II ... Remember, pray, that we are Thy people and that Thou hast carried us marvellously [on the wings of] eagles and hast brought us towards Thee.
And like an eagle which rouses its nestlings and hovers over [its young], spreads out its wings, takes one and carries it on [its pinions], so we dwell apart and are not reckoned among the nations and ...
Thou art in our midst in the pillar of fire and the cloud [of] Thy [holi]ness walking before us, and as it were Thy glory in our mid[st] ...
Fr. 8 recto
II ... [Rememb]er, O Lo[r]d that... Thou hast fashioned A[dam], our [f]ather, in the likeness of [Thy] glory;
Thou didst breathe [a breath of life] into his nostrils and, with understanding, knowledge [Thou didst give him] ...
Thou didst make [him] to rule [over the Gar]den of Eden which Thou didst plant... and to walk in the land of glory... he guarded.
And Thou didst enjoin him not to st[ray ...]... he is flesh and to dust [he will return (?)] ... And Thou, Thou knowest... for everlasting generations
... a living God and Thy hand ... man in the ways of... [to fill the] earth with [vi]olence and to shed [innocent blood] ...
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Non-canonical Psalms
(4Q380-81)
I ... [Jeru]salem, that is [the city chosen by the L]ord from everlasting to [everlasting.]
... the holy ones [for the na]me of the Lord is called on her, [and his glory] is seen on Jerusalem and Zion.
Who will utter the name of the Lord, and who makes all his praises heard?
The Lord [remem]bered him in his favour and visited him that he might show him the prosperity [of] his [cho]sen ones, making him re[joice in the gladness of his nation]
(cf. Ps. cvi, 2,4-5).
II [And] he made for you a man w[ho ... ]
for he is the one [whose] words they kept which are for all the sons of Israel...
... your hand will [not] save you, for the strength of [your] God does good.
And those (filled with) wicked hatred, how long will you delight to do evil? ...
vacat
Psalm of Obadiah.
God... truth is in it, and his loving kindness ...
Fr. 2
... mountains and hills...
All who are founded on it will shake...
[and they will cry to] the Lord in their distress.
From their oppression He will deliver them, For the Lord is gracious to the pious...
To the man...
4Q381, fr. I
... [his wisdom] I have declared, and I will meditate on his marvel, and it will become my teacher.
Judgement... of my mouth, and to the simple and they will understand, and to the senseless and they will know.
O Lord, how mi[ghty] ... marvels
He made heaven and earth in his days (?), and by his word ... the riverbeds
He...
night and st[a]rs and constellations...
and He caused them to shine ...
[every] tree and every fru[it of the vineyar]d and every produce of the field.
And according to his words... all...
m[ankind] and by his spirit he established them to have dominion over all this,
over the ground and all [its produce(?)]
from new moon to new moon, from festival to festival, from day to day to eat its fruit, fruit of ...
... and birds and all that belongs to them to eat the best of everything and also...
... in them and all his hosts and His ange[ls] ...
to serve man and to minister to him...
Fr. 15
... Thou wilt turn my heart ...
[Turn to me and take pity on me;
give thy strength to Thy servant] and save the son of Thy handmaid.
Show me [a sign of Thy favour, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because Thou,] my [G]od, hast helped me (Ps. lxxxvi, 16-17)
and I will prepare (a sacrifice) for Thee, my God.
... [Thou dost rule the rag]ing of the sea;
Thou stillest its waves.
[Thou didst crush Rahab like a carcass, Thou didst scatter Thine enemies with Thy mighty arm]
(Ps. lxxxix, 10-11).
[The world and] all that is in it, Thou hast founded them
(ibid. 12).
Thou hast a [mighty] arm; strong is Thy hand, high Thy right hand (ibid. 14)
[For who in the skies can be compared to thee,] my God?
And who among the sons of ‘gods’ and in all [the council of the holy ones? ...
... For Thou] art the glory of its majesty.
As for me, Thine anointed one, I have understood...
[I will make] thee [know]n, for Thou hast made me know;
I will have insight, for Thou hast given me insight...
For on Thy name, my God, we shall call, and [we shall wait] for Thy salvation.
And they will put it on like a garment and like a dress...
Fr. 17
...In splendour Thou wilt look on Judah and...
My God, Thou wilt swallow them up And [fire] will de[vour them] ...
Fr. 24
... Psalm of the Man of God.
Lord, God ...
He has redeemed Judah from all distress and from Ephraim...
... generation.
Those who have passed his test will praise him and say, ‘Arise [O God’] ...
Thy name is my salvation, my rock, my fortress and [my] refuge [is my God] (Ps. xviii, 3).
On the day of... I will call on the Lord and he will answer me, my help... those who hate me.
And he will say,...
[My c]ry be[fore him] comes to his ears (Ps. xviii, 7)
[From his temple he will hear my] voi[ce].
[And] the earth will [re]el [and rock, and the foundations of the mountains tremble... for he is angry.
Smoke went up from his nostrils (Ps. xviii, 7-9) ...
Fr. 31
... in the net which they have concealed ...
I will sing to ...
I will meditate over Thy wonders for to ... before Thee...
Thou dost save me and lift me up from the tents of death
... before all ...
All its ways come to ...
In a holy place ... [Selah.] vacat
... [Prayer of... k]ing of Judah.
Hear o [my] Go[d] ...
I will recount before those who fear Thee...
