the king of the Persians, he stood in my city gathering together all the rogues in it. 3And with a boast he spoke to them saying, \u201cThis man Jobab is the one who destroyed all the good things of the earth and left nothing\u2014the one who distributed to the beggars, to the blind, and to the lame\u20144yet the one who destroyed the temple of the great god and leveled the place of drink offerings. Therefore, I shall also repay him according to what he did against the house of god. Come along then and gather spoils for yourselves of all his animals and whatever he has left on the earth.\u201d
\n5They answered him and said, \u201cHe has seven sons and three daughters. Possibly they might flee to other lands and plead against us as though we were tyrants and in the end rise against us and kill us.\u201d
\n6So he said to them, \u201cHave no fear at all. Most of his possessions I have already destroyed by fire. The others I confiscated. And as for his children, I shall slay them.\u201d
\n18:1When he said these things to them, he departed and smashed the house down upon my children and killed them. 2My fellow countrymen, when they saw that what was said truly happened, pursued and attacked me and began to snatch up everything in my house. 3My eyes witnessed cheap and worthless men at my tables and couches.
\n4I was unable to utter a thing; for I was exhausted\u2014as a woman numbers in her pelvic region by the magnitude of birth pangs\u20145remembering most of all the battle foretold by the LORD through his angel and the songs of victory which had been told to me.
\n6And I became as one wishing to enter a certain city to discover its wealth and gain a portion of its splendor, 7and as one embarked with cargo in a seagoing ship. Seeing at mid-ocean the third wave and the opposition of the wind, he threw the cargo into the sea, saying, \u201cI am willing to lose everything in order to enter this city so that I might gain both the ship and things better than the payload.\u201d 8Thus, I also considered my goods as nothing compared to the city about which the angel spoke to me.
\n19:1When the final messenger came and showed me the loss of my children, I was deeply disturbed. 2And I tore my garments, saying to the one who brought the report, \u201cHow were you spared?\u201d 3And then when I understood what had happened I cried aloud, saying, 4\u201cThe LORD gave, the LORD took away. As it seemed good to the LORD, so it has happened. Blessed be the name of the LORD!\u201d<\/p>\n
3. His Health<\/p>\n
20:1So when all my goods were gone, Satan concluded that he was unable to provoke me to contempt. 2When he left he asked my body from the LORD so he might inflict the plague on me. 3Then the LORD gave me over into his hands to be used as he wished with respect to the body; but he did not give him authority over my soul.
\n4Then he came to me while I was sitting on my throne mourning the loss of my children. 5And he became like a great whirlwind and overturned my throne. For three hours I was beneath my throne unable to escape. 6And he struck me with a severe plague from head to toe.
\n7In great trouble and distress I left the city, and I sat on a dung heap 8wormridden in body. Discharges from my body wet the ground with moisture. Many worms were in my body, 9and if a worm ever sprang off, I would take it up and return it to its original place, saying, \u201cStay in the same place where you were put until you are directed otherwise by your commander.\u201d<\/p>\n
4. His Wife<\/p>\n
Sitis Enslaved<\/p>\n
21:1I spent forty-eight years on the dung heap outside the city under the plague so that I saw 2with my own eyes my children, my first wife carrying water into the house of a certain nobleman as a maidservant so she might get bread and bring it to me. 3I was stunned. And I said, \u201cThe gall of these city fathers! How can they treat my wife like a female slave?\u201d 4After this I regained my senses.
\n22:1After eleven years they kept even bread itself from me, barely allowing her to have her own food, 2And as she did get it, she would divide it between herself and me, saying with pain, \u201cWoe is me! Soon he will not even get enough bread!\u201d<\/p>\n
Sitis Sells Her Hair to Satan<\/p>\n
3She would not hesitate to go out into the market to beg bread from the bread sellers so she might bring it to me so I could eat.
\n23:1When Satan knew this, he disguised himself as a bread seller. 2It happened by chance that my wife went to him and begged bread, thinking he was a man. 3And Satan said to her, \u201cPay the price and take what you like.\u201d 4But she answered him and said, \u201cWhere would I get money? Are you unaware of the evils that have befallen us? 5If you have any pity on me, show mercy; but if not, you shall see!\u201d
\n6And he answered her, saying, \u201cUnless you deserve the evils, you would not have received them in return. 7Now then if you have no money at hand, offer me the hair of your head and take three loaves of bread. Perhaps you will be able to live for three more days.\u201d 8Then she said to herself, \u201cWhat good is the hair of my head compared to my hungry husband?\u201d 9And so, showing disdain for her hair, she said to him, \u201cGo ahead, take it.\u201d
\n10Then he took scissors, sheared off the hair of her head, and gave her three loaves, while all were looking on. 11When she got the loaves, she came and brought them to me. Satan followed her along the road, walking stealthily, and leading her astray.<\/p>\n
The Speech of Sitis: Begun<\/p>\n
24:1 At once my wife drew near. Crying out with tears she said to me, \u201cJob, Job! How long will you sit on the dung heap outside the city thinking, \u2018Only a little longer!\u2019 and awaiting the hope of your salvation? 2As for me, I am a vagabond and a maidservant going round from place to place. Your memorial has been wiped away from the earth\u2014my sons and the daughters of my womb for whom I toiled with hardships in vain. 3And here you sit in worm-infested rottenness, passing the night in open air. 4And I for my part am a wretch immersed in labor by day and pain by night, just so I might provide a loaf of bread and bring it to you. 5Any more I barely receive my own food, and I divide that between you and me\u20146wondering in my heart that it is not bad enough for you to be ill, but neither do you get your fill of bread.
\n7\u201cSo I ventured unashamedly to go into the market, 8even if I was pierced in my heart to do so. And the bread seller said, \u2018Give money, and you shall receive.\u2019 9But I also showed him our straits and then heard from him, \u2018If you have no money, woman, pay with the hair of your head and take three loaves. Perhaps you will live for three more days.\u2019
\n10Being remiss, I said to him, \u2018Go ahead, cut my hair.\u2019 So he arose and cut my hair disgracefully in the market, while the crowd stood by and marveled.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Lament for Sitis<\/p>\n
25:1Who is not amazed that this is Sitis, the wife of Job?
\n2Who used to have fourteen draperies sheltering her chamber and a door within doors, so that one was considered quite worthy merely to gain admission to her presence:
\n3Now she exchanges her hair for loaves!
\n4Whose camels, loaded with good things, used to go off into the regions of the poor:
\nNow she gives her hair for in return for loaves!
\n5Look at her who used to keep seven tables reserved at her house, at which the poor and alien used to eat:
\nNow she sells outright her hair for loaves!
\n6See one who used to have a foot basin of gold and silver, and now she goes along by foot:
\nEven her hair she gives in exchange for loaves!
\n7Observe, this is she who used to have clothing woven from linen with gold:
\nBut now she bears rages and gives her hair in exchange for loaves!
\n8See her who used to own couches of gold and silver:
\nBut now she sells her hair for loaves!<\/p>\n
The Speech of Sitis: Concluded<\/p>\n
9\u201cJob, Job! Although many things have been said in general, I speak to you in brief: 10In the weakness of my heart, my bones are crushed. Rise, take the loaves, be satisfied. And then speak some word against the LORD and die. Then I too shall be freed from weariness that issues from the pain of your body.\u201d<\/p>\n
Job\u2019s Response<\/p>\n
26:1So I answered her, \u201cLook, I have lived seventeen years in these plagues submitting to the worms in my body, 2and my soul has never been depressed by my pains as much as by your statement, \u2018Speak some word against the LORD and die.\u2019 3I do indeed suffer these things, and you suffer them too: the loss of both of our children and our goods. Do you suggest that we should say something against the LORD, and thus be alienated from the truly great wealth? 4Why have you not remembered those many good things we used to have? If we have received good things from the hand of the LORD, should we not in return endure all things? 5Rather let us be patient till the LORD, in pity, show us mercy.
\n6\u201cDo you not see the devil standing behind you and unsettling your reasoning so that he might deceive me too? For he seeks to make an exhibit of you as one of the senseless women who misguide their husbands\u2019 sincerity.\u201d<\/p>\n
D. JOB\u2019S TRIUMPH AND SATAN\u2019S DEFEAT<\/p>\n
27:1Again turning to Satan, who was behind my wife, I said, \u201cCome up front! Stop hiding yourself! Does a lion show his strength in a cage? Does a fledgling take flight when it is in a basket? Come out and fight!\u201d
\n2Then he came out from behind my wife. And as he stood, he wept saying, \u201cLook Job, I am weary and I withdraw from you, even though you are flesh and I a spirit. You suffer a plague, but I am in deep distress. 3I became like one athlete wrestling another, and one pinned the other. The upper one silenced the lower one, but filling his mouth with sand 4and bruising his limbs. But because he showed endurance and did not grow weary, at the end the upper one cried out in defeat. 5So you also, Job, were the one below and in a plague, but you conquered my wrestling tactics which I brought on you.\u201d
\n6Then Satan, ashamed, left me for three years. 7Now then, my children, you also must be patient in everything that happens to you. For patience is better than anything.<\/p>\n
3. Job and the Three Kings<\/p>\n
A. JOB RECOGNIZED AND THE KINGS ASTONISHED<\/p>\n
28:1After I had spent twenty years under the plague, 2the kings also heard about what happened to me.They arose and came to me, each from his own country, so that they might encourage me by a visit. 3But as they approached from a distance, they did not recognize me. And they cried out and wept, tearing their garments and throwing dust, 4They sat beside me for seven days and nights. And not one of them spoke to me. 5It was not due to their patience that they were silent, but because they knew me before these evils when I lived in lavish wealth.
\nFor when I used to bring out for them the precious stones, they would marvel, clapping their hands, and say, \u201cIf the goods of our three kingdoms were gathered into one at the same place they would be no equal to the glorious stones of your kingdom.\u201d 6For I was more noble than those from the east.
\n7But when they came to Ausitis asking in the city, \u201cWhere is Jobab, the king of all Egypt?\u201d they said to them about me. 8\u201cHe sits on a dung heap outside the city, For twenty years he has not returned to the city.\u201d 9Then they asked about my goods and the things which had befallen me were shown to them.
\n29:1When they heard that, they left the city together with the citizens. And my fellow citizens showed me to them, 2but they remonstrated, saying I was not Jobab. 3Since they were still quite in doubt, Eliphas\u2014the king of the Temanites\u2014turned to me and said, \u201cAre you Jobab, our fellow king?\u201d 4And I wept, shaking my head and throwing dust on it. And I said to them, \u201cI am indeed.\u201d
\n30:1When they saw me shaking my head, they dropped to the ground in a faint. 2And their troops were disturbed at seeing their three kings collapsed on the ground as if dead, for three hours. 3Then they arose and began saying to one another, \u201cWe do not believe that this is he!!\u201d 4Then they sat for seven days reviewing my affairs, recalling my herds and goods and saying, \u201cHave we not known about the many other good things sent out by him into the cities and the surrounding villages to be distributed to the poor, besides those established at his house? How then has he now fallen into such a deathly state?\u201d<\/p>\n
B. ELIPHAS: LAMENTS JOB\u2019S LOSSES<\/p>\n
Eliphas Confirms Job\u2019s Identity<\/p>\n
31:1And after seven days of such considerations, Eliphas spoke up and said to his fellow kings, \u201cLet us approach him and question him carefully to see if it is really he himself or not.\u201d
\n2But since they were about half a stadion distant from me because of the stench of my body, they arose and approached me with perfumes in their hands, 3while their soldiers accompanied them scattering incense around me so they would be able to approach me. 4And they spent three days furnishing the incense. 5And when they had come near me, Eliphas spoke up and said to me,
\nAre you Jobab, our fellow king?
\nAre you the one who once had vast splendor?
\nAre you the one who was like the sun by day in all the land?
\nAre you then one who was like the moon and the stars that shine at midnight?
\n6And I said to me, \u201cI am indeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Lament for Eliphas<\/p>\n
7And so, after he has wept with a loud wailing, he called out a royal lament 8while both other kings and their troops sang in response.
\n32:1Hear then the lament of Eliphas as he celebrates for all the wealth of Job:
\n2\u201cAre you the one who appointed 7,000 sheep for the clothing of the poor? Where then is the splendor of your throne?
\nAre you the one who appointed 3,000 camels for the transport of goods to the needy? Where then is the splendor of your throne?
\n3Are you the one who appointed the thousand cattle for the needy to use when plowing? Where then is the splendor of your throne?
\n4Are you the one who had golden couches but now sits on a dung heap? Now where is the splendor of your throne?
\n5Are you the one who had a throne of precious stones, but now sits in ashes? Now where is the splendor of your throne?
\n6Who opposed you when you were in the midst of your children? For you were blooming as a sprout of a fragrant fruit tree! Now where is the splendor of your throne?
\n7Are you the one who established the sixty tables for the poor? Now where is the splendor of your throne?
\n8Are you the one who had the censers of the fragrant assembly. Now you live amid a foul stench?
\n9Are you the one who had golden lamps on silver stands, but now you await the light of the moon? Where then is the splendor of your throne?
\n10Are you the one who had the ointment of frankincense, but now you are in straits? Where then is the splendor of your throne?
\n11Are you the one who jeered at the unjust and the sinners, but now you too have become a joke? Now where is the splendor of your throne?
\n12Are you Job, the one who had vast splendor? Now where is the splendor of your throne?<\/p>\n
Job\u2019s Psalm of Affirmation<\/p>\n
33:1After Eliphas finished wailing while his fellow kings responded to him all in a great commotion, 2when the uproar died down, I said to them, \u201cQuiet! Now I will show you my throne with the splendor of its majesty, which is among the holy ones.
\n3\u201cMy throne is in the upper world. And its splendor and majesty come from the right hand of the father.
\n4The whole world shall pass away
\nAnd its splendor shall fade. And those who heed it shall share in its overthrow.
\n5But my throne is in the holy land, and its splendor is in the world of the changeless one.
\n6Rivers will dry up, and the arrogance of their waves goes down into the depths of the abyss.
\n7But the rivers of my land, where my throne is, do not dry up nor will they disappear, but they will exist forever.
\n8These kings will pass away, and rulers come and go; but their splendor and boast shall be as in a mirror.
\n9But my kingdom is forever and ever, and its splendor and majesty are in the chariots of the Father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eliphas\u2019s Rejoinder<\/p>\n
34:1As I was saying these things to them so they would be quiet, 2Eliphas became enraged and said to the other friends, \u201cWhat good has it done that we have come here with our armies to comfort him? 3Look, now he accuses us! Let us then go back to our own countries. 4Here he sits in the misery of worms and foul odors: and yet he is piqued at as. \u2018Kingdoms pass away and so do their sovereigns. But as for my kingdom,\u2019 he says, \u2018it shall last forever.\u2019 \u201d 5So Eliphas, arising with great consternation, turned away from them in deep sadness and said, \u201cI am leaving: We came to cheer him, and yet he demeans us in the presence of our troops.\u201d<\/p>\n
C. BALDAD TESTS JOB\u2019S SANITY<\/p>\n
35:1Then Baldad seized him and said, \u201cOne should not speak that way to a man who is not only in mourning but also is beset by many plagues. 2Take note: Although we are quite healthy, we were not strong enough to approach him because of the foul stench, except by the use of much perfume. 3You there, Eliphas, do you forget how you were when you fell ill for two days? 4Now then, let us be patient in order that we may discover his true condition. Perhaps he is emotionally disturbed. Perhaps he recalls his former prosperity and has become mentally deranged. 5For who would not be driven senseless and imbalanced when he is sick? 6But allow me to approach him, and I will determine his condition.\u201d 36:1Then Baldad, when he had arisen, approached me and said, \u201cAre you Job?\u201d And I said to him, \u201cYes.\u201d
\n2And he said, \u201cIs your heart untroubled?\u201d
\n3And I said to him, \u201cMy heart is not fixed on earthly concerns, since the earth and those who dwell in it are unstable. But my heart is fixed on heavenly concerns, for there is not upset in heaven.\u201d
\n4And Baldad replied and said, \u201cWe know the earth is unstable, since of course it changes from time to time. Sometimes it steers an even course and is at peace; there are also times of war. 5But as for heaven, we hear that it stays calm. But if you are truly sound of mind, I will ask you something. 6And if you answer me sensibly regarding the first query, I will ask you about a second matter. And if you answer me calmly, it will be clear that you are not emotionally disturbed.\u201d
\n37:1So he said, \u201cIn whom do you hope?\u201d
\n2And I said, \u201cIn the God who lives.\u201d
\n3And again he said to me, \u201cWho destroyed your goods or inflicted you with these plagues?\u201d
\n4And I said, \u201cGod.\u201d
\n5And again he replied and said, \u201cDo you hope upon God? Then how do you reckon him to be unfair by inflicting you with all these plagues or destroying your goods? 6If he were to give and then take away, it would actually be better for him not to have given anything. At no time does a king dishonor his own soldier who bears arms well for him. Or who will ever understand the deep things of the LORD and his wisdom? Who dares to ascribe to the LORD an injustice? 7Answer me this, Job.
\n8\u201cAnd again I say to you, if you are sound of mind and have your wits about you, tell me why we see the sun on the one hand rising in the east and setting in the west, and again when we get up early we find it rising again in the east? Explain these things to me if you are the servant of God.\u201d
\n38:1And to all this I said, \u201cI do have my wits about me, and my mind is sound. When then should I not speak out the magnificent things of the LORD? Or should my mouth utterly blunder regarding the master? Never! 2Who are we to be busying ourselves with heavenly matters, seeing that we are fleshly, having our lot in dust and ashes?
\n3\u201cNow then, so you may know that my heart is sound, here is my question for you: Food enters the mouth, then water is drunk through the same mouth and sent into the same throat. But whenever the two reach the latrine, they are separated from each other. Who divides them?\u201d
\n4And Baldad said, \u201cI do not know.\u201d
\n5Again I replied and said to him, \u201cIf you do not understand the functions of the body, how can you understand heavenly matters?\u201d<\/p>\n
D. SOPHAR: OFFERS THE ROYAL PHYSICIANS<\/p>\n
6Then Sophar replied and said, \u201cWe are not inquiring after things beyond us, but we have sought to know if you are of sound mind. And now we truly know that your intelligence has been unaffected. 7What then do you wish us to do for you? Look, since we are traveling we have brought along with us the physicians of our three kingdoms. Do you wish to be treated by them? Perhaps you will find relief.\u201d
\n8But I answered and said, \u201cMy healing and my treatment are from the LORD, who also created the physicians.\u201d<\/p>\n
E. SITIS: LAMENTS HER CHILDREN, DIES, AND IS BURIED<\/p>\n
39:1While I was saying these things to them, my wife Sitis arrived in tattered garments, 2fleeing from the servitude of the official she served, since he had forbidden her to leave lest the fellow kings see her and seize her. 3When she came, she threw herself at their feet and said weeping, 4\u201cDo you remember me Eliphas\u2014you and your two friends\u2014what sort of person I used to be among you and how I used to dress? 5But now look at my debut and my attire!\u201d
\n6Then, when they had made a great lamentation and were doubly exhausted, they fell silent 7so that Eliphas seized his purple robe, tore it off, and threw it about my wife.
\n8But she began to beg them, saying, \u201cI plead with you, order your soldiers to dig through the ruins of the house that fell on my children so at least the bones might be preserved as a memorial 9since we cannot because of the expense. Let us see them, even if it is only their bones. 10Have I the womb of cattle or of a wild animal that my ten children have died and I have not arranged the burial of a single one of them?\u201d
\n11And they left to dig, but I forbade it, saying, \u201cDo not trouble yourselves in vain. 12For you will not find my children, since they were taken up into heaven by the Creator their King.\u201d
\n13Then again they answered me and said, \u201cWho then will not say you are demented and mad when you say, \u2018My children have been taken up into heaven!\u2019 Tell us the truth now!\u201d
\n40:1And I replied to them and said, \u201cLift me up so I can stand erect.\u201d And they lifted me up, supporting my arms on each side. 2And then when I had stood up, I sang praises to the Father. 3And after the prayer I said to them, \u201cLook up with your eyes to the east and see my children crowned with the splendor of the heavenly one.\u201d
\n4And when she saw that, Sitis my wife fell to the ground worshipping and said, \u201cNow I know that I have a memorial with the LORD. So I shall arise and return to the city and nap awhile and then refresh myself before the duties of my servitude.\u201d 5And when she left for the city she went to the cow shed of her oxen, which had been confiscated by the rulers whom she served. 6And she lay down near a certain manger and died in good spirits.
\n7When her domineering ruler sought her but could not find her, 8he went when it was evening into the folds of the herds and found her sprawled out dead. 9And all who saw cried out in an uproar of lament over her, and the sound reached through the whole city. 10When they rushed in to discover what had happened, 11they found her dead and the living animals standing about weeping over her.
\n12And so bearing her in procession, they attended to her burial, locating her near the house that had collapsed on her children. 13And the poor of the city made a great lamentation, saying, \u201cLook! This is Sitis, the woman of pride and splendor! She was not even considered worthy of a decent burial!\u201d 14So then you will find in \u201cThe Miscellanies\u201d the lament made for her.<\/p>\n
F. JOB\u2019S RECOVERY AND VINDICATION<\/p>\n
Elihu\u2019s Insult<\/p>\n
41:1Eliphas and the rest sat beside me after these things arguing and railing against me. 2After twenty-seven days, they were about to arise and go to their own countries, 3when they were implored by Elihu, saying, \u201cStay here till I clarify that issue for him. You held on quite some time while Job boasted himself to be a just man. 4But I will not hold on. From the start I too made lamentation for him, remembering his former prosperity. And here now he speaks out in boastful grandeur, saying he has his throne in heaven. 5Listen to me now, and I will tell you about his imaginary estate.\u201d Then Elihu, inspired by Satan, spoke out against me insulting words, 6which are written down in \u201cThe Miscellanies of Eliphas.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Kings Forgiven through Job\u2019s Intercession<\/p>\n
42:1 After Elihu ended his arrogant speech, the LORD\u2014having appeared plainly to me through a hurricane and clouds\u2014spoke 2and censured Elihu, showing me that the one who spoke in him was not a human but a beast. 3And when the LORD spoke to me through the cloud, the four kings also heard the voice of him who spoke.
