Damascus Document

Foundation of the Zadokite party; laws for oaths, courts, witnesses

4And if they settle in camps according to the order of the land and take wives and beget children, they shall walk according to the Law, and according tothe judgements of the ordinances according to the order of the Law as He spake, ‘between a man and his wife, and between a father and his son’. will bring a visitation upon the land they shall be requited with the recompense of the wicked ; when there shall come to pass the word which is written in the words of Isaiah the son of Amos 8 the prophet, who said : ‘ He will bring upon thee and upon thy people and upon thy father’s house days that have (not) come from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah. \ clauses recur in When the two houses of Israel separated, [Ephraim departed from Judah, and] all who proved faithless were delivered to the sword, and those who held fast escaped into the land of the North.

5As He said, ‘And I will cause to go into captivity Siccuth your King and Chiun your images,

6the star of your god which ye made for yourselves) beyond Damascus.’ The books of the Law are the tabernacle of the King, as He said, ‘ And I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is

12And this also shall be the judgement of all them who have entered into His covenant, who will not hold fast to these (statutes): they shall be visited for destruction through the hand 13 0) Belial. This is the day on which God shall visit (as He hath spoken) : ‘The princes of Judah were (like them that removed the landmark): Upon them will I pour out(My)wrath (like water).

14For they are too sick to be healed, And they have been at the head of all the rebels.

15Because they have not turned from the way of traitors, But have wallowed in the ways of harlots, And in the wealth of wickedness and (in) revenge.

16And every man beareth a grudge against his brother, And every man hateth his neighbour.

17And they committed trespass every man against his next of kin, And drew near to unchastity : from Aaron and Israel. See note on i. 7. .

26B 26 the covenant of the fathers. But since He hated | is the covenant of the fathers. But God hates the builders of the wall His wrath was kindled. | and abhors the builders of the wall and His wrath was kindled against them and against all

27And such (will be) the case of all who reject the | who follow after them. And such (will be) the commandments of God, and forsake them and | case of all who reject the commandments of God, turn away in the stubbornness of their heart. and forsake them and turn away in the stubbornness of their heart. 28 ‘This is the word which Jeremiah spake to So are all the men who entered into the New Baruch the son of Neriah, and Elisha to his | Covenant in the land of Damascus and yet turned servant Gehazi. All the men who entered into | backward and acted treacherously and departed the New Covenant in the land of Damascus. from the spring of living waters. B 29 ‘They shall not be reckoned in the assembly of the people, and in its register they shall not be written, from the day when there was gathered in the Unique Teacher until there shall arise the

30Messiah from Aaron and from Israel. And such is the case for all that enter into the congregation 31 of the men of the perfection of holiness. And as for him who abhors doing precepts of upright men [he is the man who is melted in the furnace], when his deeds become known he shall be expelled from the congregation, as though his lot had not fallen among them that are taught of God. First of all 5y cannot stand. Next we might emend ayn into

32According to his trespass they shall record him as a perverted man until he come back to stand in 33 the office of the men of the perfection of holiness. And when his deeds become known, in accordance with the midrash of the Law in which walk the men of the perfection of holiness, no man shall consent (to be) with him in wealth and labour; for all the saints of the Most High have 34 cursed him. And such shall be the case of every one who rejects the first and the last, who have 35 placed idols upon their hearts and walked in the stubbornness of their hearts. They have no share 36 in the House of the Law. With a judgement like unto that of their neighbours who turned away 37 with the scornful men, they shall be judged. For they spake error against the statutes of righteousness, and rejected the covenant and the pledge of faith, which they had affirmed in the land 38 of Damascus; and this is the New Covenant. And there shall not be unto them nor unto their 39 families a share in the House of the Law. And from the day when there was gathered in the Unique Teacher until all the men of war were consumed who walked with the man of lies about forty years,

40And during this period there shall be kindled the wrath of God against Israel as He said, ‘ there 41 is no king and no prince’ and no judge, and none that rebuketh in righteousness,| Those who 42 repented of transgression (in Jacob) observed the covenant of God. Then they spake each man 43 with his neighbour (to strengthen one) another: ‘Let our steps hold fast to the way of God.’ And God hearkened to their words and heard, and a book of remembrance was written (before Him) for them that feared God (and) that thought upon His name until salvation and righteousness be revealed