Who can understand Thy [th]oughts?
For my oppressors have increased before Thee.
Thou hast known them and Thou hast subdued the enemies of my soul before Thine
e[yes].
For I will live ...
[and] Thou shalt [not] conceal my iniquity to those with understanding.
Thou shalt slay them (the enemies) O God of my salvation.
The days of my existence are treasured up.
What can a man say (but) ‘Here I am’ ?
And how [dost Thou deliver] to the sword those who wait for me, those who say... on the day of wrath?
They have woven a crown for my head.
For their glory is a splendid pillar...
... from the Book of li[fe].
Those who frighten me will be cut off
And my enemies will finish ...
... a song and thanksgiving ...
Fr. 33
... Rise [above the heaven]s, O Lord, and [my] God ...
And let us glory in Thy might for [Thy wonders] are inscrutable
... Thou shalt place me and Thy chastisement will be my [joy].
... everlasting and to extol. Thee.
For my sins have become too many for me...
But Thou, my God, shalt send Thy spi[rit] [and Thy mercy] to the son of Thy handmaid and Thy loving-kindness to the servant who is near Thee ...
I will exult and rejoice in Thee before those who fear [Thee], for [Thou shalt judge] Thy servants in Thy righteousness, and according to Thy loving-kindness
... to save ... to thee. Selah.
vacat
Prayer of Manasseh, King of Judah when the King of Assyria
gaoled him.
... [my G]od ... my salvation is near in Thine eyes ...
I wait for Thy delivering presence, and I feel faint before Thee because of my s[in].
For [Thou hast] enlarged [Thy mercies(?)], and I have multiplied guilt.
And thus ...
from eternal joy and my soul shall not see goodness ...
He has lifted me up on high above a nation ...
And I did not remember thee [in Thy plac]e of h[oliness];
I did not serve [Thee] ...
Fr. 45
... I will make understand .... - - . :
I fear Thee and will cleanse myself Of abominations known to me.
I give my soul to be humbled before Thee.
They have multiplied sin And they plot against me to imprison me.
But I have trusted Thee ...
And do not judge me, my God, ...
Those who conspire against me Let loose their lying tongue ...
Fr. 46
... [f]ools.
... Thy precepts and Thy splendour and Thy beauty ...
and like clouds they spread over the fa[ce] of the earth.
They will be scattered greatly until ...
Man will not be strong and will not rise
... [and] Thou hast [t]ested all.
And the elect, like offerings, Thou wilt purify before Thee, but the hated ones Thou wilt reject like impurity.
And a stormy wind ... their [p]ractice.
And those who fear Thee shall be before Thee always.
(Their) horns are horns made of iron to gore many, and they will gore ...
And Thou wilt make their hoofs of bronze, but sinners like dung shall be trampled upon the ground ...
Fr. 69
... When he saw that the peoples [of the la]nd behaved abominably,
... all the land (turned) wholly into impure uncleanness, and from the beginning marvellously ... he consulted his heart to destroy them from it (the land) and make on it a [holy(?)] people.
... in you and he gave you through his spirit prophets to instruct and teach you ...
... your [God(?)] descended from heaven and spoke to you to instruct you and bring you back from the works of the inhabitants [of the land].
... [pre]cepts, laws and commandments he established through a covenant by the hand [of Moses].
... dwelt (?) on the land. Then it will be cleansed and ...
... to consider you whether you will be his.
And if [not,] ...
And to breach the covenant which he made with you and to become a stranger and not ...
... over wickedness and to change the words of his mouth ...
Frs. 76-7
... [the congregati]on of the Holy of Holies and the lot of the King of Kings ...
... my words and they will consider the wisdom which is issued from my mouth.
... and a true judge and faithful witness.
Is there strength in you to answer Him ...
... to hear.
... Who among you will answer and stand up against his rebuke? ...
... For you have many judges and countless (hostile) witnesses.
But ... the Lord will sit in judgement against you, judging truly and without injustice ...
... his spirits to pronounce on you true judgements.
Is there understanding for you to learn ... ?
... Lord of lords, mighty and marvellous and none is like him.
He has chosen y[ou instead of power]ful [peoples] and great nations to be his people to rule over all ...
... [hea]ven and earth and as the highest above all the nations of the earth ...
Hymnsforthe Sabbath Day
Give thanks ...
[Bless] His holy Name always
... all the angels of the holy firmament
... [above] the heavens, the earth and all its deep places, the great [Abyss] and Abaddon and the waters and all that is [in them.]
[Let] all His creatures [bless Him] always for everlasting [ages. Amen! Amen!]
... bless His holy Name.
Sing to God...
II ... Blessed be the God who has given us rest. [Amen], amen.
[Prayer on the] fourth [da]y.
Remember, O Lord ...
Fr. 4
II ... We know these through Thy Ho[ly] Spirit which Thou hast granted us.
[Have mercy on us] and remember us not for the iniquities of the men of old in all their evi[l] dealings, [nor] their stiff necks.
Thou redeem us and, [pray,] forgive our iniquities and [our] s[ins].
Fr. 6
II ... Remember, pray, that we are Thy people and that Thou hast carried us marvellously [on the wings of] eagles and hast brought us towards Thee.
And like an eagle which rouses its nestlings and hovers over [its young], spreads out its wings, takes one and carries it on [its pinions], so we dwell apart and are not reckoned among the nations and ...