\n4After the LORD finished speaking to me, he said to Eliphas, 5\u201cYou there Eliphas\u2014you and your two friends\u2014why did you sin? You have not spoken truly regarding my servant Job. 6Arise and have him offer up sacrifices on your behalf so your sin might be taken away. Except for him, I would have destroyed you.\u201d 7So they brought me the things for sacrifice, 8and I took them and made an offering on their behalf, and the LORD received it favorably and forgave their sin.<\/p>\n
A Hymn against Elihu<\/p>\n
43:1Then when Eliphas, Baldad, and Sophar knew that the LORD had showed them a favor regarding their sin\u2014but had not considered Elihu worthy\u20142Eliphas replied and spoke up with a hymn 3while the other friends and their troops sang to him in response near the altar. 4Eliphas spoke in this manner:<\/p>\n
\u201cOur sins were stripped off, and our lawlessness buried.
\n5Elihu, Elihu\u2014the only evil one\u2014will have no memorial among the living.
\nHis quenched lamp lost its luster,
\n6and the splendor of his lantern will flee from him into condemnation.
\nFor this one is the one of darkness and not of light.
\nAnd the doorkeepers of darkness shall inherit his splendor and majesty.
\n7His kingdom is gone, his throne rotted.
\nAnd the honor of his tent lies in Hades.
\n8He loved the beauty of the snake and the scales of the dragon.
\nIts venom and poison shall be his food.
\n9He did not take himself to the LORD, nor did he fear him.
\nBut even his honored ones he provoked to anger.
\n10 The LORD has forgotten him, and the holy ones abandoned him.
\n11But wrath and anger shall be his tent.
\nHe has no hope in his heart, nor peace in his body.
\n12He had the poison of asps in his tongue.
\n13Righteous is the LORD, true are his judgments.
\nWith him there is no favoritism. He will judge us all together.
\n14Behold the LORD has come! Behold his holy ones are prepared,
\nWhile crowns lead the way with praises.
\n15Let the holy ones rejoice, let them leap for joy in their hearts,
\n16For they have received the splendor they awaited.
\n17Gone is our sin, cleansed is our lawlessness.
\nAnd the evil one Elihu has no memorial among the living.<\/p>\n
Job\u2019s Restoration<\/p>\n
44:1After Eliphas ended the hymn, while all were singing in response to him and encircling the altar, we arose and entered the city where we now make our home. 2And we held great festivities in the delight of the LORD. Once again I sought to do good works for the poor.
\n3And all my friends and those who had known me as a benefactor came to me. 4And they queried me, saying, \u201cWhat do you ask of us now?\u201d and remembering the poor again to help them do good, I asked them, saying, \u201cLet each one give me a lamb for the clothing of the poor who are naked.\u201d 5So then every single one brought a lamb and a gold coin. And the LORD blessed all the goods I owned, and he doubled my estate.<\/p>\n
Job\u2019s Final Counsels and the Division of the Inheritance<\/p>\n
45:1And now, my children, behold I am dying. Above all, do not forget the LORD. 2Do good to the poor. Do not overlook the helpless. 3Do not take to yourselves wives from strangers. 4Look, my children, I am dividing among you everything that is mine, so each one may have unrestricted control over his own share.<\/p>\n
IV. Job and His Three Daughters<\/p>\n
THE DAUGHTERS\u2019 INHERITANCE: THEIR FATHER\u2019S PHYLACTERY<\/p>\n
46:1And they brought forth the estate for distribution among the seven males only. 2For he did not present any of the goods to the females. They were grieved and said to their father, \u201cOur father, sir, are we not also your children? Why then did you not give us some of your goods?\u201d
\n3But Job said to the females, \u201cDo not be troubled, my daughters: I have not forgotten you. 4I have already designated for you an inheritance better than that of your seven brothers.\u201d
\n5Then when he had called his daughter who was named Hemera he said to her, \u201cTake the signet ring, go to the vault, and bring the three golden boxes, so that I many give you your inheritance.\u201d 6So she left and brought them back.
\n7And he opened them and brought out three multicolored cords whose appearance was such that no man could describe, 8since they were not from earth but from heaven, shimmering with fiery sparks like the rays of the sun. 9And he gave each one a cord, saying, \u201cPlace these about your breast, so it may go well with you all the days of your life.\u201d
\n47:1Then the other daughter named Kasia, said to him, \u201cFather, is this the inheritance which you said was better than that of our brothers? Who has any use for these unusual cords? We cannot gain a living from them, can we?\u201d
\n2And their father said to them, \u201cNot only shall you gain a living from these, 3but these cords will lead you into the better world, to live in the heavens. 4Are you then ignorant, my children, of the value of these strings? The LORD considered me worthy of these in the day in which he wished to show me mercy and to rid my body of the plagues and worms.
\n5\u201cCalling me, he furnished me with these three cords, and said, \u2018Arise, gird your loins like a man. I shall question you, and you answer me.\u2019
\n6\u201cSo I took them and put them on and immediately from that time the worms disappeared from my body and the plagues, too. 7And then my body got strength through the LORD as if I actually had not suffered a thing. 8I also forgot the pains in my heart. 9And the LORD spoke to me in power, showing me things present and things to come.
\n10\u201cNow then, my children, since you have these objects you will not have to face the enemy at all, but neither will you have worries of him in your mind, 11since it is a protective amulet of the Father. Rise then, gird yourselves with them before I die in order that you may be able to see those who are coming for my soul, in order that you may marvel over the creatures of God.\u201d<\/p>\n
THE CHARISMATIC SASHES<\/p>\n
48:1Thus, when the one called Hemera arose, she wrapped around her own string just as her father did. 2And she took on another heart\u2014no longer minded toward earthly things\u20143but she spoke ecstatically in the angelic dialect, sending up a hymn to God in accord with the hymnic style of the angels. And as she spoke ecstatically, she allowed \u201cThe Spirit\u201d to be inscribed on her garment.
\n49:1Then Kasia bound hers on and had her heart changed so that she no longer regarded worldly things. 2And her mouth took on the dialect of the archons and she praised God for the creation of the heights. 3So, if anyone wishes to know \u201cThe Creation of the Heavens,\u201d he will be able to find it in \u201cThe Hymns of Kasia.\u201d
\n50:1Then the other one also, named Amaltheia\u2019s Horn, bound on her cord. And her mouth spoke ecstatically in the dialect of those on high, 2since her heart also was changed, keeping aloof from worldly things. For she spoke in the dialect of the cherubim, glorifying the Master of virtues by exhibiting their splendor. 3And finally whoever wishes to grasp a trace of \u201cThe Paternal Splendor\u201d will find it written down in \u201cThe Prayers of Amaltheia\u2019s Horn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Epilogue<\/p>\n
NEREUS\u2019S LITERARY ACTIVITY<\/p>\n
51:1After the three had stopped singing hymns, 2while the LORD was present as was I, Nereus, the brother of Job, and while the holy angel was also present, 3I sat near Job on the couch. And I heard the magnificent things, while each one made explanation to the other. 4And I wrote out a complete book of most of the contents of the hymns that issued from the three daughters of my brother, so that these things would be preserved. For these are the magnificent things of God.<\/p>\n
JOB\u2019S DEATH, SOUL ASCENT, AND BURIAL<\/p>\n
52:1After three days, as Job fell ill on his bed (without suffering or pain, however, since suffering could no longer touch him on account of the omen of the sash he wore), 2after those three days he saw those who had come for his soul. 3And rising immediately he took a lyre and gave it to his daughter Hemera. 4To Kasia he gave a censer, and to Amaltheia\u2019s Horn he gave a kettle drum, 5so that they might bless those who had come for his soul. 6And when they took them, they saw the gleaming chariots which had come for his soul. 7And they blessed and glorified God each one in her own distinctive dialect.
\n8After these things the one who sat in the great chariot got off and greeted Job 9as the three daughters and their father himself looked on, though certain others did not see. 10And taking the soul he flew up, embracing it, and mounted the chariot and set off for the east. 11But his body, prepared for burial, was borne to the tomb as his three daughters went ahead, girded about and singing hymns to God.
\n53:1And I Nereus, his brother, with the seven male children accompanied by the poor and the orphans and all the helpless, we were weeping 2and saying:<\/p>\n
\u201cWoe to us today! A double woe!
\nGone today is the strength of the helpless!
\n3Gone is the light of the blind!
\nGone is the father of the orphans!
\nGone is the host of strangers!
\nGone is the clothing of widows!
\n4Who then will not weep over the man of God?\u201d<\/p>\n
5And as soon as they brought the body to the tomb, all the widows and orphans circled about 6for-bidding it to be brought to the tomb. 7But after three days they laid him in the tomb in a beautiful sleep, 8since he received a name renowned in all generations forever. AMEN.<\/p>\n
Prayers and Psalms<\/p>\n
This section includes compositions originally written in either Hebrew or Greek; they were composed over a wide time span, ranging from perhaps the later Persian period to the 2nd or 3rd century CE. Most of these prayers and psalms were likely used in the private or communal worship life of the Jews who composed them, although some (e.g., Prayer of Manasseh) are more literary than liturgical, meant for reflection rather than worship.<\/p>\n
Psalms of Solomon<\/p>\n
Kenneth Atkinson<\/p>\n
Psalms of Solomon is a collection of 18 pseudonymous poems that contain an unknown Jewish community\u2019s response to persecution and a foreign invasion. The title Psalms of Solomon was likely affixed to these poems because of the reference to the \u201cson of David\u201d in Pss. Sol. 17:21. The collection is an important witness to postbiblical Jewish beliefs regarding the Davidic messiah.<\/p>\n
Authorship and History<\/p>\n
Several unknown authors likely wrote Psalms in Jerusalem, or elsewhere in Palestine. The work was composed in Hebrew, but is preserved in Greek and Syriac translations. Most scholars believe the Syriac was translated from the Greek. Several unclear passages in the Greek suggest that the translator was not proficient in Hebrew.
\nPsalms contains detailed historical allusions to the Roman general Pompey\u2019s 63 BCE invasion of Jerusalem (2:1\u20132, 8:18\u201322, 17:7\u201313) and his 48 BCE assassination in Egypt (2:26\u201327). Several of the poems may antedate or postdate Pompey\u2019s death. Psalms was likely recited liturgically in Jewish and Christian communities. The Syriac version was later appended to the Syriac Christian hymnbook known as the Odes of Solomon. The text disappeared in antiquity and was unknown until the 1626 CE discovery of a Greek copy.<\/p>\n
Significance<\/p>\n
The Psalms of Solomon is among the earliest postbiblical witnesses to Jewish messianism. It is reminiscent of several Dead Sea Scrolls that show an interest in the Davidic dynasty tradition during and after the 1st century BCE (4Q504; 1Q28b; 4Q252; 4Q174; 4Q161; 4Q285; and possibly 4Q246). (See also Commentary on Genesis [4Q252] and Son of God [4Q246].)<\/p>\n
GUIDE TO READING<\/p>\n
Psalms is modeled after the biblical book of Psalms. The poems frequently use vocabulary drawn from Scripture, especially the prophetic books. These scriptural references often follow the Septuagint text. Gender-specific language is used when the Greek translator appears to have understood the Hebrew to be gender specific.
\nSeveral of the chapter headings appear unusual, and some bear no apparent connection to the psalm they introduce. They were likely added to the collection at some unknown point in time, possibly by the Greek translator.<\/p>\n
SUGGESTED READING<\/p>\n
Atkinson, Kenneth. An Intertextual Study of the Psalms of Solomon. Lewiston: Edwin Mellen, 2001.
\n\u2014\u2014\u2014. I Cried to the LORD: A Study of the Psalms of Solomon\u2019s Historical Background and Social Setting. Leiden: Brill, 2004.
\n\u2014\u2014\u2014. \u201cPsalms of Salomon.\u201d In A New English Translation of the Septuagint, edited by Albert Pietersma and Benjamin G. Wright, 763\u201376. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.
\nRyle, Herbert E., and Montague R. James. Psalms of the Pharisees, Commonly Called the Psalms of Solomon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1891.
\nSch\u00fcpphaus, Joachim. Die Psalmen Salomos: Ein Zeugnis Jerusalemer Theologie und Fr\u00f6migkeit in der Mitte des vorchristlichen Jarhunderts. Leiden: Brill, 1977.
\nTrafton, Joseph L. The Syriac Version of the Psalms of Solomon: A Critical Evaluation. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1985. Viteau, Joseph. Les Psaumes de Salomon: Introduction, texte grec et traduction, avec les principales variantes de la version syriaque par Fran\u00e7ois Martin. Paris: Letouzey et An\u00e9, 1911.
\nWinninge, Mikael. Sinners and the Righteous: A Comparative Study of the Psalms of Solomon and Paul\u2019s Letters. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell, 1995.
\nWright, Robert B. The Psalms of Solomon: A Critical Edition of the Greek Text. New York: T & T Clark, 2007.<\/p>\n
TRANSLATION<\/p>\n
Psalm 1<\/p>\n
1I cried to the LORD when I was utterly distressed, to God when sinners attacked. 2Suddenly I heard the cry of war before me: I said, \u201cHe will listen to me, for I was full of righteousness.\u201d 3I thought in my heart that I was full of righteousness, because I prospered and had become rich in children. 4Their wealth was spread to all the earth, and their glory to the end of the earth. 5They were lifted up to the stars, they said they would not fall. 6But they became insolent in their prosperity, and they did not bring [offerings]. 7Their sins were in secret, and I had no knowledge of them. 8Their lawlessness surpassed those of the nations before them; they utterly profaned the holy things of the LORD.<\/p>\n
Psalm 2<\/p>\n
A PSALM. PERTAINING TO SOLOMON. CONCERNING JERUSALEM<\/p>\n
1When the sinner behaved arrogantly he cast down fortified walls with a battering ram, and you did not restrain him. 2Foreign nations went up to your altar, in pride they trampled it with their sandals, 3because the sons of Jerusalem had defiled the holy things of the Lord, had profaned the offerings of God with lawless deeds.
\n4Because of these things He said, \u201cCast them far from me, I take no pleasure in them.\u201d
\n5Her glorious beauty was despised before God, it was utterly dishonored. 6[Her] sons and daughters were in harsh captivity, their neck in a seal, with a distinguishable mark among the nations. 7According to their sins He dealt with them, for He abandoned them into the hands of those who oppress. 8For He turned away His face from pitying them, young and old and their children once again, for they did evil once again in not listening.
\n9And heaven was indignant, and the earth detested them, because no person upon it had done what they did. 10And the earth shall know all your righteous judgments, O God.
\n11They set the sons of Jerusalem to be mocked because of the prostitutes in her; everyone passing by would enter in the full light of day. 12They used to mock with their lawlessness, as they themselves used to do; they paraded their injustices in the full light of day. 13And the daughters of Jerusalem were profane according to your judgment, because they had defiled themselves with unnatural intercourse.
\n14I have pain in my belly and my bowels over these things. 15I will justify you, O God, in uprightness of heart, for in your judgments is your righteousness, O God. 16For you have repaid the sinners according to their works, and according to their sins, which were extremely wicked. 17You have exposed their sins, that your judgment might be evident; you have wiped out their memorial from the earth. 18God is a righteous judge, and He will not marvel at a person.
\n19For the nations reviled Jerusalem, trampling her down; her beauty was dragged down from the throne of glory. 20She put on sackcloth instead of beautiful clothing, a rope around her head instead of a crown. 21She removed the diadem of glory, which God had set upon her; in dishonor her beauty was cast upon the ground. 22And I saw and implored the LORD\u2018s presence and said: \u201cLong enough, LORD, has your hand been heavy on Jerusalem in bringing the nations upon her.\u201d23For they mocked [her], and spared not, in wrath and implacable anger, and they will be brought to an end, unless you, LORD, rebuke them in your wrath. 24For it was not out of zeal that they acted, but in lust of soul, so as to pour out their wrath upon us in plunder. 25Do not delay, O God, to repay them on their heads, to declare in dishonor the arrogance of the dragon.
\n26And I did not wait long until God showed me his insolence, pierced, on the mountains of Egypt, more despised than the least on land and sea. 27His body, [was] carried about on the waves in great insolence, and there was no one to bury [him], for He had rejected him in dishonor. 28He did not consider that he was a human, nor did he consider the hereafter. 29He said, \u201cI will be LORD of earth and sea,\u201d and he did not recognize that God is great, mighty in His great strength. 30He is king over the heavens, also judging kings and rulers. 31It is He who raises me up to glory, and puts the arrogant to sleep for eternal destruction in dishonor, because they did not know him.
\n32And now behold, nobles of the earth, the judgment of the LORD, for He is a great and righteous king, judging what is under heaven. 33Bless God, you who fear the LORD with understanding, for the LORD\u2018s mercy is upon those who fear Him with judgment, 34to separate between righteous and sinner, to repay the sinners forever according to their works35and to have mercy on the righteous, [delivering the righteous] from the humiliation of the sinner, and to repay the sinner for what he has done to the righteous. 36For the LORD is merciful to those who call on him with perseverance, treating His devout according to His mercy, setting them continuously before him in strength. 37Blessed is the LORD forever before His servants.<\/p>\n
Psalm 3<\/p>\n
A PSALM. PERTAINING TO SOLOMON. CONCERNING THE RIGHTEOUS<\/p>\n
1Why do you sleep, soul, and do not bless the LORD? Play a new hymn to God who is worthy to be praised. 2Play and be fully awake in wakefulness for him, for a good psalm to God is from a good heart. 3The righteous remember the LORD at all times, with confession and justification, the LORD\u2018s judgments. 4The righteous does not despise being disciplined by the LORD; his good will is always before the LORD. 5The righteous stumbled, and justified the LORD; he fell, and watches what God will do for him, he keeps watch for whence his salvation will come. 6The steadfastness of the righteous is from God their savior; in the house of the righteous sin upon sin does not lodge. 7The righteous constantly searches his house, to remove his injustice [committed] in transgression. 8He made atonement for sins of ignorance by fasting and humiliation of his soul, and the LORD cleanses every devout man and his house. 9The sinner stumbled, and he curses his life, the day of his birth, and his mother\u2019s labor pain. 10He has added sin upon sin in his lifetime, he fell, because his fall is evil, and he shall not rise up. 11The destruction of the sinner is forever, and he will not be remembered, when He visits the righteous. 12This is the portion of sinners forever; but those who fear the LORD shall rise to eternal life, and their life is in the light of the LORD and shall never end.<\/p>\n
Psalm 4<\/p>\n
DISCOURSE OF SOLOMON. PERTAINING TO THE MEN-PLEASERS<\/p>\n
1Why do you sit, O profane man, in the council of the devout, and your heart is far from the LORD, provoking with transgressions of the Law the God of Israel?2Extravagant in speech, extravagant in appearance above everyone is he who is harsh in speech to condemn sinners in judgment. 3And his hand is the first upon him as if in zeal, and he himself is guilty of a variety of sins and a lack of self-control.
\n4His eyes are upon every woman without discrimination; his tongue lies when he makes a contract with an oath. 5At night and in secret he sins as though unseen; with his eyes he speaks to every woman [of an]illicit assignation, he is quick to enter every house cheerfully as though innocent. 6May God remove those who live in hypocrisy with the devout, with corruption of his flesh and with poverty [may God destroy] his life. 7May God reveal the works of men, of men-pleasers, his works with derision and contempt. 8And may the devout justify the judgment of their God, when sinners are removed from the presence of the righteous, the man-pleaser who speaks the Law with deceit. 9And their eyes are upon a peaceful man\u2019s house, to destroy, like a serpent, each other\u2019s wisdom with words of those who transgress the Law.
\n10His words are deceptions to accomplish his desire for injustice; he did not cease, until he had succeeded in scattering them as orphans:11He laid waste a house because of his desire for transgressing the Law; he deceived with words, because there is no one who sees and judges [him]. 12In this he was filled with lawlessness, and his eyes are upon another house, to destroy it with clamorous words. 13His soul, like Hades, is not satisfied with all these things.
\n14May his portion, O LORD, be dishonored before you; may his going out be with groaning and his coming in with a curse. 15May his life be in pain and poverty and discomfort, O LORD; may his sleep be with grief and his waking with discomfort. 16May sleep be taken from his temples [of the head] at night; may he fail dishonorably in all the work of his hands. 17May he return to his house empty-handed, and may his house lack everything with which he might satisfy [the appetite of] his soul. 18May his old age be spent in loneliness without children right up to his death.
