The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English

by Geza Vermes

  II In Tahpanes wh[ich is in the land of Egypt ... ] and they said to him, Inquire [of G]od for us.... But Jeremiah [did not listen] to them and did not inquire for them of Go[d] ... a jubilation and prayer. And Jeremiah lamented ... lamentations ov]er Jerusalem ... vacat [And the word of the Lord was addressed to] Jeremiah in the land of Tahpanes which was in the land of Eg[ypt ... Go to] the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah and Benjamin [... and speak to them saying,] Day by day seek my decrees and ke[ep] my commandments ... and do not [follow] the i[d]ols of the nations [after] which [your fathers] wa[lked ... for] they will not sa[ve y]ou ... nor ...

  4Q387, fr. 2 ii (4Q385a, fr. 4, 4Q389, fr. 8 ii)

  ... strengthen yourselves to serve Me with all your heart and al[l your soul].... in their distress. But I will not seek them on account of their unfaithfulness by which they were unfaithful to me until the completion of ten jubilee of years. And you will walk in ... and blindness and stupefaction of the heart. And after the completion of that generation I [will tear away] the kingship from the hand of those who have been holding fast to it and I shall place over it others from another people and impudence will rule on all [the ea]rth and the kingship of Israel will perish. In those days [there] will [be a king and h]e will be a reviler and he will perform abominations, but I will tear away [his] kingship and that king will be (destined) for kings. And My face will be concealed from Israel ... will return to many nations. And the sons of Israel will cry because of the heavy yoke in the lands of their captivity and there will be no saviour for them because they despised my decree and their soul loathed my Law ...

  Fr. 2 iii (4Q388a, fr. 7, 4Q389, fr. 8)

  ... In his days I will break the kingship of [Egypt] ... and I will break Israel and I will deliver them to the sword, [and I will de]stroy the [I]and and I will distance man and will leave the land into the hand of the angels of hostilities. And I will conceal [my] face [from Is]rael. And this is the sign for them. On the day when I will forsake the land ... the priests of Israel [will return] to worship other gods [and will perform the abomin]ations of the [nations] ...

  Fr. 3 (4Q385a, fr. 5)

  ... three priests who did not walk in the ways of the former [priests] and are called by the name of the God of Israel. And in their days the pride of the wicked ones of the Covenant and the worshippers of strange (gods) will be brought low. Israel will be torn in that generation, each man waging war against his neighbour because of the Law and the Covenant. And I will send famine into the [lan]d but not concerning bread and thirst, but no[t] concerning water ...

  4Q388a, fr. 7 (4Q387, fr. 2 iii, 4Q389, fr. 8 ii)

  I have despised them and they will again perform evil and evil will be greater than [the former evil, and they will breach] the Covenant which [I conclu]ded with Abraham and with Isaac and with [Jacob. In] those [days] a king will rise up [for the nat]ions, a reviler and he will do evil. And in [his] days I will [stop] Israel from being a people ... In his days I will break the kingship of [Egypt] ... and I will break Israel and I will deliver them to the sword, [and I will de]stroy the [l]and and I will distance man and will leave the land into the hand of the angels of hostilities. And I will conceal [my] face [from Is]rael. And this is the sign for them. On the day when I will forsake the land ... the priests of Israel [will return] to worship other gods [and will perform the abomin]ations of the [nations] ...

  4Q389, fr. 8 (4Q385a 4, 4Q387, 2 ii-iii, 4Q388a 7 ii)

  II ... a reviler and he will do abominations. And I will tear away his kingship and he too will be (destined) to (hostile) kings. And my face will be concealed from Israel and [the kingship] will return to many nations. And the sons of Israel will cry because of the heavy yoke in the lands of their captivity and there will be no saviour for them because they despised my decree and their soul loathed my Law. Therefore I have concealed my face from [them] until they have completed their iniquity. vacat And this is the sign for them regarding the completion of their iniquity. [For] I have forsaken the land because of the pride of their heart towards Me and they have not known that I have despised them and they will again perform evil which will be greater than the former evil. [And they will breach the Covenant which I conclu]ded with Abraham and with Isaac and with [Jacob. In] those [days] a king will rise up [for the nat]ions, a reviler and he will do evil. And in [his] days I will [stop] Israel from being a people. In his days I will break the kingship of [Egypt] ... Egypt and I will break Israel and I will deliver them to the sword ...