Thou art in our midst in the pillar of fire and the cloud [of] Thy [holi]ness walking before us, and as it were Thy glory in our mid[st] ...
Fr. 8 recto
II ... [Rememb]er, O Lo[r]d that... Thou hast fashioned A[dam], our [f]ather, in the likeness of [Thy] glory;
Thou didst breathe [a breath of life] into his nostrils and, with understanding, knowledge [Thou didst give him] ...
Thou didst make [him] to rule [over the Gar]den of Eden which Thou didst plant... and to walk in the land of glory... he guarded.
And Thou didst enjoin him not to st[ray ...]... he is flesh and to dust [he will return (?)] ... And Thou, Thou knowest... for everlasting generations
... a living God and Thy hand ... man in the ways of... [to fill the] earth with [vi]olence and to shed [innocent blood] ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
58
... Prayer for the Day of Atonement.
Remember O Lord, the feast of mercies and the time of return (?)...
Thou hast established it for us as a feast of fasting, and an everlas[ting] precept ... Thou knowest the hidden things and the things reveal[ed] ...
Fr. 3
... Thou didst establish [Thy Covenant] with Noah ...
4Q509, fr. 3 (cf. 1Q34 bis)
For Thou hast caused us to rejoice, removing our grief, and hast assembled our banished ones for a feast of...
Thou shalt gather our dispersed women for the season of ...
Thy [me]rcies on our congregation like ra[in-drops on the earth in the season of sowing...
and like showers on the gr]ass in the seasons of sprouting and...
We shall recount Thy marvels from generation to generation.
Blessed be the Lord who has caused us to rejoice...
Fr. 132
II [Prayer for the Day of] Firstfruits.
Remember, O Lord, the feast of ...
and the pleasing free-will offerings which Thou hast commanded...
[to br]ing before Thee the firstfruits of [Thy] works ...
Prayers for Festivals
(4Q 507-9)
4Q507, fr. 1
We are (encompassed) by iniquity since the womb, and since the breast by guilt. While we live, we walk in iniquity...
4Q508, fr. 1 (cf. 1Q34 bis)
[And the righteous... to grow fat thanks to the clouds of heaven and the produce of the land, to distingui]sh the righteous from the wicked.
And Thou shalt make of the wicked our expiation, and by the upright Thou shalt destroy all our oppressors.
And we will praise Thy na[m]e for ever and ever.
For [Thou hast created us for this] and we answer Thee with this: Blessed be ...
Fr. 2 (cf. 1Q34 bis)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
... Prayer for the Day of Atonement.
Remember O Lord, the feast of mercies and the time of return (?)...
Thou hast established it for us as a feast of fasting, and an everlas[ting] precept ... Thou knowest the hidden things and the things reveal[ed] ...
Fr. 3
... Thou didst establish [Thy Covenant] with Noah ...
4Q509, fr. 3 (cf. 1Q34 bis)
For Thou hast caused us to rejoice, removing our grief, and hast assembled our banished ones for a feast of...
Thou shalt gather our dispersed women for the season of ...
Thy [me]rcies on our congregation like ra[in-drops on the earth in the season of sowing...
and like showers on the gr]ass in the seasons of sprouting and...
We shall recount Thy marvels from generation to generation.
Blessed be the Lord who has caused us to rejoice...
Fr. 132
II [Prayer for the Day of] Firstfruits.
Remember, O Lord, the feast of ...
and the pleasing free-will offerings which Thou hast commanded...
[to br]ing before Thee the firstfruits of [Thy] works ...
Prayers for Festivals
(4Q 507-9)
4Q507, fr. 1
We are (encompassed) by iniquity since the womb, and since the breast by guilt. While we live, we walk in iniquity...
4Q508, fr. 1 (cf. 1Q34 bis)
[And the righteous... to grow fat thanks to the clouds of heaven and the produce of the land, to distingui]sh the righteous from the wicked.
And Thou shalt make of the wicked our expiation, and by the upright Thou shalt destroy all our oppressors.
And we will praise Thy na[m]e for ever and ever.
For [Thou hast created us for this] and we answer Thee with this: Blessed be ...
Fr. 2 (cf. 1Q34 bis)
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59
Daily Prayers
(4Q 503)
III And when the sun rises... the firmament of heaven, they shall bless.
Answer[ing they shall say:] Blessed be the Go[d of Israel ... ]
Today... in the fourt[h of the gates of light... ]
On the fifth [of the month in the eve]ning, they shall bless.
Answering, they shall say: Blessed be the God [of Israel] who hides...
before him in every division of his glory...
today the fourte[enth] ... light of the day.
Peace be on you, Israel ...
[When the sun] rise[s] to illumine the earth, they shall bless, and again the numbe[r shall be] ele[ven days] to the feasts of joy and the appointed times of g[lory,] for [this d]ay is in the fifteenth of the gate[s of light] ...
[Peace be on you,] Israel.
On the sixth of the month in the evening, they shall bless.
Answering, they shall [say]: Bles[sed be theь God] of Israel ...
And when [the sun rises to illumine the earth, they shall bless. Answering, they shall say]
Frs. 7-9
IV ... Peace [be on you, Israel] ...
On the seventh of [the month in the evening, they shall bless.
Answering, they shall say:] Blessed be the God of Is[rael] ...
Fr. 11
[On the t]welfth of the month in the evening [they shall bless] ... (This probably continues up to the 26th of the month.)