\n19May the flesh of the men-pleasers be scattered by wild animals, and may the bones of the transgressors of the Law lie before the sun in dishonor. 20May ravens pluck out the eyes of hypocrites, for they have laid waste many houses of men in dishonor, and they scattered them in [their] lust. 21And they have not remembered God, and they did not fear God in all these things; and they provoked and angered God. 22May He remove them from the earth, because with deception they have deceived the souls of the innocent. 23Blessed are those who fear the LORD in their innocence; the LORD will save them from deceitful and sinful people, and He will save us from every snare of the transgressor of the Law. 24May God remove those who arrogantly do all injustice; for the LORD our God is a great and mighty judge in righteousness, 25May your mercy, O LORD, be upon all those who love you.<\/p>\n
Psalm 5<\/p>\n
A PSALM. PERTAINING TO SOLOMON<\/p>\n
1O LORD God, I will praise your name with great joy in the midst of those who know your righteous judgments. 2For you are kind and merciful, the refuge of the poor; when I cry out to you, do not pass me by in silence. 3For no one will take valuables from a strong man, and who shall take of all that you have made, unless you give it? 4For a man and his portion are before you in the balance; he cannot increase it beyond your judgment, O God. 5When we are distressed we will call upon you for help, and you will not turn back our prayer, because you are our God. 6Do not make your hand heavy upon us lest through necessity we might sin.
\n7And if you do not return us, we will not stay away, but we will come to you. 8For if I hunger, I will cry to you, O God, and you will give [food] to me. 9You feed the birds and the fish, when you give rain to the deserts that green grass may spring up. 10You have provided fodder in the desert for every living thing, and if they hunger, they will lift their face to you. 11You feed kings and rulers and peoples, O God, and who is the hope of the poor and needy, unless it be you, O LORD? 12And you will listen\u2014for who is kind and good but you?\u2014making glad the soul of the humble by opening your hand in mercy? 13Man\u2019s kindness is grudgingly, and tomorrow, and if he repeats it without grumbling, you would even wonder at this. 14But your gift is great in kindness and generosity, and he whose hope is in you will not be sparing with a gift. 15Your mercy, O LORD, is upon the whole earth in kindness. 16Happy is the man whom God remembers [in granting] due proportion to self-sufficiency, [for] if a person has too much, [then] he sins. 17Sufficient is a moderate provision with righteousness, and in this is the blessing of the LORD for abundance with righteousness. 18May those who fear the LORD rejoice in good things, and [may] your kindness be upon Israel in your kingdom. 19Blessed is the glory of the LORD, for He is our king.<\/p>\n
Psalm 6<\/p>\n
IN HOPE. PERTAINING TO SOLOMON<\/p>\n
1Happy is the man whose heart is ready to call upon the name of the LORD; when he remembers the name of the LORD, he will be saved. 2His ways are guided by the LORD, and the works of his hands are preserved by the LORD his God. 3His soul will not be disturbed with the vision of evil dreams; he will not be terrified when he crosses rivers and [at the] swelling of the seas. 4He arose from his sleep and blessed the name of the LORD. In the tranquility of his heart he sang to the name of his God. 5And he entreated the face of the LORD for his entire household, and the LORD heard the prayer of everyone [who is] in fear of God. 6And the LORD fulfills every request of the soul that hopes in him. Blessed is the LORD who works mercy to those who love him in truth.<\/p>\n
Psalm 7<\/p>\n
PERTAINING TO SOLOMON. OF RETURNING<\/p>\n
1Do not remove your dwelling from us, O God, lest they attack us, those who hated us without cause. 2For you have rejected them, O God; do not let their foot trample upon the inheritance of your sanctuary. 3Discipline us by your will, and do not give us to the nations. 4For if you send death, you will command it concerning us. 5For you are full of mercy, and you will not be angry enough to destroy us completely. 6While your name dwells in our midst, we shall find mercy, and no nation will prevail against us. 7For you are our protector, and we shall call upon you, and you will hear us; 8For you will have pity upon the race of Israel forever, and you will not reject it, 9and we [will be] under your yoke forever, and the whip of your discipline. 10And you will direct us in the time of your help, showing mercy to the house of Jacob on the day you promised them.<\/p>\n
Psalm 8<\/p>\n
PERTAINING TO SOLOMON. REGARDING VICTORY<\/p>\n
1My ear heard distress and the sound of war, the sound of a trumpet announcing slaughter and destruction. 2The sound of many people is like that of an exceedingly great wind, like a tempest with great fire sweeping through the desert. 3And I said in my heart, \u201cWhere, then, will God judge him?\u201d4I heard a sound in Jerusalem, the holy city. 5My lower back was crushed from the report; my knees broken, my heart was afraid, my bones were shaken like flax. 6I said, \u201cThey will direct their ways in righteousness.\u201d7I considered the judgments of God since the creation of heaven and earth; I justified God in His judgments from of old. 8God exposed their sins in the full light of day; all the earth knew the righteous judgments of God. 9In secret places under the earth were their transgressions of the law [committed] in provocation: they committed incest, son with mother, and father with daughter. 10They committed adultery, every man with his neighbor\u2019s wife. They concluded agreements by oath with one another concerning these things. 11They plundered the holy things of God, as though there was no heir who redeems. 12They trampled the altar of the LORD [while full] of all kinds of uncleanness, and with menstrual blood they defiled the sacrifices as if they were profane meat. 13They left no sin undone, in which they did not surpass the nations. 14Because of this God mixed for them a spirit of deception, He gave them a cup of undiluted wine to drink that they might become drunk. 15He brought him from the end of the earth, who strikes mightily; he declared war against Jerusalem and her land. 16The leaders of the land met him with joy, they said to him, \u201cWelcome is your path, come, enter in peace.\u201d 17They leveled the rough roads before his entry, they opened the gates to Jerusalem, they crowned her walls. 18He entered, as a father the house of his sons, with peace; he set down his feet with great security. 19He captured her fortified towers and the wall of Jerusalem, for God led him in with security while they went astray. 20He killed their leaders and everyone wise in counsel; he poured out the blood of the inhabitants of Jerusalem like the water of uncleanness. 21He led away their sons and daughters whom they had begotten in defilement. 22They did according to their uncleanness, just as their ancestors [had done];they defiled Jerusalem and the things that had been sanctified to the name of God. 23God was justified in His judgments among the nations of the earth, and the holy ones of God are like lambs innocent in their midst. 24Worthy to be praised is the LORD who judges all the earth in His righteousness. 25See, O God, you have shown us your judgment in your righteousness, our eyes have seen your judgments, O God. 26We have justified your name that is honored forever, for you are the God of righteousness, judging Israel with discipline. 27Turn, O God, your mercy upon us, and have compassion upon us. 28Gather together the Diaspora of Israel with mercy and goodness, for your faithfulness is with us. 29And we stiffened our neck, and you are the one who disciplines us. 30Disregard us not, our God, lest the nations swallow us up, as though there were no redeemer. 31And you are our God from the beginning, and upon you is our hope, O LORD. 32And we shall not be distant from you, for your judgments upon us are kind. 33Upon us and our children is your good will forever, O LORD, our savior, we shall never more be shaken. 34Worthy to be praised is the LORD for His judgments by the mouth of [His] holy ones, and blessed is Israel by the LORD forever.<\/p>\n
Psalm 9<\/p>\n
PERTAINING TO SOLOMON. REGARDING REBUKE<\/p>\n
1When Israel was taken into exile to a foreign land, when they fell away from the LORD who redeemed them, they were expelled from the inheritance, which the LORD had given them. 2The Diaspora of Israel was among every nation, according to the word of God, that you may be justified, O God, in your righteousness by reason of our lawlessness, for you are a righteous judge over all the peoples of the earth. 3For none that does injustice shall be hidden from your knowledge, and the righteous acts of your pious are before you, O LORD; and where shall a person hide himself from your knowledge, O God? 4Our works are in the choosing and power of our soul, to do righteousness or injustice in the works of our hands, and in your righteousness you visit human beings. 5The one who practices righteousness stores up life for himself with the LORD, and the one who practices injustice is responsible for the destruction of his own soul, for the judgments of the LORD are [given] in righteousness for each person and household. 6To whom will you show kindness, O God, if not to them that call upon the LORD? You will cleanse a soul from sins when confession and acknowledgment is made, for shame is on us and our faces on account of all these things. 7And to whom will you forgive sins, except to those who have sinned? You shall bless the righteous and not chastise them for the sins they have committed, and your kindness is upon sinners in repentance. 8And now, you are our God, and we are the people whom you have loved. Look and be compassionate, O God of Israel, for we are yours, and remove not your pity from us, lest they attack us, 9because you chose the offspring of Abraham above all the nations, and you placed your name upon us, O LORD, and you will not reject us forever. 10You made a covenant with our ancestors concerning us, and we shall hope in you when we return our souls toward you. 11The mercy of the LORD is upon the house of Israel forever and ever.<\/p>\n
Psalm 10<\/p>\n
AMONG HYMNS. PERTAINING TO SOLOMON<\/p>\n
1Happy is the man whom the LORD remembers with reproving, and who is restrained from the evil road by a whip, that he may be cleansed from sin, that it may not increase. 2He who prepares his back for lashes shall be cleansed, for the LORD is good to those who endure [His] discipline. 3For He will make straight the ways of the righteous, and will not turn them aside by discipline, and the mercy of the LORD is upon those who love Him in truth. 4And the LORD will remember His servants in mercy; for the testimony is in the Law of the eternal covenant, the testimony of the LORD for the ways of humankind at His visitation. 5Our LORD is righteous and devout in His judgments forever, and Israel shall praise the name of the LORD with joy. 6And the pious shall confess in the assembly of the people, and God will show mercy upon the poor to the joy of Israel. 7For God is eternally kind and merciful, and the congregations of Israel shall glorify the name of the LORD. 8The salvation of the LORD is upon the house of Israel for everlasting joy.<\/p>\n
Psalm 11<\/p>\n
PERTAINING TO SOLOMON. REGARDING EXPECTATION<\/p>\n
1Blow in Zion the trumpet to summon the holy ones, proclaim in Jerusalem the voice of one who brings good news, for the God of Israel has shown mercy in His visitation of them. 2Stand upon a high place, O Jerusalem, and behold your children, from the east and the west gathered together once again by the LORD. 3From the north they come in the joy of their God; from the islands far away God has gathered them. 4He has leveled high mountains into a plain for them; the hills fled at their approach. 5The thickets shaded them as they passed by; God caused every fragrant tree to spring up for them, 6that Israel might pass by at the visitation of the glory of their God. 7Put on, O Jerusalem, the garments of your glory; prepare the robe of your holiness, for God has spoken good concerning Israel forever and ever. 8May the LORD do what he has spoken concerning Israel and Jerusalem, may the LORD raise up Israel by His glorious name. 9The mercy of the LORD is upon Israel forever and ever.<\/p>\n
Psalm 12<\/p>\n
PERTAINING TO SOLOMON. AGAINST THE TONGUE OF THE TRANSGRESSORS OF THE LAW<\/p>\n
1O LORD, deliver my soul from the man who is a transgressor of the Law and wicked, from the tongue that transgresses the Law and is slanderous, and which speaks lies and deceits. 2The words of the tongue of the wicked man are perverted in many ways, like fire among a people which burns up its beauty. 3[The purpose of] his sojourn is to fill households with a lying tongue, to cut down trees of joy that sets the transgressors of the Law on fire, to confound households in warfare by means of slanderous lips. 4May God remove far from the innocent the lips of the transgressors of the Law [by bringing them] to want, and may the bones of slanderers be scattered far from those who fear the LORD; may the slanderous tongue perish in flaming fire far from the devout. 5May the LORD protect the quiet soul that hates the unjust, and may the LORD direct the man who makes peace at home. 6The salvation of the LORD is upon Israel His servant forever; and may the sinners perish altogether from the presence of the LORD; and may the pious of the LORD inherit the promises of the LORD.<\/p>\n
Psalm 13<\/p>\n
A PSALM. PERTAINING TO SOLOMON. COMFORT FOR THE RIGHTEOUS<\/p>\n
1The right hand of the LORD protected me, the right hand of the LORD spared us. 2The arm of the LORD saved us from the sword that passes through, from famine and the death of sinners. 3Evil wild animals attacked them; with their teeth they tore their flesh, and with their molars they crushed their bones. 4But from all these things the LORD saved us. 5The ungodly man was troubled on account of his transgressions, lest he should be taken along with the sinners. 6For the destruction of the sinner is terrible, but not one of all these things shall touch the righteous. 7For the discipline of the righteous [for sins committed] in ignorance is not the same as the destruction of the sinners. 8The righteous is disciplined secretly, so that the sinner may not rejoice over the righteous. 9For He will admonish the righteous as a beloved son, and His discipline is as that of a firstborn. 10For the LORD will spare His holy ones, and will wipe away their transgressions with discipline. 11For the life of the righteous is forever, but sinners shall be taken away into destruction, and their memorial shall never be found. 12But the mercy of the LORD is upon the holy ones, and His mercy is upon those who fear him.<\/p>\n
Psalm 14<\/p>\n
A HYMN. PERTAINING TO SOLOMON<\/p>\n
1Faithful is the LORD to those who love Him in truth, to those who endure His discipline, 2To those who walk in the righteousness of His commands, in the Law which He commanded us that we might live. 3The LORD\u2018s pious shall live by it forever; the paradise of the LORD, the trees of life, are His pious ones. 4Their planting is rooted forever; they shall not be pulled up all the days of heaven; 5for the portion and the inheritance of God is Israel.
\n6But not so are the sinners and transgressors of the Law, who loved a day in the companionship of their sin. 7Their desire was for the briefness of corruption, and they have not remembered God. 8For the ways of human beings are known before Him at all times, and He knows the secret chambers of the heart before they come to pass. 9Therefore their inheritance is Hades and darkness and destruction, and they shall not be found in the day when the righteous obtain mercy. 10But the LORD\u2018s holy ones shall inherit life with joy.<\/p>\n
Psalm 15<\/p>\n
A PSALM. PERTAINING TO SOLOMON. WITH A SONG<\/p>\n
1When I was in distress I called upon the name of the LORD, I hoped for the help of the God of Jacob and was saved, for you are the hope and the refuge of the poor, O God. 2For who, O God, is strong except to give thanks to you in truth? And wherein is a person mighty except in giving thanks to your name? 3A new psalm with a song in gladness of heart, the fruit of the lips with the well-tuned instrument of the tongue, the firstfruits of the lips from a pious and righteous heart. 4He who does these things shall never be shaken by evil; the flame of fire and the wrath against the unrighteous shall not touch him, 5when it goes forth from the LORD\u2018s presence against sinners, to destroy all the substance of sinners; 6For the mark of God is upon the righteous for salvation.
\n7Famine and sword and death shall be far from the righteous, for they shall flee from the pious as those pursued by war, 8but they shall pursue sinners and overtake them, and those who act lawlessly shall not escape the judgment of the LORD; 9they shall be overtaken by those experienced in war, for the mark of destruction is upon their forehead. 10And the inheritance of sinners is destruction and darkness, and their lawlessness shall pursue them to Hades below. 11Their inheritance shall not be found for their children, for sins shall lay waste the houses of sinners; 12And sinners shall perish forever in the day of the LORD\u2018s judgment, when God visits the earth with His judgment. 13But those who fear the LORD shall find mercy on it, and they shall live by the mercy of their God, but sinners shall perish forever.<\/p>\n
Psalm 16<\/p>\n
A HYMN. PERTAINING TO SOLOMON. REGARDING HELP FOR THE PIOUS<\/p>\n
1When my soul slumbered, away from the LORD, I slipped for a short time, in the lethargy of those that sleep far from God. 2For a short time my soul was poured out to death, close to the gates of Hades with the sinner, 3when my soul separated from the LORD God of Israel, except that the LORD helped me with his mercy forever. 4He pricked me, like a goad for a horse, that I might awaken unto Him, my savior and protector at all times saved me. 5I will give thanks to you, O God, for you helped me to salvation, and you did not count me with sinners for destruction. 6Remove not your mercy from me, O God, nor your remembrance from my heart until death. 7Hold me back, O God, from wicked sin, and from every evil woman who causes the foolish to stumble. 8And let not the beauty of a woman who transgresses the law deceive me, nor of anything that is subject to useless sin.
\n9Direct the works of my hands in your place, and guard my steps in your remembrance. 10Protect my tongue and my lips with words of truth; anger and unreasoning wrath keep far from me. 11Grumbling and faint-heartedness in affliction keep far from me, when, if I sin, you discipline me to turn me back. 12Support my soul with goodwill and cheerfulness; when you strengthen my soul, what is given will be sufficient for me. 13For if you do not give strength, who will endure discipline in poverty? 14When a soul is rebuked in the hand of his corruption, your testing is in his flesh, and in the affliction of poverty. 15If the righteous endures in all these, he shall receive mercy from the LORD.<\/p>\n
Psalm 17<\/p>\n
A PSALM. PERTAINING TO SOLOMON. WITH AN ODE. PERTAINING TO THE KING<\/p>\n
1O LORD, you are our king forever and ever, for in you, O God, shall our soul boast. 2And how long is the time of a person\u2019s life upon the earth? As is his time, so is his hope set upon him. 3But we will hope in God our savior; for the might of our God is forever with mercy, and the kingdom of our God is forever over the nations in judgment. 4You, O LORD, you chose David king over Israel, and you swore to him concerning his offspring forever, that his palace would never fail before you. 5And, because of our sins, sinners rose up against us; they attacked us and thrust us out, what you had not promised to them, they took away by force, and they did not glorify your honorable name. 6They set up in glory a palace corresponding to their haughtiness; they laid waste the throne of David in arrogance leading to change.
\n7But you, O God, will overthrow them and will remove their offspring from the earth, when there rises up against them a man alien to our race. 8According to their sins you will repay them, O God, that it may befall them according to their works. 9God will show them no mercy; He has sought out their offspring and let not one of them go free.
\n10Faithful is the LORD in all His judgments, which He performs on the earth. 11The lawless one laid waste our land so that no one inhabited it; they destroyed young and old and their children together. 12In the wrath of his beauty he expelled them to the west, and the rulers of the land to derision, and did not spare them. 13Being an alien the enemy acted arrogantly, and his heart was alien from our God.14And everything that he did in Jerusalem was just as the nations do in their cities to their gods. 15And the children of the covenant prevailed over them among peoples of mixed origin; there was no one among them who practiced mercy and truth in Jerusalem.
\n16Those who loved the congregations of the pious fled from them, as sparrows were scattered from their nest. 17They wandered in deserts that their souls might be saved from evil, and the soul that was saved from them was precious in the eyes of those who lived abroad. 18They were scattered over the whole earth by lawless men. For heaven withheld the rain from falling on the earth: 19eternal springs from the deeps were held back from [the] high mountains, for there was none among them who did righteousness and justice. 20From their ruler and the lowest of the people they were in every sin: the king was in transgression of the Law, and the judge in disobedience, and the people in sin.
\n21See, O LORD, and raise up for them their king, the son of David, at the time which you foresaw, O God, to rule over Israel your servant. 22And gird him with strength to shatter in pieces unrighteous rulers, to purify Jerusalem from nations that trample her down in destruction, 23in wisdom of righteousness, to drive out sinners from the inheritance, to smash the arrogance of the sinner like a potter\u2019s vessel. 24to shatter all their substance with an iron rod, to destroy the lawless nations by the word of his mouth, 25that, by his threat, nations flee from his presence, and to reprove sinners with the thought of their hearts. 26And he shall gather a holy people, whom he shall lead in righteousness, and he shall judge the tribes of the people that has been sanctified by the LORD his God. 27And he shall not allow injustice to lodge in their midst any longer, nor shall there dwell with them any person who knows evil, for he shall know them, that they are all sons of their God. 28And he shall distribute them upon the land according to their tribes, and no resident alien and foreigner shall sojourn among them any longer. 29He shall judge peoples and nations in the wisdom of his righteousness. Selah.
\n30And he shall have the peoples of the nations to serve him under his yoke, and he shall glorify the LORD in the center of all the earth, and he shall purify Jerusalem in holiness as it was at the beginning, 31so that nations may come from the end of the earth to see his glory, bringing as gifts her sons who are exhausted, and to see the glory of the LORD with which God has glorified her. 32And he shall be a righteous king, taught by God, over them, and there shall be no injustice in his days in their midst, for all shall be holy, and their king the anointed LORD. 33For he shall not put his hope in horse and rider and bow, nor shall he multiply for himself gold and silver for war, nor shall he gather hopes from a multitude of people for the day of war.
\n34The LORD himself is his king, the hope of him who is strong through hope in God, and he shall show mercy on all the nations before him in fear. 35For he shall strike the earth with the word of his mouth forever, he shall bless the people of the LORD in wisdom with joy. 36And he himself shall be pure from sin, so that he may rule a great people, that he may rebuke rulers and remove sinners by the strength of his word. 37And he shall not weaken in his days, [relying] on his God; for God has made him strong in the holy spirit, and wise in the counsel of understanding, with strength and righteousness. 38And the blessing of the LORD shall be with him in strength, and he shall not weaken. 39His hope shall be in the LORD; And who can prevail against him? 40He shall be strong in his works, and mighty in the fear of God, shepherding the flock of the LORD faithfully and righteously, and he shall not let any among them become weak in their pasture. 41And he shall lead all of them in equity, and there shall be no arrogance among them that any one of them should be oppressed. 42This is the majesty of the king of Israel, which God knew, to raise him up over the house of Israel to discipline it. 43His words will be more refined than costly gold, the finest. In the congregations he will discerningly judge the tribes of a sanctified people: his words are as words of the devout in the midst of sanctified peoples.