  4Q390, fr. I

  ... [and a]gain [I will give them] into the hand of the sons of Aar[on] ... seventy years. And the sons of Aaron will rule over them, but they will not walk [in] my [wa]ys which I command you to testify to them. And they will also do what is evil in my eyes just as everything the Israelites did in the earlier days of their kingship apart from those who return first from the land of their captivity to build the Sanctuary. And I will speak to them and send to them a commandment and they will understand all that they have forsaken, they and their fathers. And from the end of this generation in the seventh jubilee of the destruction of the land they will forget decree, festival, Sabbath and Covenant. And they will breach everything and will commit evil in my eyes. And I will conceal my face from them and will give them into the hand of their enemies and deliver [them] to the sword. But I will cause refugees to remain from among them so that [they should] not be an[nih]ilated by my anger [and] when [my] fa[ce] is concealed from them. And the angels of hostilities will rule over them and ... and again they will commit evil in [my] eyes and they will walk in the stub[bornness] of their heart ...

  Fr. 2 i

  I ... and the dominion of Belial will be on them to hand them over to the sword for a week of yea[rs ... And in] that jubilee, they will break all my precepts and all my commandments which I will have commanded th[em ... by the hand of] my servants the prophets, and they will [start] to contend one with another for seventy years from the day of breaking the [Law and the] Covenant which they will break. I will give them [into the hand of the an]gels of Persecutions, and they will rule over them, and they will not know and understand that I am furious with them because of their transgressions [by which they will have for]saken Me and will have done that which is evil in my eyes, and will have chosen that which I do not desire, striving for wealth and gain [and ... , on]e stealing that which is his fellow’s, and one oppressing another. They will pollute my Sanctuary [profane my sabbaths]; they will for[ge]t my [appoin]ted times and will pollute their s[ee]d. Their priests will act violently ...

  The New Jerusalem

  (4Q554-5, 5Q15, 1Q32, 2Q24, 4Q232, 11Q18)

  Fragments belonging to an Aramaic writing describing the Jerusalem of the eschatological age have been identified in Caves 1 (1Q32), 2 (2Q24), 4 (4Q554—5), 5 (5Q15) and 11 (11Q18). There are also Hebrew fragments listed under 4Q232.

  They are all inspired by Ezekiel xl-xlviii (cf. also Revelation xxi). On palaeographical considerations, the manuscripts are thought to date to around the turn of the era.

  The visionary responsible for this work accompanies an angelic ‘surveyor’ who measures everything in the New Jerusalem, from the size of the blocks of houses, the avenues and the streets, to the detailed dimensions of rooms, stairs and windows. The dimensions are given in ‘reeds’, each of which consists of seven ‘cubits’. But there seem to have been two cubits in use as ancient Jewish measurements, one approximately 20 inches (52 1 mm), the other 18 inches (446 mm) long.

  For the editio princeps, see J. T. Milik, DJD, III, 184-93. For smaller fragments, see Milik, DJD, I, 134-5; M. Baillet, DJD, III, 84-90; E. Puech, Semitica 43-4 (1995), 87-102; DJD, XXXVII. For 1 1Q18, see F. García Martinez et al., DJD, XXIII, 305-55.

  4Q554, fr. 1

  I ... [And they call this gate Gate of] Simeon ... ... [And they call this gate] Gate of Joseph ... ... [And they call this gate] Gate of Reuben ...

  II...

  ... [And they] c[al]l [the name of] this (one) [Gate] of Naphtali. And fro
m this gate he measured to the [eastern] gate 25 [s]tadia. And they call this gate Gate of Asher. And he measu[red from] this [ga]te to the eastern corner 25 stadia. vacat And he led me into the city, and he measured each block of houses for its length and width, fifty-one reeds by fifty-one, in a square a[ll]

  5Q15

  I [round] = 357 cubits to each side. A passage surrounds the block of houses, a street gallery, three reeds = 21 cubits, (wide).

  [He] then [showed me the di]mensions of [all] the blo[cks of houses. Between each block there is a street], six reeds = 42 cubits, wide. And the width of the avenues running from east to west: two of them are ten reeds = 70 cubits, wide. And the third, that to the [lef]t (i.e. north) of the Temple, measures eighteen reeds =126 cubits in width. And the wid[th of the streets] running from south [to north: t]wo of [them] have nine reeds and four cubits = 67 cubits, each street.