Prayer or Hymn Celebrating the Morning and the
Evening
(4Q 408)
Fr. I
... [B1]essed art Thou, O Lord, who art righteous in all Thy ways.
Be mighty in strength ... [in Thy judge]ments.
Thou who art faithful ... Thou art understanding [with all in]telligence ... might.
Thou who art ... to bring out ... who hast created the morning as a sign to reveal the dominion of the light as the boundary of the daytime ... for their work.
To bless Thy holy name Thou hast created them. For the light is good ... [Thou art ... ]who hast created the evening as a sign to reveal the dominion [of darkness] ... from labour.
Thou hast [c]reated them to bless Thy holy name] when they see that the light is good and when ...
Thou hast created the evening as a sign (to mark) the appearance of the dominion of [darkness] ...
Fr. 2
... [thei]r ... in the strength of their majesty and all the [sp]irits of those who bring to the Sanctua[ry] ...
in [their] comp[anies and in] their [do]minions, the mighty of the ‘gods’ with power.
vacat
... zeal for judgement with strength.
vacat
... [they shall] all [bless in com]munity Thy holy name....
[Ho]ly of Holies [they] will curse
... knowledge of understanding ...
vacat
... joyous cry ...
Fr. 3
... ru[ling] angels ... in (a]ll their services ... [sp]arks and lightnings ...
the angels of rain cl[oud]s, and heavy clouds and thick [clouds] and dewdrops
... and all the spirits of dominations ...
when they were created ... [suc]ceed one another ...
Fr. 5
... the earth and everything [on it, and the world and all its] inhabitants.
The ground and all its devices; [the earth and al]l that exist on it.
[The mountains and al]l the hills; the valleys and all the ravines;
the dry lan[d ...] its [ce]dars; the low-lying woods and all the deserts of desolation
... and its voids; and the foundations of its structure.
The jackals and ...
... the tall trees, their fruit and all the cedars of Leban[on] ...
[Grain, win]e and oil and all the produce.
... and all the wave-offerings of the world in tw[elve] months ...
... Thy words. Amen, amen.
Fr. 7a i
I ... and all their elect ... ... and all who know the song of ... and the
blessings of truth in the fe[stive] times ... and the kingdom shall be lifted
up among the p[eople]s ...
the assembly of the pure ‘gods’ and all who possess everlasting knowledge to prai[se and to bl]ess Thy glorious name in all the [everlasting ages]. Amen, amen.
Frs. 20+13+4Q288
[Every one should rebuke his fellow in truth, and virtuous humility and with] righteous [intenti]on [in the Community of God.
And whoever] has erred when returning [to the truth], they shall rebuke him [according to] their [commandments].
They shall rebuke him and have mercy [on him if he transgr]esses.
Let no [man] bear gru[dge against his fellow from one day] to [ano]ther.
[Let him] not hate him in his heart [so as n]o[t to bear guilt because of him.
And whatever is revealed to the men] of the Community let him instruct [him with] his mer[ciful love] and with the spirit [of humility he shall distance him from the deeds of]
deceitfulness.
The [Guardian of the Congregation shall ad]monish him regarding all [the regulations] perfecting his deeds from all [sin through re]buking him before wi[tnesses.
Let no man take revenge] on his own behalf in any matter for he will be punished [for six months/one year (?)]
... Let no one take the law [in his own hand, disobeying the order of his fellow.
Let him not speak to him] in anger or out of envy prompted by the spirit of wickedness, disregarding the dignity of his colleague with [heated] anger, standing up against him without [justification].
4Q287 fr. 3
... and they shall bless Thy holy name with benedictions of...
the Holy of Holies.
And all the creatures of flesh [shall bl]ess Thee, all of them that Thou has crea[ted] ... the beasts and the birds and the worms and the fish of the sea and all ...
Thou hast created them all renewing ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Daily Prayers
(4Q 503)
III And when the sun rises... the firmament of heaven, they shall bless.
Answer[ing they shall say:] Blessed be the Go[d of Israel ... ]
Today... in the fourt[h of the gates of light... ]
On the fifth [of the month in the eve]ning, they shall bless.
Answering, they shall say: Blessed be the God [of Israel] who hides...
before him in every division of his glory...
today the fourte[enth] ... light of the day.
Peace be on you, Israel ...
[When the sun] rise[s] to illumine the earth, they shall bless, and again the numbe[r shall be] ele[ven days] to the feasts of joy and the appointed times of g[lory,] for [this d]ay is in the fifteenth of the gate[s of light] ...
[Peace be on you,] Israel.
On the sixth of the month in the evening, they shall bless.
Answering, they shall [say]: Bles[sed be theь God] of Israel ...
And when [the sun rises to illumine the earth, they shall bless. Answering, they shall say]
Frs. 7-9
IV ... Peace [be on you, Israel] ...
On the seventh of [the month in the evening, they shall bless.
Answering, they shall say:] Blessed be the God of Is[rael] ...
Fr. 11
[On the t]welfth of the month in the evening [they shall bless] ... (This probably continues up to the 26th of the month.)
Prayer or Hymn Celebrating the Morning and the
Evening
(4Q 408)
Fr. I
... [B1]essed art Thou, O Lord, who art righteous in all Thy ways.
Be mighty in strength ... [in Thy judge]ments.
Thou who art faithful ... Thou art understanding [with all in]telligence ... might.