\n44Blessed are those who shall live in those days, to see the good things of Israel that God shall accomplish in the congregation of the tribes. 45May God hasten His mercy upon Israel; may He deliver us from the uncleanness of profane enemies. 46The LORD himself is our king forever and ever.<\/p>\n
Psalm 18<\/p>\n
A PSALM. PERTAINING TO SOLOMON. AGAIN OF THE ANOINTED OF THE LORD<\/p>\n
1O LORD, your mercy is over the works of your hands forever; your goodness is over Israel with a rich gift. 2When your eyes gaze upon them, then none of them shall be in want; your ears listen to the hopeful prayer of the poor. 3Your judgments are over the whole earth with mercy, and your love is upon the offspring of Abraham, the sons of Israel. 4Your discipline is upon us as on a firstborn, an only son, to turn back the obedient soul from ignorant stupidity. 5May God purify Israel for the day of mercy with blessing, for the day of election when He brings up His anointed one. 6Blessed are those who shall live in those days, to see the good things of the LORD, which He will perform for the coming generation. 7Under the rod of discipline of the LORD\u2018s anointed in the fear of his God, in wisdom of spirit, and of righteousness and strength, 8to direct a man in works of righteousness in the fear of God, to establish them all before the LORD, 9a good generation in the fear of God in the days of mercy. Selah.
\n10Great is our God, and glorious, dwelling in the highest, who appointed the lights in their course for the determining of seasons from day to day, and they have not deviated from the path you commanded them. 11Their path each day is in the fear of God, from the day God created them and forever. 12And they have not gone astray since the day He created them, from generations of old they have not turned aside from their paths, except when God ordered them through the command of His servants.<\/p>\n
Self-Glorification Hymn<\/p>\n
Esther Eshel<\/p>\n
In the Self-Glorification Hymn (4Q471b) an anonymous figure describes his own exalted status. He portrays himself as seated in heaven, sharing the lot of the angels. Various identifications have been proposed for the speaker, among them the archangel Michael.<\/p>\n
Authorship and History<\/p>\n
Partially preserved in four Qumran manuscripts, the script of 4Q471b is identical to that of another scroll, Thanksgiving Hymns (also called 4QHe or 4Q431, Hodayot), a collection of poetry composed by members of the Qumran community and their teacher. It is therefore also considered fragment 1 of the Thanksgiving Hymns manuscript.
\nThanksgiving Hymns contains a second hymn called the Hymn of the Community, which is also paired with the Self-Glorification Hymn in two other manuscripts. Like the Self-Glorification Hymn, the Hymn of the Community emphasizes communion with angels. Because of the special character of these two hymns, one may argue that both originated in an independent collection of hymns that were later incorporated into the Thanksgiving Hymns.
\nThe four copies of the Self-Glorification Hymn can be divided into recensions A (4QHa 7 i and 12; 4Q471b; and 1QHa 26\u201327) and B (4Q491 11). The text here is that of Recension A.<\/p>\n
Significance<\/p>\n
Comparison of this hymn to the Qumran Rule of the Blessings (1QSb) suggests that the speaker in our text may be the eschatological high priest. The Rule of the Blessings describes one of Aaron\u2019s descendants (the high priest who comes at the end-time) as sitting with the angels in the heavenly temple and taking part in angelic ceremonies, and also as a teacher whose wisdom illumines the world with knowledge. In similar fashion, the speaker in the Self-Glorification Hymn is \u201creckoned with\u201d the angels and is said to impart extraordinary teachings.
\nThe hymn\u2019s description of the priestly teacher figure adheres closely to the sect\u2019s descriptions of its own historical leader, called in the Qumran texts the \u201cTeacher of Righteousness.\u201d Perhaps because of this literary resemblance, sect members seem to have linked the Self-Glorification Hymn with their leader after his death. This correspondence may have inspired them to incorporate the Self-Glorification Hymn (whose speaker I identify as the eschatological high priest) into the Thanksgiving Hymns scroll, which includes hymns presumably attributed to the Teacher of Righteousness.
\nThe description of a figure sitting in the company of the angels in the \u201choly dwelling\u201d has parallels in Jewish Hellenistic accounts of ascents to heaven, mainly in connection with the figure of Enoch (1 En. 17\u201336) or with Levi (Testament of Levi). Other stories of heavenly enthronement, based on the book of Daniel (7), are found in the Book of Similitudes (1 En. 37\u201371) and the Testament of Abraham. In the Qumran sectarian literature\u2019s War Scroll, \u201cthe chosen ones of the holy people\u201d are described as seated with God and the angels in the holy dwelling. A Jewish drama from Hellenistic Egypt, the Exagoge of Ezekiel, the Tragedian, tells of a dream of Moses\u2019s in which he sees a great throne on Mount Sinai where a noble man is seated, wearing a royal crown and holding a scepter. The man then calls Moses and gives him the royal crown. This gesture was then interpreted by Jethro as a prediction that Moses would judge and lead humankind (Praep. ev. 9.24.4\u20136). Finally, the language of this song may be compared with Jesus\u2019s affirmation of his messianic identity (Mark 14:62; cf. 1 En. 55:4; 62:3).<\/p>\n
SUGGESTED READING<\/p>\n
Abegg, M. G. \u201c4Q471: A Case of Mistaken Identity?\u201d In Pursuing the Text: Studies in Honor of B. Z. Wacholder on the Occasion of his Seventieth Birthday, edited by J. C. Reeves and J. Kampen, 136\u201338. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament: Supplement Series 184. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1994.
\nBaillet, M. Qumr\u00e2n Grotte 4.III (4Q482\u20134Q520), 26\u201329. DJD 7. Oxford: Clarendon, 1982.
\nEshel, E. \u201c4Q471b: A Self-Glorification Hymn.\u201d Revue de Qumran 17, nos. 65\u201368 (Hommage \u00e0 J\u00f3zef T. Milik) (1996): 176\u2013203.
\n\u2014\u2014\u2014. \u201cThe Identification of the \u2018Speaker\u2019 of the Self-Glorification Hymn.\u201d In The Provo International Conference on the Dead Sea Scrolls: Technological Innovations, New Texts, and Reformulated Issues, edited by D. W. Parry and E. C. Ulrich, 619\u201335. Leiden: Brill, 1999.
\n\u2014\u2014\u2014. \u201c4Q71b. 4QSelf-Glorification Hymn (=4QHe frg. 1?).\u201d In Qumran Cave 4.XX: Poetical and Liturgical Texts, Part 2, by E. Chazon et al., in consultation with J. VanderKam and M. Brady, 421\u201332. DJD 29. Oxford: Clarendon, 1999.
\nSmith, M. \u201cAscent to the Heavens and Deification in 4QMa.\u201d In Archaeology and History in the Dead Sea Scrolls: The New York University Conference in Memory of Yigael Yadin, edited by L. H. Schiffman, 181\u201388. Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha: Supplement Series 8; Journal for the Study of the Old Testament\/American Schools of Oriental Research Monographs 2. Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1990.<\/p>\n
TRANSLATION<\/p>\n
1 [\u2026 I am ] recko[ned with the angels, my dwelling is in] the holy
\n2 [council.] Wh[o has been accounted despicable like me? And who] has been despised like m[e? And who]
\n3 has been shunned [by men] like me? [And who] compares to [me in enduring] evil? [No teaching]
\n4 Compares to my teaching. [For]I sit [\u2026 in heaven]
\n5 Who is like me among the angels? [Who would cut me off when I open my mouth? And] who
\n6 could measure [the flow] of my lips? Who[can associate with me in speech, and thus compare with my judgment? For I]
\n7 am the beloved of the King, a companion of the ho[ly ones, and no one can accompany me. And to my glory]
\n8 no one can compare, for I [have my station with the angels, and my glory with the sons of the King. Neither]
\n9 with gold will (I) cro[wn myself, nor with refined gold \u2026]
\n10 [\u2026] Sing, [ O beloved ones \u2026<\/p>\n
Daily Prayers<\/p>\n
Daniel K. Falk<\/p>\n
This scroll (4Q503) contains a collection of prayers for the community to use together in praising God at sunset and sunrise every day. There is a different prayer for every evening and morning, each introduced by a formula, giving the time of day (sunset or sunrise) and the day of the month on which the congregation shall recite the prayer. The prayers are in the form of short blessings (benedictions, or berakhot) directed toward God, mostly comprised of repeated formulas. Each starts with an opening blessing in the form \u201cBlessed is the God of Israel who\u201d and follows with both a calendar formula that refers to the phase of the moon, the number of sunrises, or the special nature of the day if it is a Sabbath or festival; and praise of God for creation, his special love for and deliverance of Israel, or his glory among the angels. The prayers end by blessing God again, in the form \u201cBlessed are you, God of Israel, you\u201d and then a blessing of peace on Israel.
\nThe prayers for the 14th and 15th days seem to allude to Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and so it is likely that they were intended specifically for the first month of the year, Nisan.<\/p>\n
Authorship and History<\/p>\n
The only known manuscript of these prayers was written in Hebrew around the beginning of the 1st century BCE, and it is in tiny pieces. There is nothing distinctively sectarian about these prayers, but they do have numerous similarities in form, language, and ideas to other sectarian prayers among the Dead Sea Scrolls. This suggests that they may have been written in the sectarian movement (by the Yahad, the Essene community), of which Qumran was one settlement. As recited by members of the sect, the prayers affirmed some of their core beliefs: that all is determined by God\u2019s eternal plan, including the struggle between good and evil; and that the humans of God\u2019s covenant are united with angels and are in harmony with God\u2019s calendar.<\/p>\n
Significance<\/p>\n
These prayers are early evidence of the practice of Jews gathering daily to pray as a group, as later became the norm in the synagogue. (The earliest known prayer books of the synagogue, by R. Amram Gaon and R. Saadia Gaon, date about a millennium later). The collections found at Qumran are different from later synagogue prayer books in that they group together in separate scrolls prayers of the same type (blessings, petitions, hymns, etc.) rather than presenting a guide to the overall liturgy, and they contain a different prayer for each day.
\nDaily Prayers is the first known to use a blessing formula to begin and end a prayer, a structure similar to the standard later established by the Rabbis for prayer (the \u201clong form\u201d), although the form is not identical. In a number of ways, these prayers are an early counterpart to the morning and evening blessings directed toward God that form part of the daily recital of the Shema, one of the central elements of later synagogue service. In both cases they are blessings praising God that are recited at sunset and sunrise, and they have remarkably similar motifs: God\u2019s creation and renewal of lights, angels and humans worshiping together, God\u2019s choice of Israel and the gift of the Torah and knowledge, and God\u2019s rescuing his people. Furthermore, they use some very similar wording.
\nThese comparisons suggest that Daily Prayers may have been a collection of benedictions to accompany recital of the Shema. Comments by the Jewish historian Josephus (Ant. 4:212) and writers of the Mishnah (M. Tam. 5:1) imply that the Shema was recited with blessings at least as early as the 1st century CE, and this scroll (as well as an allusion in Rule of the Community, 1QS 10:10\u201314) suggest that the basic practice goes back at least into the 2nd century BCE.
\nThe idea of humans joining with angels in worshiping God is very important in the sectarian texts from Qumran. It is also the central idea of a liturgical component known as the Kedushah that is found in two prominent places in the synagogue liturgy: in the first benediction before the morning Shema in connection with God\u2019s creation of light, and in the set of prayers known as the Amidah, or Eighteen Benedictions. The Kedushah was also adapted into the Christian liturgy (the Sanctus, or Trishagion). Daily Prayers is the earliest known example of this basic element in daily communal prayer.
\nAt the least, these similarities show that later synagogue liturgy developed out of broader traditions of prayer practiced by groups of pious Jews well before the turn of the era.
\nDaily Prayers reflects a luni-solar calendar, using both the sun and the moon as time markers. The evening prayers track the phases of the moon, with a new moon on the first of the month and a full moon on the 15th. The morning prayers count the sunrises in terms of \u201cgates\u201d of light, one for each day of the month. The Sabbath falls on the 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th of the month. This system seems similar to that in a number of calendar texts found at Qumran (e.g., 4Q327; 4Q317; 4Q208\u2013211). These coordinate lunar months with an idealized solar calendar of 364 days in which Sabbaths will fall on the same days of the month each quarter. This calendar would be at odds with the Temple.
\nIn many respects, the language and motifs in Daily Prayers are very similar to that found in the sectarian texts from Qumran. Descriptions of the heavenly lights and of angels use the language of military formation, with many of the same terms as in the Rule of War, which describes Israel fighting with the angels in a future battle, and the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, which describes in mystical language various classes of angels in heavenly worship. These terms include \u201carray,\u201d \u201cgates,\u201d \u201clots,\u201d \u201cdivisions,\u201d and \u201cdominion.\u201d The underlying view is that the heavenly bodies, angels, and God\u2019s people are in ordered array by God, with each perfectly in its assigned place and performing its designated function.<\/p>\n
GUIDE TO READING<\/p>\n
The scroll is in many tiny pieces and there is no complete prayer, but because each prayer is mostly made up of repeated formulas (with some variation), it is possible to gain a sense of them. In the following translation, these formulas are used to fill in many of the gaps.<\/p>\n
SUGGESTED READING<\/p>\n
Arnold, Russell C. D. The Social Role of Liturgy in the Religion of the Qumran Community, 120\u201330. Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah 60. Leiden: Brill, 2006.
\nBaillet, Maurice. \u201c503. Pri\u00e8res quotidiennes.\u201d In Qumr\u00e2n grotte 4.III (4Q482\u20134Q520), 105\u201336, plates 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47. Discoveries in the Judaean Desert 7. Oxford: Clarendon, 1982.
\nChazon, Esther G. \u201cThe Function of the Qumran Prayer Texts: An Analysis of the Daily Prayers (4Q503).\u201d In The Dead Sea Scrolls Fifty Years After Their Discovery. Proceedings of the Jerusalem Congress, July 20\u201325, 1997, edited by Lawrence H. Schiffman, Emanuel Tov, and James C. VanderKam, 217\u201325. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, in cooperation with The Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum, 2000.
\n\u2014\u2014\u2014. \u201cPrayers from Qumran and Their Historical Implications.\u201d Dead Sea Discoveries 1 (1994): 265\u201384.
\nDavila, James R. \u201cDaily Prayers.\u201d In Liturgical Works, 208\u201338. Eerdmans Commentaries on the Dead Sea Scrolls 6. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 2000.
\nFalk, Daniel K. Daily, Sabbath, and Festival Prayers in the Dead Sea Scrolls, 21\u201357. Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah 27. Leiden: Brill, 1998.
\n\u2014\u2014\u2014. \u201cQumran and the Synagogue Liturgy.\u201d In The Ancient Synagogue from Its Origins until 200 C.E., edited by Birger Olsson and Magnus Zetterholm, 407\u201320 [404\u201334]. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell, 2003.
\nNitzan, Bilhah. Qumran Prayer and Religious Poetry, 69\u201380 and see index. Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah 12. Leiden: Brill, 1994.<\/p>\n
TRANSLATION<\/p>\n
Fifth Day of the Month, Morning Prayer<\/p>\n
FRAGMENT 4<\/p>\n
1[When the sun] ris[es to shine on the earth they shall bless. They shall recite saying: Blessed is the God of Israel]
\n2who makes kno[wn \u2026]
\n3for the [da]y[\u2026]
\n4gl [orious] festivals [\u2026]
\n5and he will reward according to [\u2026 Peace be upon you,]
\n6Israel. [\u2026]<\/p>\n
Sixth Day of the Month, Evening Prayer<\/p>\n
7On the sixth of the mo[nth, in the evening, they shall bless. They shall recite, saying: Blessed is the God of Israel \u2026]
\n8night which \u2026 [\u2026]
\n9we his holy people[\u2026]
\n10fiv[e par]t[s of light \u2026]
\n11and \u2026 [\u2026 Peace be upon you, Israel.]<\/p>\n
Sixth Day of the Month, Morning Prayer<\/p>\n
12When[the sun rises to shine on the earth they shall bless. They shall recite, saying: Blessed is the God of Israel]<\/p>\n
FRAGMENTS 7\u20139<\/p>\n
1[\u2026] the daylight, so that we might know [\u2026]
\n2[\u2026] in six gates of lig[ht \u2026]
\n3[\u2026 we, ] the children of your covenant, we prais[e your name]
\n4together with all the divisions of [light \u2026 al]l the tongues of knowledge bless \u2026 [\u2026]
\n5light. Peace [be upon you, Israel \u2026 li]ght.<\/p>\n
Seventh Day of the Month, Evening Prayer<\/p>\n
6On the seventh of [the month, in the evening, they shall bless. They shall recite say]ing: Blessed is the God of Is[rael \u2026]
\n7justice [\u2026 al]l [th]ese things we know by[\u2026]
\n8 \u2026 [\u2026] Blessed is [the G]od of [Israel \u2026]<\/p>\n
Twelfth Day of the Month, Evening Prayer<\/p>\n
FRAGMENT 11<\/p>\n
2[On the tw]elfth of the month, in the evening, [they shall bless. They shall recite, saying: Blessed is the God of Israel \u2026]
\n3[\u2026] \u2026 and we, his holy people, exalt this night [\u2026]
\n4[\u2026]us and witnesses with us in the array day [and night?\u2026]<\/p>\n
Twelfth Day of the Month, Morning Prayer<\/p>\n
FRAGMENTS 15\u201316<\/p>\n
2[\u2026 the most h]oly place in the heav[ens \u2026]
\n3[\u2026] his holiness [\u2026]
\n4[\u2026] and glory in the most ho[ly place \u2026]
\n5[\u2026] and witnesses for us in the most holy place[\u2026]
\n6[\u2026]in the dominion of light by day. Blessed is [\u2026]
\n7[\u2026 P]eace be upon you, [Israel \u2026]<\/p>\n
Thirteenth Day of the Month, Evening Prayer<\/p>\n
8[\u2026 Bless]ed is the God of Israel, who does wond[ers \u2026]
\n9[\u2026] earth, and the night \u2026 [\u2026]
\n10[\u2026] to add to us [\u2026]
\n11[\u2026 ea]ch division of it\/his [\u2026]<\/p>\n
Thirteenth Day of the Month, Morning Prayer<\/p>\n
12[\u2026 Blessed is] the God of Israe[l \u2026]
\n13[\u2026] your holiness [\u2026]
\n14[\u2026] in th[i]r[teen gates of light \u2026]
\n15[\u2026] twelve [parts of light \u2026]
\n16[\u2026 Peace be upon you, I]srael [\u2026]<\/p>\n
Fourteenth Day of the Month, Evening Prayer<\/p>\n
17[\u2026 Blessed is the God of] Israel [\u2026]
\n18[\u2026] your [holin]ess [\u2026]<\/p>\n
Fourteenth Day of the Month, Morning Prayer<\/p>\n
FRAGMENTS 1\u20133<\/p>\n
1And when [the sun]rises [to shine in] the dome of the sk[y], they shall bless. They shall rec[ite, saying:]
\n2Blessed is the Go[d of Israel \u2026? This d[a]y he renewed[\u2026]
\n3in four[teen gates of light \u2026] for us dominion [\u2026]
\n4-teen div[isions \u2026] heat of the [sun \u2026]
\n5when he passed over [\u2026 by the streng] th of [his] mighty hand [\u2026 Peace be upon you,] Israel.[\u2026]<\/p>\n
Fifteenth Day of the Month, Evening Prayer<\/p>\n
6On the fif[teenth of the month in the ev] ening they shall bless. They shall recite, [say]ing: Blessed is the Go[d of Israel]
\n7who conceals [\u2026] before him in every division of its glory. This night[is for \u2026]
\n8[\u2026 for] ever and for praising him [for] our redemption at the beginn[ing]
\n9[\u2026] circuits of the vessels of light.[ ]This day (is) fourte[en]
\n10[parts of light \u2026] daylight. Pe[ace be upon] you, Israel.
