B — Hymns and Poems

Non-canonical Psalms (4Q380-81)

1Two poorly preserved manuscripts, the first consisting of seven and the second of 110 fragments, contain apocryphal Hebrew religious poetry resembling biblical Psalms more than the Hodayot (1QH) from Qumran. Some of them reuse and combine canonical Psalms (e.g. fr. 15 re-employing Pss. lxxxvi and lxxxix, and fr. 24, Ps. xviii). Not one single line has survived intact and only a few of these largely mediocre poems can be translated. Their editor, Eileen Schuller, assigns the collection to the Persian-Hellenistic era and considers it to be a pre- sectarian composition. Palaeographically the manuscript is dated to the first half of the first century BCE. No historical allusions are included. Like many of the biblical Psalms, these poems bore titles, three of which have been preserved: 'Psalm of Obadiah' (4Q380 1 11, 8); 'Hymn of the Man of God' (4Q381 24, 4) and 'Prayer of Manasseh, King of Judah when the King of Assyria imprisoned him' (4Q381 33, 8). The attributions are no doubt pseudepigraphic. Whether Obadiah is the minor prophet or the court official mentioned in 1 Kings xviii, 3 cannot be decided. For the editio princeps, see Eileen Schuller, DJD, XI, 75-172. 4Q380, fr. 1 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?

2The 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).

3II [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

4He 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,

5high 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,

6and 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 ...

7... 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] ...

8Fr. 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

9to 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

10and as the highest above all the nations of the earth ...