Thou who art ... to bring out ... who hast created the morning as a sign to reveal the dominion of the light as the boundary of the daytime ... for their work.
To bless Thy holy name Thou hast created them. For the light is good ... [Thou art ... ]who hast created the evening as a sign to reveal the dominion [of darkness] ... from labour.
Thou hast [c]reated them to bless Thy holy name] when they see that the light is good and when ...
Thou hast created the evening as a sign (to mark) the appearance of the dominion of [darkness] ...
Fr. 2
... [thei]r ... in the strength of their majesty and all the [sp]irits of those who bring to the Sanctua[ry] ...
in [their] comp[anies and in] their [do]minions, the mighty of the ‘gods’ with power.
vacat
... zeal for judgement with strength.
vacat
... [they shall] all [bless in com]munity Thy holy name....
[Ho]ly of Holies [they] will curse
... knowledge of understanding ...
vacat
... joyous cry ...
Fr. 3
... ru[ling] angels ... in (a]ll their services ... [sp]arks and lightnings ...
the angels of rain cl[oud]s, and heavy clouds and thick [clouds] and dewdrops
... and all the spirits of dominations ...
when they were created ... [suc]ceed one another ...
Fr. 5
... the earth and everything [on it, and the world and all its] inhabitants.
The ground and all its devices; [the earth and al]l that exist on it.
[The mountains and al]l the hills; the valleys and all the ravines;
the dry lan[d ...] its [ce]dars; the low-lying woods and all the deserts of desolation
... and its voids; and the foundations of its structure.
The jackals and ...
... the tall trees, their fruit and all the cedars of Leban[on] ...
[Grain, win]e and oil and all the produce.
... and all the wave-offerings of the world in tw[elve] months ...
... Thy words. Amen, amen.
Fr. 7a i
I ... and all their elect ... ... and all who know the song of ... and the
blessings of truth in the fe[stive] times ... and the kingdom shall be lifted
up among the p[eople]s ...
the assembly of the pure ‘gods’ and all who possess everlasting knowledge to prai[se and to bl]ess Thy glorious name in all the [everlasting ages]. Amen, amen.
Frs. 20+13+4Q288
[Every one should rebuke his fellow in truth, and virtuous humility and with] righteous [intenti]on [in the Community of God.
And whoever] has erred when returning [to the truth], they shall rebuke him [according to] their [commandments].
They shall rebuke him and have mercy [on him if he transgr]esses.
Let no [man] bear gru[dge against his fellow from one day] to [ano]ther.
[Let him] not hate him in his heart [so as n]o[t to bear guilt because of him.
And whatever is revealed to the men] of the Community let him instruct [him with] his mer[ciful love] and with the spirit [of humility he shall distance him from the deeds of]
deceitfulness.
The [Guardian of the Congregation shall ad]monish him regarding all [the regulations] perfecting his deeds from all [sin through re]buking him before wi[tnesses.
Let no man take revenge] on his own behalf in any matter for he will be punished [for six months/one year (?)]
... Let no one take the law [in his own hand, disobeying the order of his fellow.
Let him not speak to him] in anger or out of envy prompted by the spirit of wickedness, disregarding the dignity of his colleague with [heated] anger, standing up against him without [justification].
4Q287 fr. 3
... and they shall bless Thy holy name with benedictions of...
the Holy of Holies.
And all the creatures of flesh [shall bl]ess Thee, all of them that Thou has crea[ted] ... the beasts and the birds and the worms and the fish of the sea and all ...
Thou hast created them all renewing ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
60
Confession Ritual
(4Q393)
Fragmentary remains of a communal confession of sins, spoken in the first person plural, recall the language of Psalm li, Jeremiah and Deuteronomy, and resemble confession prayers in Ezra ix, 5-15; Daniel ix, 4-19; 1QS 1, 24-11, 1.
In the latter text, the parallel confession is part of the ceremony of the renewal of the Covenant.
The script is dated to mid-first century BCE.
For the editio princeps, see Daniel Falk, DJD, XXIX, 45-61.
I ... in order that Thou be justified by Thy wor[ds] ... we were poured out
through our iniquities ... they [stiff]ened the neck.
Our God, hide Thy face from [our] si[ns and] blot out [al]l our iniquities and create in us a new spirit, O Lord.... [do not] withhold faithfulness and to rebels ... and
bring back sinners to Thee.
And [do not] reject from Thee the broken [spir]it, O God. According to Thy people in order to ... and always on ...
nations and kingdoms ... their word[s] ... to Thy peoples in order to ...
II ... the faithful God who keep [the] covenant and loving-kindness to those who love [Thee and who keep Thy commandments which Thou didst command] to Moses.
Do not forsake Thy people [and] Thine [in]heritance.
And let no man walk in the stubbornness of his [evil] heart.
O God, in Thy goodwill ...
Thy people and Thine inheritance shall not be forsa[k]en and let no man walk in the stubbornness of his evil heart.
And where is Strength? And on whom shalt Thou cause Thy face to shine without his being purified?
And they shall be sanctified and exalted above everything.
It is Thou O Lord who hast chosen our fathers from of old.
Thou hast caused us to stand for them as a remnant to give us (the covenant) which Thou hast established with Abraham for Israel that they might possess the proud ... mighty men, the hosts of those who are powerful, giving us houses filled with ...
water, vineyards and olive trees [and] an inheritance of the people ...