\n11[\u2026] [\u2026]<\/p>\n
Fifteenth Day of the Month, Morning Prayer<\/p>\n
12[And when the sun rises] to shine on the earth, they shall bless. They shall re [cite saying:]
\n13[Blessed is the God of Israel who appointed days wh]ich are for the pilgrim festivals of joy and the appointed times of gl[ory]
\n14[\u2026 fi]fteen gates [of light \u2026]
\n15[\u2026] in the parts of the night [\u2026]<\/p>\n
FRAGMENT 29<\/p>\n
1Peace [be upon you, Israel \u2026]<\/p>\n
Sixteenth Day of the Month, Evening Prayer<\/p>\n
FRAGMENTS 29\u201330<\/p>\n
2On the six[teenth of the month, in the evening, they shall bless. They shall recite, saying: Blessed is the God of Israel who]
\n3sanctified for himself[\u2026]
\n4and the night [\u2026] with [\u2026]
\n5[\u2026] for us p[eac]e [\u2026]
\n6[\u2026 may G]od bless Jeshuru[n \u2026]<\/p>\n
Sixteenth Day of the Month, Morning Prayer<\/p>\n
7[And when the sun rises to shine o]n [the ea]rth, they shall bless. They shall recite, saying: Blessed is the God of Israel]
\n8[\u2026] light they will rejoice [\u2026]
\n9[\u2026 prai]sing your name, O God of ligh[t] s, who renews [\u2026 six-]
\n10[teen] gates of light. And with u[s] in exclaiming your glory [\u2026]
\n11[div]isions of night. The peace of God [be up] on you, Israel, in going ou[t \u2026]<\/p>\n
Seventeenth Day of the Month, Morning Prayer<\/p>\n
FRAGMENTS 31\u201332<\/p>\n
17[When the sun rises to shine on the earth, they shall bless. They shall recite, saying: Blessed is the God of Israel]
\n18[\u2026] you have [gl]addened [us \u2026]
\n19[\u2026] divisions of night [\u2026]
\n20[\u2026] we tod[ay \u2026]
\n21[\u2026 Peace be upon you, Is]rael, in all fest[ivals \u2026]<\/p>\n
Eighteenth Day of the Month, Evening Prayer<\/p>\n
22On the ei[ghteenth of the month, in the evening], they [sh]all bless. They shall recite, saying: Bl[essed is the God of Israel]
\n23[\u2026 most h]oly place, and this night [\u2026]<\/p>\n
Twenty-fifth Day of the Month, Evening Prayer<\/p>\n
FRAGMENTS 37\u201338<\/p>\n
2On the [twenty]-fifth day [in the evening, they will bless. They shall recite, saying: Blessed is]
\n3the God of all holy [ones \u2026]
\n4holiness and rest for u[s \u2026]
\n5from the part of its dominion [\u2026]
\n6[\u2026]<\/p>\n
Twenty-fifth Day of the Month, Morning Prayer<\/p>\n
7[\u2026]
\n8twenty [five] gates of [light \u2026]
\n9[p]raising with us [\u2026]
\n10our [g]lory. Peace [be upon you, Israel \u2026]<\/p>\n
A Morning Prayer, on a Sabbath<\/p>\n
FRAGMENTS 24\u201325<\/p>\n
3[When the sun rises to shine] on the earth, they shall bless. They shall recite, [saying Blessed]
\n4[is the God of Israel w]ho cho[se] us from all [the] peoples in[\u2026]
\n5[\u2026] for the fest[ival of] rest and delight[\u2026]<\/p>\n
An Evening Prayer<\/p>\n
FRAGMENT 34<\/p>\n
3[On the \u2026 day of the] month in the [ev]ening, they shall bless. They shall recite, say[ing: Blessed is the God of Israel \u2026]
\n4[\u2026] and this night is for us the beginning of the dominion of da[rkness \u2026]
\n5[\u2026 Bless]ed are you God of Israel, who established [\u2026]
\n6[Peace be on you, Israel] in all the appointed time[s] of night.<\/p>\n
An Evening Prayer<\/p>\n
FRAGMENTS 51\u201355<\/p>\n
6[On the \u2026 of the month in the evening they shall bless. They shall recite, sa]ying: Blessed is the God of Is[rael \u2026]
\n7[\u2026]
\n8[\u2026] divisions of lig[ht \u2026]
\n9[\u2026] you have [taug]ht us the songs of praise to your glory [\u2026]
\n10[\u2026 in all] the appointed times of night. Peace be upon you [Israel.]<\/p>\n
A Morning Prayer<\/p>\n
12[When the sun rises to shine on the earth they shall bless.] They [shall recite,] saying: Blessed is the God of Israel [\u2026]
\n13[\u2026] he [t]aught us the thought of his gre[at] mind
\n14[\u2026] divisions of light so that we might know the sign[s]
\n15[\u2026 Blessed is the God of Isr]ael wh[o \u2026]<\/p>\n
Festival Prayers<\/p>\n
Daniel K. Falk<\/p>\n
This is a collection of prayers for various festivals and Fast Days throughout the year that survives only in very small scroll fragments (1Q34 + 34bis, 4Q507, 4Q508, 4Q509 + 4Q505). The form of the prayers is the same as in the Words of the Luminaries. After a heading that states the occasion\u2014for example, \u201cPrayer for the Day of Atonement\u201d\u2014the prayer begins by asking God to remember his acts of mercy in the past and by recalling the laws about the festival. The prayers speak directly to God in the second person and typically include praise for God, confession of sin, and petition for mercy. A concluding benediction\u2014now praising God in the third person\u2014sums up a major theme of the prayer; for example, \u201cBlessed is the LORD who gladdens us.\u201d This is followed by the response \u201cAmen, Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Authorship and History<\/p>\n
These prayers were written in Hebrew, probably in the 2nd century BCE and in the same community as Words of the Luminaries. Like that work, these prayers are not sectarian in nature, but rather contain typical Jewish motifs focusing on all Israel and the covenant with the patriarchs and Moses. Nevertheless, they were probably used by the sectarian group at Qumran, since four copies were found there, with one copied on the back of the sectarian War Scroll. All four copies date to the 1st century BCE. The fragments numbered 4Q505 belong with 4Q509 as a fourth copy of Festival Prayers and are not, as Baillet suggests, a copy of Words of the Luminaries.<\/p>\n
Significance<\/p>\n
This work is the earliest known collection of prayers for the different festivals throughout the year. It helps fill in some missing details in a large body of evidence for public prayer at festivals and fasts among Jews in general, including songs of praise and petitions. When Josephus, toward the end of the 1st century CE, describes the pilgrimage festivals as times \u201cto render thanks to God for benefits received, to intercede for future mercies\u201d (Ant. 4.203), he summarizes what had been common practice for some centuries. Songs of praise were especially associated with pilgrimage processions as early as the time of the First Temple, for example in Isa. 30:29:<\/p>\n
For you, there shall be singing
\nAs on a night when a festival is hallowed;
\nThere shall be rejoicing as when they march
\nWith flute, with timbrels, and with lyres
\nTo the Rock of Israel on the Mount of the LORD.<\/p>\n
Much evidence exists for a large repertoire of songs at festivals during the Second Temple period, especially songs for professional Temple singers and including some of the psalms. Petitions for personal and community needs at feasts go back to ancient times (e.g., 1 Sam. 1:9\u201311; 1 Kings 8:22\u201353), but communal petitions became much more prominent during the Second Temple period. A distinctive development in the centuries following the return of Jews from Babylon (starting in the late 6th century BCE) was the practice of public prayers of repentance by the community, and these were initially performed at festivals and fasts (e.g., Neh. 9; Bar. 1:10\u20133:8, esp. 1:14).
\nThe prayers in this collection are of the latter type: prose petitions of the community. Although they share some points in common with the later synagogue liturgy, they are not early versions of what later became standard in the synagogue. Instead they give a glimpse of the rich liturgical tradition that was developing in the Second Temple period, part of the broader heritage of early Jewish prayer.
\nIn the scroll here, the prayers differ for each occasion but are of the same type for both festivals and fasts, with expressions of joy, penitence, and petition. If the Words of the Luminaries is part of the same liturgical cycle, which seems likely, this liturgy distinguishes Sabbath prayers from daily and festival prayers by avoiding petition in the former. By contrast, in the later synagogue liturgy, festival prayers are similar to those for the Sabbath, with an emphasis on joy and with restricted petition in both types. Fasts are distinguished as occasions of self-denial and penitence, with expanded petition. Furthermore, the synagogue prayers show a tendency toward greater uniformity: the liturgy for all festivals has essentially the same structure, with mostly minor changes and additions of motifs appropriate to the day.
\nSome similar tailoring of motifs to the specific occasion is apparent in Festival Prayers. Especially notable are allusions to the biblical laws for the festival, as is found in festival prayers of the later synagogue. Its form is also similar to that of later synagogue prayers: both tend to employ opening and closing formulas to frame the prayer, and the closing blessing in both is close in style. Most strikingly, the prayer for the Festival of Booths in this scroll uses a litany style very similar to one used in the later synagogue liturgy.
\nThe calendar of festivals represented in the Festival Prayers\u2014as far as can be determined\u2014seems to have started in the autumn, so that the first of the seventh month, Tishrei, was treated as the New Year, as also in the synagogue liturgy. In the sectarian writings from Qumran, on the other hand, the festival calendar seems to have begun in the spring. Although we cannot be certain, the scroll does not seem to have included festivals that originated in the post-exilic period, such as the festivals of New Wine, New Oil, and Wood Offering described in the Temple Scroll from Qumran, or the festivals of Purim and Hanukkah that were accepted in the synagogue. The new moons are treated as major festivals with their own prayers, as seems to be the case more generally in the ancient period.<\/p>\n
GUIDE TO READING<\/p>\n
Only small parts survive of the manuscripts we have for these festival prayers, but there are numerous overlaps among them. In the translations below, some prayers are pieced together with bits from several different manuscripts, always presenting the best preserved parts. Overlaps with another copy that allow gaps to be filled in appear in italic. Some other gaps are filled in from standard formulas used throughout the prayers and from biblical allusions. We cannot be certain that the different copies of the prayer were identical, but for getting a general sense of the prayers, this hybrid approach seems better than giving only tiny disjointed pieces.
\nIn the translations below, the prayers for each festival are presented separately, sometimes over several fragments, with indication of which fragment is being translated, and (in parentheses) any overlaps with other copies. Where possible, the prayers are presented in the order they appear in the scroll, but in many cases the order is not known, and we also have no assurance that the prayers were in the same order in the different manuscripts. It seems likely that the prayers were probably not presented in a simple chronological order through the year.<\/p>\n
SUGGESTED READING<\/p>\n
Arnold, Russell C. D. The Social Role of Liturgy in the Religion of the Qumran Community, 148\u201357. Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah 60. Leiden: Brill, 2006.
\nBaillet, Maurice. \u201c505. Paroles des Luminaires,\u201d \u201c507\u2013509. Pri\u00e8res pour les f\u00eates.\u201d In Qumr\u00e2n grotte 4.III (4Q482\u20134Q520), 168\u201370, 177\u2013215, plates 9, 11, 12, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22, 28, 54. DJD 7. Oxford: Clarendon, 1982.
\nChazon, Esther G. \u201cPrayers from Qumran and Their Historical Implications.\u201d Dead Sea Discoveries 1 (1994): 265\u201384.
\nDavila, James R. \u201cFestival Prayers.\u201d In Liturgical Works, 15\u201340. Eerdmans Commentaries on the Dead Sea Scrolls 6. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 2000.
\nFalk, Daniel K. Daily, Sabbath, and Festival Prayers in the Dead Sea Scrolls, 155\u2013215. Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah 27. Leiden: Brill, 1998.
\nMilik, J. T. \u201c34. Recueil de pri\u00e8res liturgiques\u201d and \u201c34bis. Recueil de pri\u00e8res liturgiques.\u201d In Qumran Cave I, edited by D. Barth\u00e9lemy and J. T. Milik, 136, 152\u201355, plate 31. DJD 1. Oxford: Clarendon, 1955.
\nNitzan, Bilhah. Qumran Prayer and Religious Poetry, 99\u2013104 and see index. Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah 12. Leiden: Brill, 1994.
\nSchiffman, Lawrence H. \u201cThe Dead Sea Scrolls and the Early History of Jewish Liturgy.\u201d In The Synagogue in Late Antiquity, edited by Lee I. Levine, 33\u201348. Philadelphia: American Schools of Oriental Research, 1987.
\nWeinfeld, Moshe. \u201cPrayer and Liturgical Practice in the Qumran Sect.\u201d In The Dead Sea Scrolls: Forty Years of Research, edited by Devorah Dimant and Uriel Rappaport, 241\u201358. Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah 10. Leiden: Brill, 1992.<\/p>\n
TRANSLATION<\/p>\n
Prayer for the Day of Memorial<\/p>\n
4Q509 FRAGMENTS 1+2<\/p>\n
3[\u2026 m]ud of the streets [\u2026]
\n4[\u2026 before y]ou we pour out [our] lam[ent \u2026]
\n5[\u2026] us at the time of [\u2026]
\n\u2026
\n8[\u2026] Moses, and you spoke to [him \u2026]
\n\u2026
\n10[\u2026 wh]ich you commanded to [\u2026]
\n11[\u2026] your people [\u2026]<\/p>\n
4Q509 FRAGMENT 3 (|| 1Q34 FRAGMENTS 2+1 1\u20134)<\/p>\n
1[\u2026] and her sorrow [\u2026]
\n2[\u2026] the appointed time of our peace [\u2026],
\n3[for you made] us [rejoice] from our grief. You will gather [our banished ones for the appointed time of?\u2026],
\n4[\u2026] and our scattered on[es you] will ass[emble for the turning of?\u2026]
\n5[\u2026] your [me]rcies on our congregation like ra[in drops on the earth at seed-time]
\n6[and like showers on the gr]ass at sprouting time. [\u2026]
\n7[We will tell of] your [w]on[d]ers for generation after generat[ion?\u2026]
\n8[\u2026 Bless]ed is the LORD who gladdens [us \u2026]<\/p>\n
Prayer for the Day of Atonement<\/p>\n
1Q34 FRAGMENTS 2+1<\/p>\n
6Prayer for the Day of Atonement. Remem[ber O L]ord [\u2026]<\/p>\n
4Q509 FRAGMENTS 5\u20136 II<\/p>\n
2[\u2026] our blood at the time of [\u2026]
\n3[\u2026] to befall us, all [\u2026]
\n4[\u2026] you know everything [\u2026]
\n5you divided and you declared [\u2026 a]ll the curses [\u2026]
\n6[among] us, as you said [\u2026]
\n7\u201d[No]w you are about to lie down with [your] ances[tors \u2026]<\/p>\n
4Q509 FRAGMENT 7<\/p>\n
2[and] in the depths and in all [\u2026]
\n3For from of old you hated [\u2026]
\n4[ ] beloved before you [\u2026]
\n5at the end of days [\u2026]
\n6[\u2026] holy ones [\u2026]
\n7[\u2026] to keep [\u2026]<\/p>\n
4Q508 FRAGMENT 2<\/p>\n
1[\u2026] and you dwelt in our midst [\u2026]
\n2[\u2026] Remember, O LORD, the appointed time of your compassion, and the time of repentance [\u2026]
\n3[\u2026] and you have established it for us as an appointed time of self-denial, a law fore[ver \u2026]
\n4[\u2026] and you know the hidden things and the revealed thing[s \u2026]
\n5[\u2026] you [k]now our form [\u2026]
\n6[\u2026 ou]r [rising] and our lying down you [\u2026]<\/p>\n
4Q508 FRAGMENTS 22+23<\/p>\n
1[\u2026 Blessed is the LORD, w]ho had compassion on us [\u2026]<\/p>\n
Prayer for the Festival of Booths<\/p>\n
4Q509 FRAGMENT 8 (|| 4Q508 22+23 2\u20133; 21 1\u20133)<\/p>\n
4[Prayer for the Festival of Booths. Remember, O LORD, your abundant mercies?\u2026]
\n5[\u2026 produce of] our [la]nd for a raised offer[ing \u2026]
\n6[\u2026] at the beginning of [\u2026]
\n7[\u2026 m]uch [\u2026 and our despised ones]
\n8[\u2026 our travelers,] and our needy ones [\u2026]
\n9[\u2026 the d]ominion of [\u2026]<\/p>\n
4Q509 FRAGMENT 10 I<\/p>\n
2[\u2026] you blessed 3\u20138 \u2026<\/p>\n
4Q509 FRAGMENTS 12 I+13<\/p>\n
1the scattered who wander, without [someone to bring back; the \u2026]
\n2[w]ithout someone to give strength; those who fall, without [someone to raise up; the \u2026]
\n3without a teacher; the broken, without [someone to bandage; those who \u2026]
\n4in [their] sin, [and] there is no healer; [the \u2026 and there is no one]
\n5[to] give comfort; those who stumble in their transgressions [and there is no one to \u2026 Re] member
\n6the sorrow and weeping. You are a friend to prisoner[s \u2026]<\/p>\n
4Q509 FRAGMENTS 10 II+11<\/p>\n
3you shepherded and [\u2026]
\n4in your [\u2026]
\n5and your angels [\u2026]
\n6and your inheritance [\u2026 Blessed is]
\n7the LORD [who \u2026 Amen. Amen.]<\/p>\n
Unidentified Prayer<\/p>\n
4Q509 FRAGMENTS 10 II+11<\/p>\n
8[Pra] yer for the Festival of [\u2026] 9\u201312 \u2026<\/p>\n
4Q509 FRAGMENT 16<\/p>\n
2[\u2026] in all [their] pain[s]
\n3[\u2026] Have pity on them because of their affliction
\n4[\u2026] the sorrow of our elders and [our] noble[s]
\n5[\u2026] the youths taunted them
\n6[\u2026] they have [n]ot considered that y[ou]
\n7[\u2026] our wisdom [\u2026]
\n8[\u2026] and we [\u2026]<\/p>\n
Prayer for the Day of Firstfruits [Feast of Weeks]<\/p>\n
4Q509 FRAGMENTS 131\u201332 II<\/p>\n
5[Prayer for the Day of] Firstfruits. Remember, O L[or]d the Festival of
\n6[\u2026] and the freewill offerings pleasing to you which you commanded
\n7[\u2026 to b]ring before you the firstfruits of [\u2026] work
\n8[\u2026] on the earth to be [\u2026]
\n9[\u2026] you, for on the day of [\u2026]
\n10[\u2026] you made holy [\u2026]
\n11[\u2026] the offspring [\u2026]<\/p>\n
Prayer for the Festival of Passover<\/p>\n
4Q505 FRAGMENT 125<\/p>\n
1[Prayer for the night of] vigil. Remem[ber, O LORD?\u2026]
\n2[\u2026 y]ou [passed] over our houses [\u2026]
\n3[\u2026] not [\u2026] delivered [\u2026]
\n4[\u2026] all the nations [\u2026]<\/p>\n
4Q505 FRAGMENT 127<\/p>\n
2your miracles [\u2026]
\n3you displayed your strength [\u2026]<\/p>\n
Unidentified Prayer<\/p>\n
1Q34 FRAGMENT 3 I (|| 4Q508 1)<\/p>\n
1[\u2026] and [he] comman[ded \u2026]
\n2[\u2026] in the lot of the righ[te]ous, but for the wicked the l[o]t of
\n3[\u2026] in their bones a horror to all flesh; but the righteous
\n4[\u2026 to make] fat by the clouds of heaven and the produce of the land, to distinguish
\n5[between the righ]teous and the wicked. And you made the wicked our [r]ansom, and the tr[eacher] ous ones
\n6[\u2026] the extermination of all our oppressors. And we will praise your name forever
\n7[and ever,] for it is for this that you created us, and (it is for) this (reason) tha[t we respond] to you,
\nBlessed
\n8[be the LORD who \u2026 Amen. Amen.]<\/p>\n
Unidentified Prayer<\/p>\n
1Q34 FRAGMENT 3 II (|| 4Q509 97+98 i)<\/p>\n
1[\u2026] the grea[t] light for the appointed time of [day, and the little light for the night]
\n2[\u2026] and one must not transgress their laws, and all of them [\u2026]
\n3[\u2026] and their dominion in all the world. But the huma[n] race did not understand all that you caused them to inherit, and they did not know you
\n4[to d]o your words, but they acted more wickedly than all and they did not understand your great might. Therefore you rejected them, for you take no pleasure
\n5in sin, and the wicked will not be established before you. But You chose for Yourself a people in the time of your favor, for you remembered your covenant
\n6and you [granted] that they should be set apart for yourself as holy from all the peoples, and you renewed your covenant for them by an appearance of gl[or]y and the words of 7your holy [spirit], by the works of your hands and the writing of your right hand, to make them know the glorious instruction and the eternal works.
\n8[\u2026 you raised up] for [th]em a faithful shepherd [\u2026] poor and [\u2026]<\/p>\n
Unidentified Prayer<\/p>\n
4Q508 FRAGMENT 3<\/p>\n
1[\u2026] we have done evil [\u2026]
\n2[\u2026] and you made [a covenant] with Noah [\u2026]
\n3[\u2026] yo[ur] agreement [with Abraham, Is]aac, and Jacob [\u2026]
\n4[\u2026] you remembered the times of [\u2026]<\/p>\n
Unidentified Prayer<\/p>\n
4Q507 FRAGMENT 1<\/p>\n
2And we are with corruption from the womb, and from the breast with gu[ilt \u2026]
\n3As long as we live, our way is with impurity [\u2026]<\/p>\n
Unidentified Prayer<\/p>\n
4Q508 FRAGMENT 4<\/p>\n
1[\u2026] her desolate daughters [\u2026]
\n2[\u2026 Blessed is the LORD] who chose us, and his covenant [\u2026]<\/p>\n
Unidentified Prayer<\/p>\n
4Q508 FRAGMENT 13<\/p>\n
1[\u2026 O L]ord, for by your love
\n2[\u2026] your [\u2026] in the glorious festivals, and to treat as hol[y]
\n3[\u2026] gr[ain and] new wine and oil<\/p>\n
Prayer for New Moon<\/p>\n
4Q508 FRAGMENT 32<\/p>\n
2[\u2026] New Moon[s \u2026]
\n3[\u2026 for yo] u as a memor[ial \u2026]<\/p>\n
Unidentified Prayer<\/p>\n
4Q509 FRAGMENT 4<\/p>\n
3[\u2026] forever and he made us glad [\u2026]
\n4[\u2026 Blessed is] the LORD who made us understand [\u2026]
\n5[\u2026 forever and] ever. Amen. Amen. [\u2026]<\/p>\n
Words of the Luminaries<\/p>\n
Daniel K. Falk<\/p>\n
This text, from scrolls 4Q504 and 4Q506, is a collection of lengthy prayers, one for each day of the week. They were probably recited at sunrise and sunset, and repeated for each week of the year. Those for Sunday through Friday are petitions, with a consistent form. They begin by calling God to remember his dealings with his people, and over the course of the week they summarize the biblical story from Creation through the return from exile and up to the author\u2019s time. The tone is humble, confessing sin and then petitioning God to forgive, to help the people keep God\u2019s law, and to rescue them from spiritual or physical distress. They close with a blessing to God that reinforces the major theme of the prayer, followed by a response: \u201cAmen, Amen.\u201d On the Sabbath, things are different; there is instead a hymn of praise to God. Because the prayers are long and complicated, a prayer leader probably recited them, and the congregation responded affirmatively with \u201cAmen, Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Authorship and History<\/p>\n
Words of the Luminaries were written in Hebrew, probably before the development of the sectarian community at Qumran, but this group likely used them. Of two copies found at Qumran, one dates from the middle of the 2nd century BCE (4Q504) and the other from the middle of the 1st century CE (4Q506). Nothing in the prayers suggests that they were written by a sectarian group; they reflect typical Jewish concerns for Israel\u2019s covenant with God. Their style is very similar to those in the Festival Prayers collection, also found at Qumran.<\/p>\n
Significance<\/p>\n
These are the earliest known collection of daily prayers, and indeed the earliest evidence for the practice of groups of Jews gathering daily to pray together. Because they are recited daily, there is no direct connection between the requests for forgiveness and help and any immediate sin or situation of distress. This is an extraordinary change from prayer in the Hebrew Bible, where people pray mainly when they feel they need to. Luminaries is the earliest clear example of a new attitude toward prayer that became the hallmark of the synagogue: prayer as a religious service to God. Together the community confesses sin and prays for spiritual and physical help at regular times, bringing all of life before God and expressing complete dependence on God.