  [And the] mid[dle street passing through the mid]dle of the city, its [width measures] thirt[een] ree[ds] and one cubit = 92 cubits. And all [the streets of the city] are paved with white stone ... marble and jasper.

  [And he showed me the dimensions of the ei]ghty [side-doors]. The wid[th of the] side-doors is two reeds, [= 14 cubits, ... Each door has tw]o wings of stone. The width of the w[ing] is [one] reed [= 7 cubits.]

  And he showed me [the dimensions] of the twelve [entranc]es. The width of their doors are three reeds [= 21] cubits. [Each door has tw]o [wings]. The width of the wing is one reed and a half = 10cubits ... [And beside each door there are two tow]ers, one to [the r]ight and one to the 1[ef]t. Its width [is of the same dimension as] its length, [five reeds by five = 35 cubits. The stairs beside] the inside door, on the [righ]t side of the towers, [rise] to the top of the to[wers. Their width is five cubits. The towers and the stairs are five reeds by five and] five cubits = 40 [cubits], on each side of the door.

  [And he showed me the dimensions of the doors of the blocks of houses. Their width] is two reeds = 14 cub[its. And the wi]d[th] ... [And he measured] the wid[th of each th]reshold: two reeds = 14 cubits, [and the lintel: one cubit. And he measured above each] threshold i[ts win]gs. And he measured beyond the threshold. Its length is [thirteen] cubits [and its width ten cubits.]

  [And he] le[d m]e [be]yond the threshold. [And behold] another threshold, and a door next to the inner wall [on the right side, of the same dimensions as the outer door. Its width] is four [cu]bits, [its] height seven [cubits], and it has two wings. And in front of this door there is [an entrance threshold. Its width is one reed] = 7 II [cubits]. And the l[eng]th of the entrance is two reeds = 14 cubits, and its height is two reeds = 14 cubits. [And the door] fa[cing the other do]or opening into the block of houses has the same dimensions as the outer door. On the left of this entrance, he showed [me] a round [staircase]. Its length is of the same dimension as its width: two reeds by two =14 cubits. The do[ors (of the staircase) facing] the other doors are of the same dimensions. And a pillar is inside the staircase around which the stairs ri[se]; its width and d[epth are six cubits by six], a square. And the stairs which rise beside it, their width is four cubits, and they rise in a spiral [to] a height of [two] r[eeds] to [the roof].

  And he led me [into] the block of houses, and he showed me the houses there. From one door to the oth[er, there are fifteen: eigh]t on one side as far as the corner, and seven from the corner to the other door. The length of the house[s is three reed]s = 2[1 cubits, and their width], two [reed]s = 14 cubits. Likewise, for all the chambers; [and their height is t]wo [reeds] = 1[4] cu[bit]s, [and their doors are in the middle.] (Their) width is t[w]o reeds = 1[4] cubits. [And he measured the width (of the rooms) in the middle] of the house, and inside the upper floor: four [cubits]. Length and height: one reed = 7 cubits.

  [And he showed] me the dimensions of the dining-[halls]. Each has [a length] of ninete[en] cubits [and a width] of twelve [cubits]. Each contains twenty-two couche[s and ele]ven windows of lattice-work (?) above [the couches]. And next to the hall is an outer conduit. [And he measured] the ... of the window: its height, two cubits; [its width: ... cubits;] and its depth is that of the width of the wall. [The height of the inner (aspect of the window) is ... cubits, and that of the outer (aspect), ... cubits.]

  [And he measured the l]im[it]s of the ... [Their length] is nineteen [cubits] and [their] width, [twelve cubits] ...

  11Q18, fr. 20

  [On ever]y seventh day a memor[ial offering of] bread. And they shall take the bread outside the Temple to the right of its west side and it shall be divided. And I looked until it was divided among the eighty-four priests from all the seven divisions of the tables ... the oldest among them and fourteen pri[ests] ... priest. Two (loaves) of bread with incense [on] them. I looked until one of the two (loaves of) bread was given to the High Priest ... with him. And the other was given to his deputy who stood near (?) ...