Frs. 29-32
VII And he will bless there [the God of Israel. Answering, he will say:
Blessed art Thou, God of Israel. And I stand] before Thee on the feas[t]
... Thou hast ... me for purity ... and his burnt-offering and he will bless.
Answering he will say: Blessed art Thou, [God of Israel, who hast delivered me from al]l my sins and purified me from impure indecency and hast atoned so that I come ... purification and the blood of the burnt-offering of Thy goodwill and the pleasing memorial ...
A Liturgical Work
Fr. 1
... each to be united with [G]od and not to depart from a[ll] ...
and their soul will cling to His Covenant and ...
the words of the mouth of ...
The Go[d] ... the heaven above and to search out the ways of the sons of man (leaving) no secret [in their heart(?)].
He created darkness [and l]ight is His, and in His dwelling is the most perfect light, and all gloominess ceases before Him.
It is not for Himself the distinction between light and darkness, for He has distinguished them for the sons of man: light during the day by means of the sun; (and during the) night (by means of) moon and stars.
The inscrutable light is with Him, and His knowledge is without [end, f]or all the works of God are multiple (?).
We who are flesh, should we not consider this? With us ...
for countless signs and wonders ... [wi]nds and lightnings ... [s]ervants
of the most holy pla[ce].
From before Him proceed the lu[minaries] ...
Frs. 2 and 5 (4Q393 1 i)
... [they did not lis]ten to the signs and wonders ... plagues [which no kingdom has seen] until this day and ...
He has brought us out [of the land of Egypt] without being counted.
In the mighty waters he made a path ...
the great [abyss] [and He made] him [sin]k like stone in the deep ...
The Triumph of Righteousness or Mysteries
I ... all {so that they might know the difference between g[ood and evil]
...} (4Q300) the mysteries of sin ... {all their wisdom} (4Q300).
They know not the mystery to come, nor do they understand the things of the past.
They know not that which shall befall them, nor do they save their soul from the mystery to come.
And this shall be the sign for you that these things shall come to
pass.
When the breed of iniquity is shut up, wickedness shall then be banished by righteousness as darkness is banished by the light.
As smoke clears and is no more, so shall wickedness perish for ever and
righteousness be revealed like a sun governing the world.
All who cleave to the mysteries of sin shall be no more; knowledge shall fill the
world and folly shall exist no longer.
This word shall surely come to pass; this prophecy is true.
And by this may it be known to you that it shall not be taken back.
Do not all the peoples loathe iniquity?
And yet it is spread by them all.
Does not the fame of truth issue from the mouth of all the nations?
Yet is there a lip or tongue which holds to it?
Which nation likes to be oppressed by another stronger than itself, or likes its wealth to be wickedly seized?
And yet which nation has not oppressed another,
and where is there a people which has not seized [another]’s wealth?
4Q299, fr. 3a 4-6 (4Q300 5)
... And what shall man be called ... wise and righteous, for man has no ... ,
nor concealed wisdom save the wisdom of wicked cunning and the de[sign of] ... a deed that shall not be done again except ...
the word of his Maker.
And what shall a m[an] do ... who rebels against the word of his Maker, his name shall be expunged from the mouth of all ...
Listen, you who hold up [truth (?)] ... eternity and the plans of existence and the
thou[ghts] ... every mystery and establishes every plan.
He is the author of all [that is to come.]
He is from before eternity. ‘He’ is His name and for e[ver] ...
4Q300 1a-b ii 4=4Q299 2 i 14
... [the sorc]erers, experts in sin, have uttered the parable and proclaimed the riddle in advance.
And then you will know if you have considered ... and the attestations of heave[n] ... your foolishness for the [s]eal of the vision is sealed away from you.
And you have not considered the mysteries of eternity and have not comprehended understanding.
Th[en] you will say ... for you have not considered the root of wisdom.
And if you open the vision, it will remain shut from you
... all your wisdom for the ... is for you ... his name for [wh]at is the hidden wisdom ...
4Q301
Fr.1
I will cause my spirit to flow and I will divide my words for you according
to your kinds ... [a p]arable and a riddle.
And those who search for the roots of understanding together with those who hold unto the [wonderful] my[steries] ...
those who are silly, and the scheming men for all the acomplishments of their actions ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Confession Ritual
(4Q393)
Fragmentary remains of a communal confession of sins, spoken in the first person plural, recall the language of Psalm li, Jeremiah and Deuteronomy, and resemble confession prayers in Ezra ix, 5-15; Daniel ix, 4-19; 1QS 1, 24-11, 1.
In the latter text, the parallel confession is part of the ceremony of the renewal of the Covenant.
The script is dated to mid-first century BCE.
For the editio princeps, see Daniel Falk, DJD, XXIX, 45-61.
I ... in order that Thou be justified by Thy wor[ds] ... we were poured out
through our iniquities ... they [stiff]ened the neck.
Our God, hide Thy face from [our] si[ns and] blot out [al]l our iniquities and create in us a new spirit, O Lord.... [do not] withhold faithfulness and to rebels ... and
bring back sinners to Thee.
And [do not] reject from Thee the broken [spir]it, O God. According to Thy people in order to ... and always on ...
nations and kingdoms ... their word[s] ... to Thy peoples in order to ...
II ... the faithful God who keep [the] covenant and loving-kindness to those who love [Thee and who keep Thy commandments which Thou didst command] to Moses.