5144 for (them that fear God. Then shall ye return and discern) between the righteous and wicked, 45 between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not. And He showeth mercy (unto thousands) of them that love Him and keep (His commandments) for a thousand generations. 46,47 {From the house of Peleg} that have gone out from the holy city. And they trusted in God throughout the period that Israel trespassed and polluted the Sanctuary and returned again to 48 molten images. The people with few words shall all be judged, each according to his spirit in 49 the counsel of holiness. And as for all those who have broken down the landmark of the Law amongst those who entered into the covenant, when there shall shine forth the glory of God to Israel, they shall be cut off from the midst of the camp, and with all those who do wickedly of Judah in the days of its testing. go But all they who hold fast by these judgements in going out and coming in according to the Law, and listen to the voice of the Teacher and confess before God (saying) 51 ‘We have done wickedly, we and our fathers, Because we have walked contrary to the statutes of the covenant, And true is thy judgement against us:’

52And (who) lift not the hand against His holy statutes, His righteous judgement, and the testimony 53 of His truth ; and are chastised by the first judgements with which the children of men were judged : and give ear to the voice of the Unique Teacher of Righteousness: and reject not the statutes of righteousness when they hear them: 44. From Mal.

54They shall rejoice and be glad, And their heart shall exult, And they shall make themselves strong against all the children of the world, And God will pardon them And they shall see His salvation ; For they trust in His holy name. A +

57And exalted themselves with a view to wealth and unjust gain, And every man did that which was right in his own eyes. And they chose every man the stubbornness of his heart, And they separated not from the people. And they cast off restraint with a high hand To walk in the way of the wicked, concerning whom God said: ‘Their wine is the poison of dragons And the cruel venom of asps.’ The dragons are the kings of the Gentiles and their wine is their ways, and the venom of asps is the head of the kings of Javan, who came to execute vengeance upon them. 17-21 B And they made themselves strong with a view to wealth and unjust gain, And every man did that which was right in his own eyes. And they chose every man the stubbornness of his heart, And they separated not from the people and their sins. And they cast off restraint with a high hand To walk in the ways of the wicked ; concerning whom God said: * Their wine is the poison of dragons And the cruel venom of asps.’ The dragons are the kings of the Gentiles and their wine is their ways, and the venom of asps is the head of the kings of Javan, who came to execute vengeance upon them. IX. 21-23. Neither to these things nor to Moses did the Builders of the Wall give heed. But despite all these things they who builded the wall and daubed it with untempered mortar line recurs. But despite all these things they who builded the wall and daubed it with untempered mortar But we might retain

58FRAGMENTS OF A 22204178 WORK 9. 22-25 A perceived not— For one who was }tperturbed} of spirit and talked lies talked to them— __ that the wrath of God was kindled against all His congregation : Nor that Moses said,‘ Not for thy righteousness or for the uprightness of thine heart dost thou go in to inherit these nations, but because He loved thy fathers and because He would keep the oath.’ B perceived not— For one who }walked in wind and weighed storms}, and talked lies to man {talked)\— that the wrath of God was kindled against all His congregation : Nor that Moses said to Israel, ‘Not for thy righteousness nor for the uprightness of thine heart dost thou go in to inherit these nations, but because He loved thy fathers and because He would keep the oath.’ but as He judged the Builders of the Wall, so shall those faithless to the New Covenant be judged, And such is the case of the penitents of Israel (who) turned aside from the way of the people. Owing to the love of God for the forefathers who stirred up (the people to follow) after Him, He loved them that came after them ; for theirs is Such is the case of the penitents of Israel (who) turned aside from the way of the people. Owing to the love of God for the forefathers who admonished the people (to follow) after God, He loved them that came after them, for theirs ample grounds for their opposition we learn from the words of Shammai, who lived in the first century B.c. This Rabbi said: ‘ We have two Toroth, the written Torah (