  Pseudo-Ezekiela-d

  (4Q385, 386, 385b, 388, 385c)

  An apocryphal work, modelled on the Book of Ezekiel, has survived in five Cave 4 manuscripts. It consists of exchanges between God and the prophet, who is several times named. The eschatological material of 4Q385 includes, among others, Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones and the Chariot passage. On the basis of its script, 4Q385 is dated to the late Hasmonaean or early Herodian era, i.e. roughly to mid-first century BCE. There is nothing obviously sectarian in the document. 4Q386 also deals with the vision of the dry bones (Ezek. xxxvii) and the future of the land of Israel. 4Q385b is built on Ezekiel’s prophecy against Egypt (Ezek. xxx, 1-3) and 4Q388 alludes once more to the dry bones and the final battle. 4Q385c consists of seven unidentified scraps.

  For the editio princeps, see D. Dimant, DJD, XXX, 7-88. For 4Q391, unsuitable for translation, see M. Smith, DJD, XIX, 152-93.

  4Q385, fr. 2 (=4Q386, fr. 1 i, 4Q388, fr. 7)

  [‘And they will know that I am the Lord] who redeems My people, giving them the Covenant.’ vacat [And I said, ‘Lord,] I have seen many from Israel who have loved Thy name and walked [in] the ways [of righteousness (?), and] when will [these] things come to pass? And how will their piety be rewarded?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘I will make the sons of Israel see and they will know that I am the Lord.’ vacat [And He said,] ‘Son of man, Prophesy concerning the bones, and say, [“Come together, a bone to its bone, and a bit [to its bit.” ’ And] s[o it came to pas]s. And He said a second time, ‘Prophesy, and let sinews come on them, and let skin spread over them above.’ [And] s[o it came to pas]s. And He said again, ‘Prophesy concerning the four winds of heaven and let the win[ds of heaven] blow [on them and they shall live].’ And a great crowd of men revived and blessed the Lord of hosts wh[o made them live.] And I said, ‘Lord, when will these things come to pass?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘... a tree will bend and stand up ...’

  Fr. 3

  ... Lord. And all the people stood up ... [prais]ing the Lord of hosts. I also s[pok]e with them ... vacat And the Lord spoke to me: ‘Son of [man, Sa]y to them ... [in] their [graves] they shall lie until ... [from] their [tom]bs and from the land ...

  Fr.4

  ... instead of my grief rejoice my soul. And the days will hasten quickly until men will say, ‘Are not the days quickening so that the sons of Israel may inherit?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘I will not tur[n aw]ay your face, Ezekiel. Be[hold,] I will shorten the days and the year[s] ... a little, as you have said to [Me] ... [For] the mouth of the Lord has spoken these (words).’ ...

  Fr. 6

  ... the vision that Ezek[iel] saw ... the brightness of the chariot. And four living creatures ... [and when advancing they do not turn] back. Every living creature walks on two (legs) and [its] two legs ... there was breath and their faces are parallel (?). [And the likeness] of the fa[ces: one is a lion, on]e an eagle, one a calf and one a man. There was [a hand (?)] of a man attached to the back of the living creatures and stuck to ... and the wh[ee]l[s]. A wheel was attached to another when they advanced and from both sides of the wh[eels there were coals of fire] and there were in th
e midst of the coals living creatures like coals of fire ... and the wheels and the living creatures and the wheels...

  4Q386, fr. 1 ii-iii

  II ... [the ear]th and they will know that I am the Lord. vacat And He said to me: Consider, son of man, the land of Israel. And I said: I have seen it, Lord, and behold it is dry. When wilt Thou gather them? The Lord said: A son of Belial is planning to oppress my people but I will not permit him. His residue will not persist, and from the impure no seed shall remain. From the caper no wine will come nor will a wasp (?) make any honey. And I will slay the wicked in Memphis and I will bring my sons out of Memphis and turn favourably towards their remnant. As they say: There is peace and (quiet?); they also say: The earth is as it was in the days of ... [in the days] of old. Then I will stir up hea[t] against them from [the fo]ur directions of heaven ... devouring fire ...

  III He will have no mercy on the poor and will bring them to Babylon. Babylon is like a cup in the hand of the Lord, in time He will cast it away....

  4Q385b

  [And these are the wor]ds of Ezekiel. And the word of the Lord came to me, sa[ying: ‘Son of man, Prophe]sy and say, Behold the day of perdition of the nations is coming ... [Egy]pt and anguish will be in Put and the sword in E[gypt] ... will shake itself and Ethiopia and [Pu]t and the powerful of Arabia ... of Arabia will fall at the gate[s] of Egypt ...