Do not forsake Thy people [and] Thine [in]heritance.
And let no man walk in the stubbornness of his [evil] heart.
O God, in Thy goodwill ...
Thy people and Thine inheritance shall not be forsa[k]en and let no man walk in the stubbornness of his evil heart.
And where is Strength? And on whom shalt Thou cause Thy face to shine without his being purified?
And they shall be sanctified and exalted above everything.
It is Thou O Lord who hast chosen our fathers from of old.
Thou hast caused us to stand for them as a remnant to give us (the covenant) which Thou hast established with Abraham for Israel that they might possess the proud ... mighty men, the hosts of those who are powerful, giving us houses filled with ...
water, vineyards and olive trees [and] an inheritance of the people ...
Frs. 29-32
VII And he will bless there [the God of Israel. Answering, he will say:
Blessed art Thou, God of Israel. And I stand] before Thee on the feas[t]
... Thou hast ... me for purity ... and his burnt-offering and he will bless.
Answering he will say: Blessed art Thou, [God of Israel, who hast delivered me from al]l my sins and purified me from impure indecency and hast atoned so that I come ... purification and the blood of the burnt-offering of Thy goodwill and the pleasing memorial ...
A Liturgical Work
Fr. 1
... each to be united with [G]od and not to depart from a[ll] ...
and their soul will cling to His Covenant and ...
the words of the mouth of ...
The Go[d] ... the heaven above and to search out the ways of the sons of man (leaving) no secret [in their heart(?)].
He created darkness [and l]ight is His, and in His dwelling is the most perfect light, and all gloominess ceases before Him.
It is not for Himself the distinction between light and darkness, for He has distinguished them for the sons of man: light during the day by means of the sun; (and during the) night (by means of) moon and stars.
The inscrutable light is with Him, and His knowledge is without [end, f]or all the works of God are multiple (?).
We who are flesh, should we not consider this? With us ...
for countless signs and wonders ... [wi]nds and lightnings ... [s]ervants
of the most holy pla[ce].
From before Him proceed the lu[minaries] ...
Frs. 2 and 5 (4Q393 1 i)
... [they did not lis]ten to the signs and wonders ... plagues [which no kingdom has seen] until this day and ...
He has brought us out [of the land of Egypt] without being counted.
In the mighty waters he made a path ...
the great [abyss] [and He made] him [sin]k like stone in the deep ...
The Triumph of Righteousness or Mysteries
I ... all {so that they might know the difference between g[ood and evil]
...} (4Q300) the mysteries of sin ... {all their wisdom} (4Q300).
They know not the mystery to come, nor do they understand the things of the past.
They know not that which shall befall them, nor do they save their soul from the mystery to come.
And this shall be the sign for you that these things shall come to
pass.
When the breed of iniquity is shut up, wickedness shall then be banished by righteousness as darkness is banished by the light.
As smoke clears and is no more, so shall wickedness perish for ever and
righteousness be revealed like a sun governing the world.
All who cleave to the mysteries of sin shall be no more; knowledge shall fill the
world and folly shall exist no longer.
This word shall surely come to pass; this prophecy is true.
And by this may it be known to you that it shall not be taken back.
Do not all the peoples loathe iniquity?
And yet it is spread by them all.
Does not the fame of truth issue from the mouth of all the nations?
Yet is there a lip or tongue which holds to it?
Which nation likes to be oppressed by another stronger than itself, or likes its wealth to be wickedly seized?
And yet which nation has not oppressed another,
and where is there a people which has not seized [another]’s wealth?
4Q299, fr. 3a 4-6 (4Q300 5)
... And what shall man be called ... wise and righteous, for man has no ... ,
nor concealed wisdom save the wisdom of wicked cunning and the de[sign of] ... a deed that shall not be done again except ...
the word of his Maker.
And what shall a m[an] do ... who rebels against the word of his Maker, his name shall be expunged from the mouth of all ...
Listen, you who hold up [truth (?)] ... eternity and the plans of existence and the
thou[ghts] ... every mystery and establishes every plan.
He is the author of all [that is to come.]
He is from before eternity. ‘He’ is His name and for e[ver] ...
4Q300 1a-b ii 4=4Q299 2 i 14
... [the sorc]erers, experts in sin, have uttered the parable and proclaimed the riddle in advance.
And then you will know if you have considered ... and the attestations of heave[n] ... your foolishness for the [s]eal of the vision is sealed away from you.
And you have not considered the mysteries of eternity and have not comprehended understanding.
Th[en] you will say ... for you have not considered the root of wisdom.
And if you open the vision, it will remain shut from you
... all your wisdom for the ... is for you ... his name for [wh]at is the hidden wisdom ...
4Q301
Fr.1
I will cause my spirit to flow and I will divide my words for you according
to your kinds ... [a p]arable and a riddle.
And those who search for the roots of understanding together with those who hold unto the [wonderful] my[steries] ...
those who are silly, and the scheming men for all the acomplishments of their actions ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4Q88
Column IX
[ . . . ]
The masses
will worship God because He has come to judge everything
and to rid the earth of evil,
so that sinners shall find no repose,
the heavens shall give their due,
and there will be no wrong doings there.
The earth will produce crops in its season
and they shall not fail.
The fruit trees shall [ . . . ] of their vineyards
and their springs will not dry up.