\nThese prayers show many general and specific similarities with certain prayers of the synagogue. There are some similarities with the Amidah (also known as the Eighteen Benedictions), which is one of the two central prayers of the synagogue liturgy. It is a series of short petitions framed with blessings to God. Now it is recited three times a day, but originally it was recited twice a day at the times of sacrifice. When it originated is a matter of debate, but it seems that the Amidah as known in the synagogue developed after the destruction of the Temple, drawing on the heritage of various petitions from the Second Temple period. As may be gathered from the Mishnah, the Amidah was originally a collection of petitions with certain general themes but not yet fixed wording (M. Ber. 4\u20135). It was a public prayer recited by a leader, and the congregation affirmed each blessing by responding \u201cAmen.\u201d
\nWords of the Luminaries contains the same basic type of prayer with a similar function. The collection shows an early attempt to frame each prayer with formulas at the beginning and end, and the ending formula appears to be a transition between formulas found in the Bible and those in later synagogue prayer. Many of the themes in the Amidah appear in these prayers, including knowledge, repentance, forgiveness, redemption, healing, concerns about the righteous and the wicked, and restoration of Jerusalem and the Davidic dynasty. Even some specific expressions are very similar (see commentary below).
\nNevertheless, Words of the Luminaries is not an early version of the Amidah. It comprises seven long prayers, a different one for each day of the week; the Amidah is a series of blessings recited in its entirety every day. Still, together with other pieces of evidence, this shows that by the 2nd century BCE there had developed a widespread practice of pious Jews reciting groups of petitions with some common themes. The most important of these are prayers from Wisdom of Ben Sira (Sirach), a book of wisdom from the early 2nd century BCE, which show some of the same motifs grouped together, as in Words of the Luminaries and the Amidah.
\nIn the synagogue service the Amidah is followed by a collection of supplications\u2014known as Tachanun\u2014that also have some similarities to the style and content of the prayers in Words of the Luminaries: asking God to remember the weakness of humans and his saving acts in the past, repenting and pleading for forgiveness, and petitioning for help to keep God\u2019s law. The Tachanun were at first private prayers of the individual for various personal needs, both physical and spiritual, but they came to have a place in the synagogue liturgy as people imitated the prayers of esteemed Rabbis.
\nThere were two main public settings for supplications and penitential prayer in Second Temple Judaism: public prayers for the nation on fast days and at times of special need, for which there were biblical models; and personal prayers at the daily incense offering at the Temple. Both forms of prayer left their mark on the later daily liturgy of the synagogue, particularly on the Amidah and the supplications following it. Luminaries shows how advanced and lively such prayer traditions were already in the 2nd century BCE.
\nBy having a hymn for Saturday rather than a petition, Luminaries demonstrates that Sabbath prayer should be special and set apart from the rest of the week: it is especially fitting to praise God on this day. This attitude seems to have been typical in ancient Judaism, and is reflected in later synagogue liturgy.<\/p>\n
GUIDE TO READING<\/p>\n
The translation below presents the best preserved copy (4Q504), marking with italics where a few small pieces of the second copy (4Q506) overlap. Because the manuscripts are in pieces, none of the prayers is complete. By carefully comparing the bits that survive, scholars have been able to put most of the pieces of 4Q504 in the right order and to fill in many of the gaps. Each day\u2019s prayer is presented separately, which often covers several fragments.
\nThe beginning of Wednesday\u2019s prayer gives the clearest idea of how the weekday prayers start; compare this with the beginning of the Sabbath hymn. Then read Friday\u2019s prayer, and then Thursday\u2019s, since these are the best preserved and convey the nature of the prayers. Then start at the beginning and try to trace the progression of the story from Creation to the congregation\u2019s presence in the Hellenistic period. Note how they tell the story: what is prominent and what is left out. Also pay attention to what sins the congregation confesses and what it asks of God. Finally, read the prayer for the Sabbath, noting the different tone from the weekday prayers, and which characteristics and actions of God they praise.<\/p>\n
SUGGESTED READING<\/p>\n
Arnold, Russell C. D. The Social Role of Liturgy in the Religion of the Qumran Community, 130\u201333. Studies on the Text of the Desert of Judah 60. Leiden: Brill, 2006.
\nBaillet, Maurice. \u201c504. Paroles des Luminaires (premier exemplaire: DibHama)\u201d and \u201c506. Paroles des Luminaires (troisi\u00e8me exemplaire: DibHamc).\u201d In Qumr\u00e2n grotte 4.III (4Q482\u20134Q520), 137\u201368, 170\u201375, and plates XVIII, XX, XXIV, and XLIX\u2013LIII. DJD 7. Oxford: Clarendon, 1982.
\nChazon, Esther G. \u201c4QDibHam: Liturgy or Literature?\u201d Revue de Qumran 15 (1992): 447\u201355.
\n\u2014\u2014\u2014. \u201cDibre Hamme\u2019orot: Prayer for the Sixth Day (4Q504 1\u20132 v\u2013vi).\u201d In Prayer from Alexander to Constantine: A Critical Anthology, edited by Mark Kiley, et al., 23\u201327. London: Routledge, 1997.
\n\u2014\u2014\u2014. \u201cA Liturgical Document from Qumran and its Implications: \u2018Words of the Luminaries\u2019 (4QDibHam)\u201d [Hebrew]. Unpublished PhD Dissertation, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 1991.
\nDavila, James R. \u201cThe Words of the Luminaries.\u201d In Liturgical Works, 238\u201366. Eerdmans Commentaries on the Dead Sea Scrolls 6. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 2000.
\nFalk, Daniel K. Daily, Sabbath, and Festival Prayers in the Dead Sea Scrolls, 59\u201394. Studies on the Text of the Desert of Judah 27. Leiden: Brill, 1998.
\n\u2014\u2014\u2014. \u201cQumran and the Synagogue Liturgy.\u201d In The Ancient Synagogue from Its Origins until 200 C.E., edited by Birger Olsson and Magnus Zetterholm, 420\u201325 [404\u2013434]. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell, 2003.
\nNitzan, Bilhah. Qumran Prayer and Religious Poetry, 89\u2013116, and see index. Studies on the Text of the Desert of Judah 12. Leiden: Brill, 1994.
\nWeinfeld, Moshe. \u201cPrayer and Liturgical Practice in the Qumran Sect.\u201d In The Dead Sea Scrolls: Forty Years of Research, edited by Devorah Dimant and Uriel Rappaport, 241\u201358. Studies on the Text of the Desert of Judah 10. Leiden: Brill, 1992.<\/p>\n
TRANSLATION<\/p>\n
1. Words of the Luminaries This is the title of the scroll, written across the edge on the outside of the scroll. It probably implies that the prayers are words to be recited at times determined by the lights in the sky, presumably, at sunset and sunrise. The term \u201cwords\u201d was sometimes used in Rabbinic literature to refer to private petitions in the synagogue service (e.g., T. Ber. 3:6).<\/p>\n
4Q504 Fragment 8 verso (Title Line)<\/p>\n
1Words of the Luminaries<\/p>\n
Prayer for Sunday<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENT 8 RECTO<\/p>\n
1[Prayer on the first day. Remem]ber O L[o]rd that from du[st You formed us \u2026]
\n2[and to dust is] our [lon]ging. But You live for[ever \u2026]
\n3[You have done] wonders from of old and awesome deeds [from ages past \u2026]
\n4[Adam] our [fa]ther You formed in the likeness of [Your] glory [\u2026]
\n5You [br]eathed [the breath of life] in his nostrils, and [You graciously gave him] understanding and knowledge [\u2026]
\n6[In the gard]en of Eden which You planted, Yo[u] gave domini[on \u2026]
\n7[to him \u2026] and to walk in a land of glory [\u2026]
\n8[\u2026] he guarded. And You charged him not to st[ray \u2026]
\n9[\u2026] he is flesh and to the dust h[e returns \u2026]
\n10[\u2026] And You, You know [\u2026]
\n11[\u2026] to generations forever [\u2026]
\n12[\u2026] a living God, and Your hand [\u2026]
\n13[\u2026] man in the ways of [\u2026]
\n14[\u2026 to fill the] earth [with vio]lence and to she[d innocent blood \u2026]<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENT 9<\/p>\n
3[\u2026] pure ones [\u2026]
\n4[\u2026] he placed him [\u2026]
\n5[\u2026] fruit [\u2026]
\n6[\u2026] his [ju]dgments, and he will raise [\u2026]
\n7[\u2026] and [\u2026] number[\u2026]<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENT 6<\/p>\n
2[\u2026] and the fruit of the plans of [\u2026]
\n3[\u2026] to understand all the law[s \u2026]
\n4[\u2026] its produce, to underst[and \u2026]
\n5[\u2026] \u2026 in Your deeds continually [\u2026]
\n6[\u2026 Re]member, please, that all of us are Your people, and You bore us up wonder[fully]
\n7[on the wings] of eagles and You have brought us to Yourself. And as an eagle rouses its brood,
\n8hovers [above its young], spreads its wings, and takes and lifts them on [its pinions \u2026]
\n9[\u2026] we [l]ive apart and are not counted among the nations [\u2026]
\n10[\u2026] You are in our midst in a column of fire and cloud [\u2026]
\n11[\u2026] Your [holi]ness goes before us and Your glory is in [our] mid[st \u2026]
\n12[\u2026] face of Moses [Your] serv[ant \u2026]
\n13[\u2026] for You [\u2026]
\n14[\u2026] You will certainly not declare innoc[ent \u2026]
\n15[\u2026 You disciplined us] as a man chastens [his son \u2026]
\n16[\u2026 holy o]nes and pure one[s \u2026]
\n17[\u2026 which the] man [who will do them] will live by them [\u2026]
\n18[\u2026 the o]a[t]h which [You] swor[e \u2026]
\n19[\u2026] in your presence[\u2026] \u2026 [\u2026]
\n20[\u2026] Blessed is the LORD [\u2026]
\n21[\u2026] we will search out [Your] great deeds [\u2026]
\n22[\u2026] spirit of all living [\u2026]<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENT 4 (|| 4Q506 131+132 7\u201314)<\/p>\n
2[\u2026] You [w]ho were pleased [for] generations [\u2026]
\n3[\u2026 the] earth and the work of all the [\u2026 You gave to him]
\n4[in the goodness of their heart. Fo]r You are the God of knowledge [and] every pla[n?\u2026]
\n5[before Yo]u. These things we know because You graciously gave u[s Your] h[oly] spirit. [Have pity on us]
\n6[and do not re]member against us the sins of the ancestors in all their wick[ed] dealings, [who]
\n7[were stub]born. But You, ransom us and [please] forgive our sin and [our] mis[deeds].
\n8[Teach us] Your [statu]tes, a law which [You] com[manded] by the hand of Mos[es \u2026]
\n9[\u2026] which [\u2026]in a[l]l[\u2026]
\n10[\u2026 kingdom] of priests and holy nation[\u2026]
\n11[\u2026 wh]ich You chose. Circumcise the foreskin [of our heart]
\n12[\u2026 make] us [not stu]bborn any more. Strengthen our heart to do [\u2026]
\n13[\u2026 to] walk in Your ways [\u2026]
\n14[\u2026 Blessed] is the LORD, who has made [us] to kn[ow \u2026]
\n15[\u2026] Amen, Amen.<\/p>\n
Prayer for Monday<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENT 4<\/p>\n
16[Prayer for the second day. Remember] O LORD, Yo[ur] holy name [\u2026]
\n17[\u2026] because of You, and concerning the word [\u2026]
\n19[\u2026] sin [\u2026]
\n20[\u2026] spirit [\u2026]
\n21[\u2026] \u2026 of Torah [\u2026]
\n22[\u2026] to seize [\u2026]<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENT 26<\/p>\n
2[\u2026] You
\n3[\u2026] Your [w]onders
\n4[\u2026] nations
\n5[\u2026] firstborn
\n6[\u2026] Your land
\n7[\u2026] to provoke [\u2026]
\n8[\u2026] the curses
\n9[\u2026] You drained<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENT 17 II<\/p>\n
4[\u2026] and from all [\u2026]
\n5[\u2026] us and[\u2026]
\n6in the ways of [\u2026]
\n7upright. Amen, [Amen.]<\/p>\n
Prayer for Tuesday<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENT 17 II<\/p>\n
7[Prayer for the third day. Remember, O LORD, \u2026]<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENT 5 I<\/p>\n
1[\u2026] Your [\u2026]
\n2[\u2026 wonder]s You have done
\n3[\u2026] name forever, and to s[e]e
\n4[\u2026 and to tell] Your [mig]hty deeds to [future] generations
\n5[\u2026] You in the heaven[s and on the ea]rth<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENTS 5 II + 3 I (|| 4Q50 6 FRAGMENT 124 2\u20135)<\/p>\n
[\u2026 You all \u2026 and You chose]
\n1their descendants after them for [\u2026]
\n2a holy [people] standing before Y[ou \u2026]
\n3[Re]member, O LORD, that [\u2026] us
\n4[\u2026] let us celebrate the festival of [our] freedom [\u2026] we
\n5in our sins, and to stray in [the stubbornness of our heart \u2026] to do
\n6what is evil in Your sight. You commanded[\u2026] \u2026
\n7and according to [Your] will [\u2026]
\n8to Your understanding and[\u2026]<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENT 3 II<\/p>\n
2[\u2026] Blessed be Go[d] who has given us rest [\u2026]
\n3[Amen] Amen.<\/p>\n
Prayer for Wednesday<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENT 3 II (|| 4Q506 FRAGMENTS 125\u201327)<\/p>\n
5[Prayer for the] fourth [da]y. Remember O LORD [\u2026]
\n6[\u2026] Your [\u2026] will be shown as holy in the glory of [\u2026]
\n7[\u2026 face] to face You appeared in our midst [\u2026]
\n8[\u2026] and w[e] heard Your holy words [in order to test us and in order]
\n9[that the fear of] You [might be] in our presence, so that we might not s[in.
\n10[\u2026] Your great [ho]ly [name \u2026]
\n11[\u2026 the] earth [\u2026
\n12[\u2026] and so that we may believe [\u2026]
\n13forever. And You made with us a covenant at Ho[reb \u2026]
\n14concerning all th[ese] l[a]ws and commandments [\u2026]
\n15and the good,[pure] and holy things [\u2026]
\n16which [You commanded through] Moses and \u2026 [\u2026]
\n17in all[\u2026]face to face [Yo]u spoke with hi[m and you made [Your] glor[y pass before his face]
\n18[\u2026] You were pleased with him and they found [favor in Your eyes \u2026]
\n19[\u2026 all \u2026]them by his hand to our eyes [\u2026]<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENT 7 + 18<\/p>\n
1[\u2026] You [\u2026] the one making straight the
\n2[\u2026 wond]ers that You have done
\n3[\u2026] [I]srael so that distant generations will recount
\n4[\u2026] works of Your hands
\n5[\u2026] for Your glory
\n6[\u2026] it will not be shortened
\n7[\u2026 n] othing [will be im]possible for You
\n8[\u2026] it
\n9[\u2026] You placed \u2026
\n10[\u2026] Do not abandon us
\n11[\u2026] and in Your mercies
\n12[\u2026] we met
\n13[\u2026 wh]ich you forgave
\n14[to our ancestors \u2026 in the wild]erness where they spurned
\n15[Your command. And] You [g]ave to them a heart[to know] and they tested You and they found you
\n16[and You gave to them eyes to see and ears to hear, but th]ey did n[ot] trust
\n17[You \u2026] at the end, and they smeared [their eyes; these (are those) wh]o saw, for
\n18[\u2026] spirit [\u2026] eyes<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENTS 1\u20132 I<\/p>\n
7[\u2026] Amen Amen.<\/p>\n
Prayer for Thursday<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENTS 1\u20132 I RECTO<\/p>\n
8[Prayer for the fifth day. Remember, O LORD, \u2026] wonders
\n9[\u2026] from Egypt
\n10[\u2026 w]ilderness<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENTS 1\u20132 II RECTO<\/p>\n
6[\u2026] Your [won]d[e]rs.
\n7Ah, LORD, act as befits You according to Your great strength, You wh[o fo]rgav[e]
\n8our ancestors when they defied Your command. You were so angry with them as to destroy them, but You had pity
\n9on them because of Your love for them and for the sake of Your covenant\u2014for [M]oses had atoned
\n10for their sins\u2014and so that Your great strength and the abundance of Yo[ur] mercy might be known
\n11to distant generations. May Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your people Israel on account of all [their] si [ns], but may You remember
\n12Your wonders which You did before the eyes of the nations, for we bear Your name.
\n13[\u2026 to cause ]us[ to repent] with all (our) heart and with all (our) soul, and to implant Your Torah in our heart
\n14[so that one may not turn from it to go] to the right or left. For You will heal us from madness, blindness and bewilderment
\n15[of heart \u2026 Because of] our [si]ns we were sold, but despite our rebellions You called us
\n16[\u2026] and You will rescue us from sinning against You.
\n17[\u2026] and to make us understand the requirements.
\n18[\u2026] You did them
\n19[\u2026] and their deeds<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENTS 1\u20132 III RECTO<\/p>\n
1(My?) Father[\u2026]
\n2 \u2026 Indeed,
\n3all the nations are [as no]thing before You. They are counted [as] void and null before You.
\n4Only on Your name have we [ca]lled. You created us for Your glory, and
\n5You made us Your children in the sight of all the nations, for You called
\n6[I]srael \u201cmy son, my firstborn,\u201d and You disciplined us as a man disciplines
\n7his son. You raised us throughout the years of our generations,
\n8[correcting us by means of] severe illness, famine, thirst, plague, and the sword
\n9[of vengeance avenging] Your covenant. Because You have chosen us for Yourself
\n10[to be a people from all] the earth, therefore You poured out on us Your wrath
\n11[and] Your [jeal]ousy with all the heat of Your anger. You made stick to us
\n12[the curse] of Your [pl]agues of which Moses and Your servants
\n13the prophets wrote, th[at] You [would s]end evil a[ga]inst us in
\n14days to come. For [\u2026]
\n15and our kings for [\u2026]
\n16to take the daughters [\u2026]
\n17and they destroyed in [their]s[in \u2026]
\n18Your covenant and [\u2026]
\n19the seed of Israel [\u2026]
\n20You are just [\u2026]<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENTS 1\u20132 IV RECTO<\/p>\n
2Your d[w]elling place [\u2026] resting place
\n3in Jerusa[lem, which] You [ch]ose from all the earth
\n4for [Yo]ur [name] to be there forever. For You loved
\n5Israel more than all the peoples. You chose the tribe
\n6of Judah, and You established Your covenant with David that he might be
\n7like a shepherd, like a prince over Your people, and sit on the throne of Israel before You
\n8always. All the nations saw Your glory,
\n9You who were honored as holy in the midst of Your people Israel. To Your great name
\n10they brought their offerings: silver and gold and precious stones,
\n11along with all the bounty of their land to honor Your people and
\n12Zion, Your holy city and Your beautiful Temple. And there was no adversary
\n13nor evil plague but rather peace and blessing [\u2026]
\n14They a[t]e and were satisfied and became fat [\u2026]<\/p>\n
Prayer for Friday<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENTS 1\u20132 V RECTO<\/p>\n
1[\u2026] \u2026 [\u2026 they abandoned]
\n2the spring of living waters [\u2026] \u2026
\n3and they served a foreign god in their land. Then their land
\n4was devastated by their enemies. For Your wrath was [po]ured out,
\n5and the burning of Your anger with the fire of Your jealousy, to make desolate
\n6so that there was no going or coming. In spite of all this You did not reject
\n7the descendants of Jacob and You did not detest Israel
\n8so as to finish them off, to break Your covenant with them. For You
\n9are a living God, You alone, and there is none beside You. You remembered Your covenant,
\n10(You) who brought us out in the sight of the nations, and You did not abandon us
\n11among the nations. You were gracious toward Your people Israel in all
\n12[the] lands to which You banished them, to cause them to turn
\n13their heart (s) to return to You and to obey Your voice
\n14[according] to all You commanded through Moses Your servant.
\n15[Fo]r You poured out Your holy spirit on us
\n16[to br]ing Your blessings to us, so that (we) might seek You in our distress
\n17[and so that (we) might wh]isper (prayers) under the pressure of Your correction. We have come into distress,
\n18[we have been str]uck and tested by the wrath of the oppressor. For also
\n19we have [we]aried God with our iniquity; we have burdened the Rock with [our]si[n].
\n20[But] for our good You did [not bu]rden us, (You) who leads [us] in the pa[th]
\n21in [which we should go]. [But] we did not pay attention t[o Your commandments]<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENTS 1\u20132 VI RECTO<\/p>\n
2[and] You [thre]w away fr[o]m us all ou[r] transgressions, and You [p]urified us
\n3from our sin for Your sake. To You alone, O LORD, belongs justice! For
\n4You have done all these things. And now, as today
\n5when our heart is humbled, we have atoned for our sins and the sins
\n6of our ancestors\u2014in our unfaithfulness and in which we behaved stubbornly. We have not rejected
\n7Your tests or Your blows. We did not detest to the point of breaking
\n8Your covenant in all our distress, for You are the one who sent among us our enemies.