The poor will eat for those who follow YHWH shall not go hungry.
Column X
[ . . . ]
[ . . . ] meanwhile the heavens and earth will praise together
And all the evening starts will then adore.
Rejoice, Judah, be happy!
Be glad and let your joy shine forth!
Keep your feasts and your oaths
because within you there is no Belial.
Raise your hand, make your right hand strong. See, your foes shall be eliminated.
And all evil doers shall fell.
But you, YHWH, shall remain forever.
Your glory is everlasting.
[Hallelujah!]
11Q5
Column IX
[ . . . ]
The masses
will worship God because He has come to judge everything
and to rid the earth of evil,
so that sinners shall find no repose,
the heavens shall give their due,
and there will be no wrong doings there.
The earth will produce crops in its season
and they shall not fail.
The fruit trees shall [ . . . ] of their vineyards
and their springs will not dry up.
The poor will eat for those who follow YHWH shall not go hungry.
Column X
[ . . . ]
[ . . . ] meanwhile the heavens and earth will praise together
And all the evening starts will then adore.
Rejoice, Judah, be happy!
Be glad and let your joy shine forth!
Keep your feasts and your oaths
because within you there is no Belial.
Raise your hand, make your right hand strong. See, your foes shall be eliminated.
And all evil doers shall fell.
But you, YHWH, shall remain forever.
Your glory is everlasting.
[Hallelujah!]
11Q5
“…praises. Benedictions for the King of glory. Words of thanksgiving
in psalms of…to the God of knowledge, the Splendour of power, the God
of Gods. Lord of all the holy. His dominion is over all the powerful
mighty ones and by the power of his might all shall be terrified and
shall be terrified and shall scatter and be put to flight by the
splendor of the dwelling of his kingly glory. And I, the Master,
proclaim the majesty of his beauty to frighten and terrify all the
spirits of the destroying angels and the spirits of the bastards, the
demons, Lilith, the howlers and the yelpers…they who strike suddenly
to lead astray the spirit of understanding and to appal their heart
and their…in the age of the domination of wickedness and the appointed
times for the humiliation of the sons of light, in the guilt of the
ages of those smitten by iniquity, not for eternal destruction but for
the humiliation of sin. Exalt, O just, the God of marvels. My psalms
are for the upright…May all whose way is perfect exalt him.”
Psalm 4.
I thank you, O Lord,
for your eye is awake and watches over my soul.
You rescue me from the jealousy of liars,
from the congregation of those who seek the smooth way.
But you save the soul of the poor
whom they planned to destroy
by spilling the blood of your servant.
I walked because of you - but they didn't know this.
They laughed at me. They shamed me
with lies from their mouth.
But you helped the soul of the poor and the weak,
you saved me from their harsh arms,
you redeemed me amid their taunts.
From the wicked I do not fear destruction.
I thank you, O Lord,
for your eye is awake and watches over my soul.
You rescue me from the jealousy of liars,
from the congregation of those who seek the smooth way.
But you save the soul of the poor
whom they planned to destroy
by spilling the blood of your servant.
I walked because of you - but they didn't know this.
They laughed at me. They shamed me
with lies from their mouth.
But you helped the soul of the poor and the weak,
you saved me from their harsh arms,
you redeemed me amid their taunts.
From the wicked I do not fear destruction.
Psalm 23.
Your holy spirit
illuminates the dark places of the heart
of your servant,
with light like the sun.
I look to the covenants made by men,
worthless.
Only your truth shines,
and those who love it are wise
and walk in the glow
of your light.
From darkness you raise hearts.
Let light shine on your servant.
Your light is everlasting.
Your holy spirit
illuminates the dark places of the heart
of your servant,
with light like the sun.
I look to the covenants made by men,
worthless.
Only your truth shines,
and those who love it are wise
and walk in the glow
of your light.
From darkness you raise hearts.
Let light shine on your servant.
Your light is everlasting.
One of the earliest extant texts that directly uses the name Lilith is Songs of the Sage (4Q510-511) fragment 1- or Songs of the Maskil (Instructor). The work contains incantations for protection from evil spirits, lists of infernal names, and instructions for exorcism.
"And I, the Instructor, proclaim His glorious splendour so as to frighten and to te[rrify] all the spirits of the destroying angels, spirits of the bastards, demons, Lilith, howlers, and [desert dwellers…] and those which fall upon men without warning to lead them astray from a spirit of understanding and to make their heart and their […] desolate during the present dominion of wickedness and predetermined time of humiliations for the sons of lig[ht], by the guilt of the ages of [those] smitten by iniquity – not for eternal destruction, [bu]t for an era of humiliation for transgression.
Sing for joy, O righteous ones, for the God of wonder- my psalms are for the upright and [let...] all who are blameless exalt Him."
"And I, the Instructor, proclaim His glorious splendour so as to frighten and to te[rrify] all the spirits of the destroying angels, spirits of the bastards, demons, Lilith, howlers, and [desert dwellers…] and those which fall upon men without warning to lead them astray from a spirit of understanding and to make their heart and their […] desolate during the present dominion of wickedness and predetermined time of humiliations for the sons of lig[ht], by the guilt of the ages of [those] smitten by iniquity – not for eternal destruction, [bu]t for an era of humiliation for transgression.
Sing for joy, O righteous ones, for the God of wonder- my psalms are for the upright and [let...] all who are blameless exalt Him."
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