\n9You strengthened our heart so that we might tell Your mighty acts to distant generations.
\n10Now, LORD, as You have done miracles from of old and
\n11always, please turn Your anger and rage from us. See [our] mi[sery],
\n12our hardship, and our oppression. Rescue Your people Isr[ael from all]
\n13the lands\u2014those near and far\u2014to wh[ich You banished them, ]
\n14everyone who is written in the book of life \u2026
\n15to serve You and give praise [\u2026]
\n16from all their oppressors [\u2026]
\n17those who make stumble [\u2026]<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENTS 1\u20132 VII RECTO<\/p>\n
1 \u2026 [\u2026 Blessed is the LORD]
\n2who delivered us from all distress Amen, [Amen.]<\/p>\n
Prayer for the Sabbath<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENTS 1\u20132 VII RECTO<\/p>\n
4A song of praises on the day of the Sabbath. Praise [\u2026 Bless]
\n5His holy name continually [\u2026]
\n6all the angels of the holy sky and [all the waters above]
\n7the heavens; the earth, and all its handiwork, [\u2026]
\n8the great [abyss], the underworld, and the waters, and all that is [in them. Give thanks to the LORD]
\n9all his creatures continually, foreve[r and ever. Bless]
\n10His holy [name]. Sing to God [\u2026]
\n11glory and [\u2026]<\/p>\n
[TWO COLUMNS LOST]<\/p>\n
4Q504 FRAGMENTS 1\u20132 VII VERSO<\/p>\n
1[\u2026] volunteers
\n2[\u2026] they will exalt
\n3[\u2026] of glory
\n4[\u2026] for all
\n5[\u2026] and he created the
\n6[\u2026] \u2026 name
\n7[\u2026] God of their holy things
\n8[\u2026] His holiness, and He lifted up
\n9[\u2026] His covenant and He returned
\n10[\u2026 to sing] their praises.<\/p>\n
Angelic Liturgy<\/p>\n
Michael D. Swartz<\/p>\n
Angelic Liturgy, also known as Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice or 4QShirShabba is a set of hymns from the Dead Sea Scrolls that were meant to be recited on the Sabbaths of the first 13 weeks of the year. The hymns praise God as ruler of heaven and earth, but more significantly, they describe a heavenly Temple in which angelic beings, sometimes called elohim or \u201cgodlike creatures,\u201d hold sacrifices. The text seems to depict a heaven in which there are seven Temples, where angelic priests serve in seven separate hierarchies. The text that has survived does not describe the actual sacrifices performed by the angelic priests, but it does describe the elaborate praise offered by the angels each Sabbath at the time of the sacrifices.
\nAngelic Liturgy is significant as a rare example of Hebrew prayer in the Second Temple period. It is also significant because of its unusual cosmology and concepts of angels. The text may also have influenced the later history of Jewish mysticism.<\/p>\n
Authorship and History<\/p>\n
The text was probably entitled Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice (Serekh Shirot Olat Ha-Shabbat). Nine copies of the text were found at Qumran and one at Masada. However, no complete copy exists. The original date and authorship of the text are difficult to determine; these questions are discussed under \u201cauthorship\u201d below. It was certainly written in Judea sometime before the 1st century BCE. If the text was written before the founding of the community at Qumran, it would have been written in the middle of the 2nd century BCE.
\nIt is also difficult to tell whether Angelic Liturgy circulated after the 1st century CE. The text does contain several ideas that also appear in the Jewish mystical literature that flourished in the time of the Talmud. These ideas include the concept of several chambers in a heavenly Temple and organized groups of angels singing praise. This may be evidence that the text circulated after its use at Qumran and influenced later generations of Jews.
\nAngelic Liturgy is not attributed to any historical or biblical figure or any member of the Qumran community. The text, unlike the Qumran Thanksgiving Hymnsa (1QHa), does not speak in the first-person singular, although it does use the first-person plural to describe worshipers on earth (see, e.g., 4QShirShabba 2:24\u201326). Therefore, we must rely on evidence for the text\u2019s function and its similarity with other Dead Sea Scrolls to guess at its origin.
\nAngelic Liturgy was probably used as part of the liturgy of the Qumran community. However, scholars have debated whether it was written by its members. Many ideas in the text are common to the Dead Sea Scrolls, among them the correspondence of the angels with human beings and God\u2019s foreknowledge of history, as well as such technical terms as maskil, \u201cmaster\u201d or \u201cinstructor,\u201d and temime derekh, \u201cthose whose way is perfect,\u201d a common term for the community. But the text makes no explicit arguments or polemics against other Jewish parties, a common feature of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Furthermore, the text is not dominated by much of the specific terminology used in the Scrolls.
\nSome scholars have suggested that because a copy was found at Masada, the text was written by an author or group that influenced both the zealots at Masada and the Qumran community separately. Others have suggested that it was written at Qumran and that members of that community fled to Masada during the revolt and brought a copy with them. Carol A. Newsom, who has written the definitive study of Angelic Liturgy, argues that it was written by someone outside the community and later adopted at Qumran. She bases this especially on the terminology for God in the text. The liturgy uses the word Elohim for God, whereas most of the Dead Sea Scrolls originating in the Qumran community avoid this word. Others argue that these differences may be due to the community\u2019s decision to use different terms in prayer from those they used in polemical or legal literature. Moreover, Newsom emphasizes that although the composition may not have been written at Qumran, it was integrated fully into the literature and prayer of the community.
\nThe sectarians themselves may have believed that David composed these songs. The Psalms scroll states that David wrote, \u201cSongs to Be Sung before the Altar over the Daily Burnt Offering for every day for all the days of the year, 364, and for the Sabbath offerings 52 songs\u201d (11qpsalmsa 27:5\u20137). This text also suggests that the songs were meant to accompany the sacrificial ceremony (see 2 Chron. 29:27\u201328; Luke 1:10).<\/p>\n
Significance<\/p>\n
Angelic Liturgy is one of the most extensive prayer texts found among the Dead Sea Scrolls outside of the Thanksgiving Hymnsa and Non-Canonical Psalms (4Q380\u2013381). Unlike those prayer texts, it explicitly designates a song for each of the 13 Sabbaths. This gives us a possible idea of how the community used prayer on a regular basis.
\nIts cosmology and angelology are also significant. The idea of a celestial abode for God is an integral part of biblical theology, but this is the most explicit exposition in Second Temple literature of a heavenly Temple in which sacrifices are offered. Later Rabbinic literature, Midrash, and esoteric Hebrew texts also discussed the existence of a heavenly Temple. The description of angels and other godlike beings in the text is also unique, even among the Dead Sea Scrolls, in which ideas of angels are highly developed. The text does use the standard term for angel, mal\u2019akh. However, it uses terms such as elohim, \u201cgodlike beings,\u201d mesharte panim, servants of [God\u2019s] presence,\u201d and kedoshe kedosim \u201cthe most holy ones,\u201d more frequently. It does not describe the physical appearance of the divine beings in detail, but only their role as priests and participants in the heavenly worship of God.
\nAngelic Liturgy is also significant for the history of Hebrew poetry. In biblical literature, poetry is represented in several places: the Psalms; most of the prophetic books, such as Isaiah and Amos; and here and there in the Torah. But little evidence for Hebrew poetry had existed between the biblical period and the 3rd to 4th centuries CE, when the Hebrew poetry of the synagogue (known as piyyut) began to flourish. With the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, we now know that many types of Hebrew poetry existed. We find it in the Thanksgiving Hymnsa, in the Non-Canonical Psalms, and in several poetic passages attached to treatises such as Rule of the Community and War Scroll. Most of these poetic compositions resemble biblical poetry closely in style and function. Angelic Liturgy expands our knowledge of Hebrew poetry in the Second Temple period considerably.
\nThe hymns are written in a variety of styles, not all of them based on biblical parallelism (in which two lines balance each other in rhythm, syntax, and meaning). These styles range from the highly formulaic\u2014in which phrases such as \u201cPraise God of the divine beings, O inhabitants of the highest heights\u201d (4QShirShabba 6:2) are used to begin a section or stan-za\u2014to a more free-flowing style in which verbs and adjectives follow one another in quick succession. This latter style is historically significant because it is also characteristic of the literature of early Jewish mysticism of later centuries (see below in this section).
\nThat prayers existed at Qumran should not be taken for granted. In the ancient world the primary form of worship was sacrifice. Prayer was, if anything, a minor form of wor-ship. However, the Qumran community believed that the Temple in Jerusalem at the time was hopelessly corrupt, polluted, and run by wicked priests. They believed that only after the war between the forces of light and the forces of darkness would the Temple be purified and the proper priests installed. Therefore, the Temple was unavailable to them until the final apocalypse. The Qumran community probably believed that the liturgy would allow them to participate vicariously in the heavenly worship of God while being on earth and away from the earthly Temple. Whether or not the community themselves wrote Angelic Liturgy, it served their purposes. Furthermore, Angelic Liturgy probably inspired liturgists at Qumran to write at least two prayer texts: the Words of the Maskil and the Berakhot.
\nTwo of the main ideas in Angelic Liturgy appear in Rabbinic literature. Many legends in Talmud and Midrash say that there is a heavenly sanctuary. Moreover, the idea of an angelic priest performing sacrifices in heaven appears in several statements in the Babylonian Talmud and in Midrash. However, there is no sign that Angelic Liturgy itself influenced the early Rabbis.
\nOn the other hand, Angelic Liturgy has played a significant role in the study of Jewish mysticism. After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE and the rise of the ancient Rabbis as a class of intellectual and religious leadership in Palestine, a form of mystical literature developed that described journeys to heaven supposedly undertaken by prominent Rabbis. In this literature, individuals travel through the seven chambers of heaven, known as hekhalot, \u201cpalaces\u201d or \u201ctemples,\u201d to the divine chariot throne, or merkabah. Along the way they encounter angelic guards who test their knowledge of the angelic hierarchy and esoteric names of God. If they succeed in reaching the throne room, they are privileged to witness the angelic praise of God (see Isa. 6; Ezek. 3), and perhaps participate in that celestial liturgy. These texts are called hekhalot literature, and the phenomenon they represent has been called merkabah mysticism, because many scholars believe that the authors sought to experience ecstatic visions of that journey and recorded those experiences as stories of Rabbis ascending to heaven. They were probably written in several stages between the 3rd and 7th centuries CE, around the time the Talmud and the most important Rabbinic texts were being written.
\nAngelic Liturgy is not identical to the literature of merkabah mysticism. For example, it does not contain the element of ascent to heaven. However, many similarities and one or two more direct parallels exist between the two literatures. For example, Ma\u2019aseh Merkabah, one of the main hekhalot texts, contains many hymns that emphasize the correspondence between angels and human beings and envisions the angels arrayed in successive chambers of heaven. As does Angelic Liturgy, this text posits the existence of multiple merkabot, or celestial chariots. A more striking similarity between the two is in the style of praise, especially in 4QShirShabba 6 and 7. Rather than use biblical parallelism common to Qumran poetry, these songs employ repetition and series of verbs or adjectives, and are not organized into complete sentences.
\nIt is therefore possible that some version of Angelic Liturgy, or at least some of its main ideas, found their way to the circles of merkabah mystics. Since Angelic Liturgy emphasizes priestly concerns, such as a celestial sacrifice and the hierarchy of an angelic priesthood, it has also helped us understand how priestly piety influenced early Jewish mysticism.
\nFinally, the premise of Angelic Liturgy\u2014the idea that human beings praise God at the same time that the angels bless him in heaven\u2014is echoed in one of the most important prayers in the traditional Jewish prayer book, the Sanctification or Kedushah which frames the congregation\u2019s recitation of Isa. 6:3. One version of this prayer encapsulates this idea: \u201cWe sanctify your name on earth as they sanctify it in the heavenly heights, as it is written: \u2018One would call to the other, \u201cHoly, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of Hosts; His presence fills all the earth!\u201d \u2019 While no one knows whether Angelic Liturgy influenced the traditional prayers, it does testify to the presence of this idea in the Second Temple period.<\/p>\n
GUIDE TO READING<\/p>\n
Because no single copy of the entire Angelic Liturgy exists, the translation that appears in this volume has been reconstructed from the existing fragments (see also under Source of Translation, below) to give the reader the closest possible estimation of how the original text may have read. Several large sections of the text are lost completely. The liturgy is divided into 13 songs, each of which begins with the same formula: \u201cSong of the sacrifice of the [first] Sabbath on the fourth of the [first] month,\u201d with the particular day inserted in each case. The style and subjects of the individual songs vary, however, from the description of the legal and ritual duties of the angels, as in Song 1, to the ecstatic hymns sung by successive ranks of angels, as in Songs 6 and 7.
\nReaders should be aware of the underlying assumptions about the heavenly world and its inhabitants in Angelic Liturgy, which is based on the idea that God resides in the innermost chamber of an elaborate Temple in heaven. As Newsom observes, \u201cthe heavenly temple was in some way considered to contain or consist of seven holy places in which served seven angelic priesthoods, headed by seven angelic high priests and their deputies.\u201d These angelic officials, also known as \u201cdivine beings\u201d or \u201cgodlike beings,\u201d praise God with specific types of song at specific Sabbaths of the year. The Hebrew title of the text, Serekh Shirot Olat Ha-Shabbat, \u201cSongs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, tells us that sacrifices are to be offered in this celestial Temple. However, the text does not describe these sacrifices or the role the angels play in offering them. Another curious paradox lies in how the songs describe the angelic hymns extensively but do not actually quote them. So the reader is left knowing that angels sing hymns, but does not hear the hymns themselves.
\nReaders should also pay attention to the styles of poetry used in the text. Because these compositions were probably meant to be sung by the congregation on earth, rhythm, parallelism, repetition, and vivid images all play a part in the text. Although we can never hear the original melodies, we can listen to the \u201cmusic\u201d that the poetry conveys.
\nThe structure of the liturgy deserves special attention. The text can be divided into three sections. Songs 1 through 5 mostly concern the angelic priesthood. The second section consists of Songs 6 through 8, which enumerate the types of praise and blessing that each rank of angels offers. The individual songs increase in length, ornamentation, and religious fervor until Song 7, at which point they decrease again. This means that Song 7 was meant to be the stylistic culmination of the song cycle. This corresponds to the idea that God resides in the innermost sanctuary and that the highest rank of angels is appointed to serve him. The third section, Songs 9 through 13, describe the heavenly Temple and its chambers in detail, following them from the outer entrance to the inner sanctum or Holy of Holies. Song 13 concludes with a description of the angelic sacrifice itself and the glorious vestments worn by the heavenly priests.
\nFinally, the reader should be aware of the importance of Angelic Liturgy to the Qumran community, and perhaps to the author. Because the Qumran community lived in voluntary exile from the earthly Temple, they could not worship there. However, they believed that God\u2019s permanent abode was in heaven, where angelic priests offered sacrifice and praise. After the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE, Jewish mystics believed that it was actually possible to travel up to heaven, enter the inner sanctum of the divine habitation, and participate with the angels in the praise of God. The people who wrote and preserved Angelic Liturgy held out no such hopes. But they did try to make the celestial world and its priesthood as vivid as possible to the community of worshipers.<\/p>\n
SUGGESTED READING<\/p>\n
Alexander, Philip S. Mystical Texts. Library of Second Temple Studies 61. London: T & T Clark International, 2006.
\nDavila, James A. Liturgical Works. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 2000.
\nDavidson, Maxwell J. Angels at Qumran: A Comparative Study of 1 Enoch 1\u201336, 72\u2013108 and Sectarian Writings from Qumran. Sheffield, England: JSOT, 1992.
\nEshel, Esther, Hanan Eshel, Carol Newsom, Bilhah Nitzan, Eileed Schuller, and Ada Yardeni. Qumran Cave 4.VI: Poetical and Liturgical Texts, Part I. Discoveries in the Judaean Desert 11. Oxford: Clarendon, 1998.
\nFalk, Daniel K. Daily, Sabbath, and Festival Prayers in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Lieden: Brill, 1998.
\nNewsom, Carol. Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice: A Critical Edition. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1985.
\n\u2014\u2014\u2014. \u201cMerkabah Exegesis in the Qumran Sabbath Shirot.\u201d Journal of Jewish Studies 38 (1987): 11\u201330.
\nNitzan, Bilhah. Qumran Prayer and Religious Poetry. Leiden: Brill, 1994.
\nSchiffman, Lawrence H. Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls: The History of Judaism, the Background of Christianity, and the Lost Library of Qumran, 351\u201356. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1994.
\nWolfson, Elliot R. \u201cMysticism and the Poetic-Liturgical Compositions from Qumran: A Response to Bilhah Nitzan.\u201d Jewish Quarterly Review 85 (1994): 185\u2013202.<\/p>\n
TRANSLATION<\/p>\n
Sabbath Song 1<\/p>\n
1 [For the Master. Song of the sacrifice of] the first [Sabba]th on the fourth of the first month. Praise
\n2 [the God of \u2026]h, O godlike beings of all the Most Holy Ones. And in divinity
\n3 [\u2026] among the eternally holy, the Most Holy Ones. And they have become for him priests of
\n4 [the inner sanctum \u2026] ministers of the presence in his glorious inner room. In the congregation of all the divine beings of
\n5 [knowledge \u2026] godlike beings. He inscribed his statutes (with respect) to all works of the spirit and precepts of
\n6 [\u2026] knowledge, people of discernment, glorified (by) God, for those who draw near to knowledge.
\n7 [\u2026] eternity and from the spring of holiness and the sanctuaries of holiness
\n8 [holiness \u2026] pries[ts of] the inner sanctum who serve before the king of holiness
\n9 [holiness \u2026] his glory. And every statute they confirm for
\n10 [\u2026 he] established them [for] himself as the [Most] Ho[ly Ones in the ho]ly of holies
\n11 [\u2026]rbw among them according to the assembly [\u2026]\u00ba\u00ba\u00ba from knowledge
\n12 [\u2026] holiest holiness, pries[sts of \u2026 Th]ey are princes of
\n13 [\u2026]bym in the temples of the king [\u2026] in their territory and in their inheritance
\n14 [\u2026]\u00ba[\u2026]\u00ba\u00ba\u00batm they do not tolerate any [who] pe[rvert] the way. And there [is no] thing unclean in their holy places.
\n15 [And ho]ly [statutes] he inscribed for them. By these all the eternally Holy Ones sanctify themselves. And he purifies the pure ones of
\n16 [\u2026] for all who pervert the way. And they propitiate his goodwill for all who repent of transgression.
\n17 [\u2026] knowledge among the priests of the inner sanctum. And from their mouths (come) teachings (concerning) all holy things (together) with the precepts of
\n18 [\u2026]\u00ba\u00ba[\u2026] his [me]rcies for eternal compassionate forgiveness. But in his jealous vengeance
\n19 [\u2026]\u00ba wt he established for himself priests of the inner sanctum, the Most Holy Ones
\n20 [\u2026 G]o[d of] the divine beings, priests of the highest heights who [draw n]ear
\n21 [\u2026]l[\u2026]l[\u2026]l[\u2026]l[\u2026 l]aud
\n22 [your] lofty realm [\u2026]
\n23 heights and hn[\u2026]
\n24 the beauty of your realm [\u2026]
\n25 in the gates of the highest heights
\n26 b\u00ba[\u2026]\u00ba\u00baspirit of all r\u00ba[\u2026]
\n27 the Holy Ones of holiest holin[ess \u2026]
\n28 king of the godlike beings for the seven m[\u2026]
\n29 glory of the king. \u02c7\u00b0[\u2026]
\n30 his glory in the assembly of the divine [beings \u2026]
\n31 to seven paths[s \u2026]
\n32 for the precepts of silence b[\u2026]
\n33 eternity. [\u2026]
\n34 And they exalt his glory \u00b0[\u2026]
\n35 king of the princes of [\u2026]
\n36 Holy Ones [\u2026]
\n37 holy [\u2026]
\n38 divine beings w\u00b0[\u2026]
\n39 righteousness. [\u2026]
\n40 priesthood[s \u2026]
\n41 mercies of G[od \u2026]
\n42 to be sanctified b\u2019[\u2026]
\n43 [\u2026]
\n44 [\u2026] throughout the wondrous heights
\n45 [\u2026] the tongue of purity
\n46 [\u2026]l God seven
\n47 [\u2026]lt[\u2026]y
\n48 [\u2026 ma]gnifications
\n49 [\u2026]
\n50 [\u2026]\u00b0[\u2026]
\n51 [\u2026]h \u0323
\n52 [\u2026] with seven
\n53 [\u2026]
\n54 [\u2026] wor]ds of
\n55 [\u2026 se]ven
\n56 [\u2026]
\n57 [\u2026]m
\n58 [\u2026]\u00b0h
\n59 [\u2026 G]od
\n60 [\u2026]
\n61 praise-songs (for) his holiness [\u2026]
\n62 of the deputy princes \u00ba[\u2026]
\n63 his truth, images of fig[ures of \u2026]
\n64 and seven words of [\u2026]\u00ba[\u2026]
\n65 to bless those who know [\u2026]\u00ba se[ven]
\n66 wondrous words [.\u2026]<\/p>\n
Sabbath Song 2<\/p>\n
1 For the Master. S[ong of the sacrifice of the second Sabbath on the eleventh of the first month. Praise] the God of
\n2 the honored one[s \u2026]
\n3 h[\u2026]
\n4 [\u2026]
\n5 [\u2026]
\n6 [\u2026]
\n7 [\u2026]
\n8 [\u2026]
\n9 \u02da[\u2026]
\n10 lk[\u2026]
\n11 l[\u2026]
\n12 [\u2026]
\n13 [\u2026]
\n14 [\u2026]m
\n15 [\u2026]
\n16 [\u2026] its loftiness is lofty above [\u2026]
\n17 [.\u2026] For you are honored among [\u2026] the most godlike divine beings lr[\u2026]
\n18 to the chiefs of the dominions \u02da[\u2026] the heavens of your glor[ious] realm
\n19 to praise your glory wondrously with the divine beings of knowledge and the laud of your kingship among the Most Holy Ones.
\n20 They are honored among all the camps of godlike beings and revered by human assemblies. More wondrously
\n21 than godlike or human beings they declare the majesty if his kingship according to their knowledge and they exalt [\u2026]
\n22 the heavens of his reals. And in all the highest heights wondrous psalms according to all [\u2026]
\n23 glory of the king of godlike beings they declare in the dwellings (where they have) their station. But [\u2026]
\n24 how shall we be accounted [among] them? And how shall our priesthood (be accounted in their dwellings And [our] ho[liness \u2026]
\n25 their holines[s? What (is)] the offering of our tongue of dust (compared) with the knowledge of the divine [beings?\u2026]
\n26 [\u2026] for our [exu]ltation, let us exalt the God of knowledge [\u2026]
\n27 [\u2026 h]oliness. And his discernment (is) beyond all those who have knowledge [of \u2026]
\n28 [\u2026]h holiness, holiness of the fir[st]
\n29 [\u2026]rw ton[gues of] knowledge with a statute [\u2026]
\n30 [\u2026]t glor[y \u2026]
\n31 [\u2026]\u02datm[\u2026]l[\u2026]
\n32 [\u2026]tm[\u2026]
\n33 [\u2026]
\n34 [\u2026]\u02dawt[\u2026]
\n35 its wonderful mysteri[es \u2026]
\n36 sound of exaltations [\u2026]
\n37 Th[ey] are not able [\u2026]
\n38 G[od] makes strong [\u2026]
\n39 princes of m[.\u2026]
\n40 They make known hidden things [\u2026]
\n41 at the utternace of the lips of the king b[\u2026]<\/p>\n
Sabbath Song 3<\/p>\n
1 [For the Master. Song of the sacrifice of the third Shabbath on the eighteenth of the first month.]
\n2 [Praise the God of \u2026]<\/p>\n
Sabbath Song 4<\/p>\n
1 For the Master. S[ong of the sacrifice of the fourth Sabbath on the] twenty-[fifth] in the [first] mo[nth.]
\n2 Praise the G[od of \u2026]bw brw[.\u2026]
\n3 And ys\u02c7[\u2026] they stand before [\u2026]
\n4 kingsh[ip \u2026] with all the chie[fs of \u2026]
\n5 king of the godli[ke beings]
\n6 [\u2026]\u02da[\u2026]\u2019\u02da[\u2026]<\/p>\n
Sabbath Song 5<\/p>\n
1 [For the Master. Song of the sacrifice of the fifth Sabbath on the second of the second month.] Sabbath Song 6<\/p>\n 1 For the Master. Song of the sacrifice of the sixth Sabbath on the ninth of the [second] month. Sabbath Song 7<\/p>\n 1 For the Master. Song of the sacrifice of the seventh Sabbath on the sixteenth of the Sabbath Song 8<\/p>\n 1 For the Master. Song of the sacrifice of the eighth Sabbath on the tw[enty]-third [of the second month.] Praise the God of all m[\u2026 al] l the Holy Ones of [\u2026] Sabbath Song 9<\/p>\n 1 [For the Master. Song of the sacrifice of the ninth Sabbath on the thirtieth of the second month.] Sabbath Song 10<\/p>\n 1 For the Master. Song of the sacrifice of the tenth Sabbath on the seventh of the third month.] Sabbath Song 11<\/p>\n 1 [For the Master. Song of the sacrifice of the eleventh Sabbath on the fourteenth of the third month.] Sabbath Song 12<\/p>\n 1 For the Master. Song of [the sacrifice of] the twelf<\/p>\n [Sa] bath [on the twenty-first of] the third [month. Priase the God of \u2026,] Sabbath Song 13<\/p>\n 1 For the Master. Song of the sacrifice of the thirteenth Sabbath on the twenty-eighth of the third month, ] <\/ly><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" the king of the Persians, he stood in my city gathering together all the rogues in it. 3And with a boast he spoke to them saying, \u201cThis man Jobab is the one who destroyed all the good things of the earth and left nothing\u2014the one who distributed to the beggars, to the blind, and to … <\/p>\n
\n2 [Praise the God of \u2026]
\n3 [\u2026]
\n4 [\u2026]m[\u2026]
\n5 [\u2026]ym and he apportioned knowledge [\u2026]
\n6 [\u2026 according to] his discernment he inscribed [his] st[atutes \u2026]
\n7 [\u2026 while] he is unclean [\u2026]t and not \u02da\u02da\u02da[\u2026]
\n8 [\u2026]yh and th[ey] shall not be [\u2026]ym together k[\u2026]\u02da[\u2026]
\n9 [\u2026 who su]stain [his] plan and knowledge the Ho[ly Ones \u2026]
\n10 [\u2026]yhm the war of God bq[\u2026]
\n11 [\u2026] for to the God of the divine beings (belong) [weapo] ns of w[a]rs [\u2026]
\n12 [\u2026] godlike beings run to [his] muster and the sound of tumult [\u2026]
\n13 [\u2026] godlike beings in the war (in the) clouds, and there will be [\u2026]
\n14 [\u2026] wondr[ous] new works, A[l]l these things he has done wondrously according to his merciful plan.
\n15 [\u2026]\u02da all the words of knowledge, For from the God of knowledge comes all that exists forever. And from his knowledge
\n16 [and] his [plan]s have come into existence all eternally fixed times. He makes the former things [in] their [time]s and the latter things
\n17 for their appointed times. And there are none among those who have knowledge (who can) discern the [wondrous] revealed things before he acts. And when he acts none of the
\n18 [\u2026 of] God can comprehend what he plans. For they are part of his glorious works. Before they existed [(they were) part of] his [desig]n.<\/and><\/p>\n
\n2 [Praise the G]o[d] of the divine beings, O inhabitants of the highest heights.
\n3 [\u2026 ho]liest holiness. And exalt his glory
\n4 [\u2026 kno]wledge of the eternal divine beings
\n5 [\u2026] the dignitaries of the lofty heights
\n6 [\u2026] with all holiness
\n7 [\u2026]
\n8 [\u2026]
\n9 [\u2026]
\n10 [\u2026]y\u02da[\u2026]yw
\n11[\u2026]l
\n12 [\u2026]
\n13 [\u2026]t
\n14 [\u2026]\u02da
\n15 [\u2026]
\n16 [\u2026]
\n17 [\u2026]
\n18 [\u2026]
\n19 [Psalm of blessing by the tongue of the first of the chief princes]
\n20 to the [eternal G]od [with its seven wondrous blessings; and he will bless]
\n21 the kin[g \u2026 seven times with seven]
\n22 words of [wondrous blessing. Psalm of] magnification [by the tongue of the second to the king of]
\n23 truth <> and [righteousness with its seven wondrous magnifications] and he will magnify [the God of]
\n24 all the divine [beings of \u2026 seven times seven words of wondrous]
\n25 magnificat[ion. Psalm of exaltation by the tongue of] the third of
\n26 the chief princes, exaltation of [\u2026 with its seven wondrous exaltations.]
\n27 He (will) exalt the God of [\u2026]l\u02da**[\u2026] the exalted seven times with seven words of
\n28 wondrous exaltations. Pslam of lauding by the tongue of the four[th] to the warrior (who is) above all
\n29 godlike beings with its seven wondrous powers; and he will laud the God of powers
\n30 seven times with seve[n] words of [wondrous] lau[ding. Psa]lm of [th]anksgivings
\n31 by the tongue of the fifth to the [k]in[g] of glory with its seven wondrous thanks[gi]vings
\n32 he will give thanks to the God of glory seven[n times with se]v[en wo] rds of wondrous thanksgiving.
\n33 [Psa]lm of exultation by the tongue of the sixth to [the] God of goodess with [its] seven [wondrous]
\n34 exultations; [and] he will exult (in) the king of goodness seven times with se[ven words of] wondrous
\n35 exultations. Psalm of praise-song by the tongue of the seventh of the [chief] prin[ces, ]
\n36 a mighty praise-song to the God of holiness with its seve[n] w[o]n[d]erful [praise-songs.]
\n37 And he will sing-praise to the king of holiness seven times with se[ven w]ords of wondrous
\n38 praise[-songs.] Seven psalms of his blessings, seven psalms of magnification of [his righteousness]
\n39 seven psalms of exaltations of his kingship, seven psalms of the l[aud of his glory, ]
\n40 seven psalms of thanksgiving (for) his wonders, seven psa [lms of exu]lta[tio]ns of his strength,
\n41 seven psalms of praise-s[on]gs (for) his holiness. The generations \u02da\u02da[\u2026]m [\u2026]
\n42 [\u2026 se]ven times with seven wondrous words, wo[rds of \u2026]m
\n43 the ch[ief] princes [will ble]ss in the name of the glory of God a [ll] of \u02dakl [\u2026]
\n44 [with seven] wondrous [w] words, to bless all [th]eir assemblies in the sanctuary
\n45 [holiness with sev]en wondr[ous] w[or]ds [and] with them those who have knowledge of eternal things. [The second]
\n46 [among the chief princes will bless in the name of] his truth all [their] stat[ions with] sev[ev] wondrous words;
\n47 [and he will bless \u2026 the] kings with seven words of his wonderful glory all those who are eternally pure. The t[hird]
\n48 [among the chief princes will bless in the name of] the exaltation of his kingship all the exalted ones of knowledge with seven words of exa[lta]tion; and all [divine beings of]
\n49 knowledge of [his truth] he will bless with seven wondrous words; and he will bless all [those appointe]d (for) righteousness with se[ven] wondrous [wo]rds. [The fourth]
\n50 among the chief princes will bless in [the] name of [the] maje[sty of the ki]ng a[ll] those who wa[lk in uprig]htness with [sev]en words of ma[jesty;] and he will bless those who establish ma[je]sty with seve[n]
\n51 [wondrous words[s; and] he will bless all divine [beings (who) draw n]ear (to) [his] tru[e] knowledge with seven words of righteousness to (obtain) [his gl]or[ious] compassion. The fif[th]
\n52 among the [chief] pri[nces] will bless in the name of his wonderful [majesty] all those who know the mysteries of the pure \u02da[\u2026]\u02da with seven w[ords] of [his] exalted
\n53 truth; [and he will bless] all those who are eager for his goodwill with seven wondrous words; and he will bless all those who confess him with seven [wo]rds of majesty,
\n54 for wondrous thanksgivings. The sixth among the chief princes will bless in the name of the power[s of] the divine beings all those who have powerful insight with seven
\n55 words of his wondrous powers; and he will bless all those whose way is perfect with seven wondrous words, as a continual sacrifice for all
\n56 [ag]e[s] to come; and he will bless all those who wait for him with seven wondrous words, for a[re]turn of his merciful compassion. The se[v]enth among the chief princes
\n57 will bless in the name of his holiness all the Holy Ones who establish knowledge with seven words of [his] wondrous holiness; and he will bless all those who exalt
\n58 his judgments with sev[en]wondrous [wor]ds, (to be) as strong as shields; and he will bless all \u02da\u02da [\u2026]\u02da\u02daq those who praise his glorious kingship [\u2026] forever,
\n59 with seven wondrous words for eternal peace. And all the [chief] princes [will bless toget] her the g[o]dl[i]ke divine being in [the name of \u2026 with] all
\n60 [their] sevenfold testimon[ies; and] they will bless those appointed (for) righteousness; and all his blessed ones [\u2026 bless] ed forever h[\u2026]6\u02da[\u2026]
\n61 to them. Blessed be [\u2026]\u02da\u02da[\u2026]n [the] kin[g of] all, above all blessing and l[aud. And he will bless all the Hol]y Ones who bless him [and declare him righte] ous
\n62 in the name of his glory. [And he will b]less all the everlastingly blessed ones.<\/p>\n
\n2 divine beings of knowledge. Let the Holy Ones of the godlike beings ma
\n3 all the godlike beings, laud the majestically [l]audworthy of Go[d]. For in the splendor of lauding (is) the glory of his kingship. In it is the lauding of all
\n4 the godlike beings (together) with the splendor of all [his] kings[hip. And] exalt his exaltedness to exalted (heaven), O most godlike of the exalted divine beings, and (exalt) his glorious divinity above
\n5 all the exalted heights, For h\u02da[\u2026] for all the chiefs of the exalted beings and king of king[s] for all the eternal assemblies.
\n6 At the commands of his mouth come into being a[ll \u2026] at the utterance of his lips all the spirits of eternity; by his (all)-knowing goodwill all his works.
\n7 in their undertakings. Exult, you who exult [\u2026 with] exultation among the wondrous godlike beings. And chant his glory with the tongue of all (the) who those chant (with) knowledge; (and chant) his wonderful exultations.
\n8 with the mouth of all those who chant [about him. For he is] God of all those who exult forever and (the) judge in his power of all the spirits of discernment.
\n9 Confess, all (you) majestic divine beings l\u02da[\u2026]\u02da majesty; for his glory all the divine beings of knowledge confess, and all the spirits of righteousness confess his truth.
\n10 And they make their knowledge acceptable according to the judgments of his mouth and their confessions at the return of his powerful hand for judgments of recompense. Singpraise to the mighty God
\n11 with the choicest spiritual portion, that (there may be a) [praise-so]ng (sung) with divine joy, and a celebration with all the Holy Ones, for wondrous praise-songs (sung) with ete[ernal] joy.
\n12 With these let all fo[undations of \u2026]\u02da holies praise, the uplifting pillars of the supremely lofty abode, and all the corners of its structure, Sin[g-praise]
\n13 (to) Go[d who is dr]eadful (in) power [\u2026] knowledge and light to lift up together the splendidly shining firmament of [his] holy sanctuary.
\n14 [\u2026]\u02da god[like] spirits, to confe[ss] forever (and) ever the firmament of the uppermost heights, all [its] b[eams] and its walls, a[l]l
\n15 its structure, the works of [its] fo[rm]. The spirits of holiest holies, the living godlike beings, spirits of eternal holiness, above
\n16 all Hol[y Ones \u2026 firmament] s of wonder, wondrous majesty [and splendor. And the] God of glory is wondrous with the most perfect light of knowledge
\n17 [\u2026 in al]l sanctuaries of wonder, spirits of godlike beings round about the dwelling of
\n18 the king of truth [and] righteousness, all its walls [\u2026]\u02dal[\u2026]\u02da\u02dat in holiest holiness \u02da\u02da[\u2026]\u02dasy
\n19 [\u2026] h kw[\u2026]wr [\u2026]l[\u2026]\u02da to God [\u2026]\u02da ends of
\n20 [\u2026] for [m \u2026]t sound
\n21 [\u2026] they proclaim
\n22 [\u2026]
\n23 [\u2026] from the midst of \u02da[\u2026]
\n24 perfect light, the mingled colors of a spirit of holiest holines[s \u2026] king of all [\u2026]
\n25 high places of knowledge. And at his footstool g[\u2026] wonder [\u2026]
\n26 the appearance of the glorious form of the chiefs of the kingdom of spirit[s of \u2026]
\n27 his glory. And in all their turnings the gates of \u02da[\u2026]
\n28 moving \u02darqy[\u2026]l[\u2026]lh to the
\n29 from between them run go[dl]ike beings like the appearance of coals of [fire \u2026]
\n30 moving round about, spirits of holiest holiness \u02da[\u2026]
\n31 holiest of h[ol]iness, divine spirits, an etern[al] appearance [\u2026]
\n32 and divine spirits, figures of flaming fire round about it l[\u2026]
\n33 wondrous spirits. And the tabernacle of superior loftiness, the glory of his kingship, the inner room [\u2026]
\n34 And he consecrates the seven exalted holy places. And (there is) a sound of blessing from the chiefs of his inner room [\u2026]
\n35 And the sound of blessing is glorious in the hearing of godlike beings and the assemblies of [\u2026]
\n36 the blessing. And all the decorations of the inner room make haste with wondrous psalms in the inner ro[om \u2026]
\n37 wonder, inner room to inner room with the sound of holy tumult. And all their decorations [.\u2026]
\n38 And the chariots of his inner room give praise together, and their cherubim and thei[r] ophannim bless wondrously [\u2026]
\n39 the chiefs of the form of God. And they praise him in (the) holy inner room.<\/ch><\/ss><\/g><\/second><\/p>\n
\n2 eternity, second among the priests of the inner sanctum, the second assembly in the wondrous dwellings among the seven [\u2026] with all those who have knowledge of
\n3 eternity. And exalt him, O chiefs of princes, with his wondrous portion. Praise [the king of] godlike beings, O seven [priesthoo]ds of his inner sanctum of 4 loftiness, seven wondrous territories according to the statutes of his sanctuaries, the [chie]f princes of the wondrous [pr]iesthoods for the king [\u2026]\u02da sanctuaries of [\u2026]\u02da\u02dal
\n5 seven pries[thoods] in the wondrous sanctuary for the seven holy assemblies k[\u2026]
\n6 the prince, angels of the king in the wondrous dwellings. And their knowledge of the discernment of the seven [\u2026]
\n7 chief from the priest of the inner sanctum. And the chiefs of the congregation of the king in the assembly \u02da[\u2026]
\n8 and laud of the exaltation for the king of glory and the magnification of the [G]o[d of \u2026]
\n9 to the God of divine beings, the king of purity. And the offering of their tongues \u02da\u02da[\u2026]
\n10 seven mysteries of knowledge in the wondrous mystery of the seven territories of the holiest holiness [\u2026]\u02da\u02da\u02da. [And the tongu]e of [the first wil grow strong sevenfold with the tongue of the one (the one who is) second to him. And the tongu]e of the second to him will grow strong
\n11 sevenfold (with the tongue) of (the one who is) third to him. [And] the tongue of the third will grow strong sevenfo[ld (with the tongue) of (the one who is) fourth to him. And the tongue of the] fo[u]rth will grow strong sevenfold with the tongue of (the one who is) fifth to him. And the tongue of the fifth will grow strong se[venfold with the tongue of]
\n12 (the one who is) sixth to him. And the tongue of the sixth will grow stro[ng] sevenfold with the tongue of the (one who is, [sev]enth to him. And with the tongue of the seventh it will [grow strong \u2026 h]oly sanctuary
\n13 and according to the sevenfold w[ords of \u2026]\u02da\u02dal\u02da[\u2026]\u02da[\u2026]\u02da\u02da[\u2026]\u02dal\u02da[\u2026]\u02da[\u2026]yr
\n14 with wondrous psalms with [won]drous wor[ds \u2026]
\n15 the wonder. [Psalm of] blessing by the to[ngue of the first \u2026]
\n16 the wonder, and praise of the lord of all divine being[s of \u2026]
\n17 chief of his wonders for great praise [\u2026] and he will magnify [\u2026]
\n18 for those who cause knowledge to shine among all the divine beings of light [.\u2026] Psalm of
\n19 laud [by] the tongue of the fourt[h \u2026]\u02da\u02da[\u2026]t[\u2026]
\n20 wonder. Ps[alm of thanksgivings by the] to[ngue of the fifth \u2026]
\n21 thank[sgivings.\u2026]\u02da[\u2026]
\n22 Psa[lm of \u2026] his [wondr]ous [\u2026], mighty praise-song l[\u2026]
\n23 \u02da[\u2026] its [won]ders to bless [the king \u2026] with seven wondr[ous[praise-songs [\u2026]\u2019 seven psalms of bless[ings \u2026]
\n24 [\u2026] seven psalms of magnif[ication \u2026] psalms of exalta[tion \u2026] seven [psalms of \u2026]
\n25 [\u2026] its [won]ders [\u2026] seven times with se[ven \u2026]
\n26 [\u2026]\u02dawn a[l]l divi[ne beings \u2026] inner sanctum in the dwel[ling]
\n27 [\u2026] wondrous [\u2026] to bless [\u2026 wo]ndrous [\u2026 and] he (will) bless a[ll \u2026]
\n28 [\u2026] \u02da\u02da\u02da\u02da\u02da[\u2026] dwelling[s of \u2026]
\n29 [\u2026]\u02da with se[ven \u2026]
\n30 [\u2026] l\u02da\u02da \u02dakw[\u2026]
\n31 [\u2026]l[\u2026]l[\u2026]
\n32 [\u2026]
\n33 [\u2026]\u02da[\u2026]\u02da\u02da[\u2026]
\n34 [\u2026 and he will bless] all the divine being[s of \u2026 with seven wor] ds of goodness for his glorious compassion. [The fif]th among the wondrous [deputy] pri[nces]
\n35 will bless in the name of [\u2026] purity with seven words of the exaltation of purity. [And] he will bless all those who are eager (for)
\n36 his true [wil]l with seven [wondrous] wo[rds \u2026] him with seven words of his glorious majesty. The sixth among the wondrous deputy
\n37 [prin]ces will bless in the name of the po[wers of \u2026 po]werful insight with knowledge of eternal things with seven words of his wondrous powers.
\n38 [and he will bl]ess all whose way is perfect [with seven wondrous words \u2026 as a con]tinual sacifice with all who exist forever. [And he will bless] all who w[ait] for [him] with sev[en]
\n39 [wondrous w]ord[s for a retu]rn of [.\u2026 And the seve]nth [among the wondrous] dep[uty] princes [will bless in the name of \u2026]
\n40 [with seven words of \u2026]<\/p>\n
\n2 [Priase the God of \u2026]
\n3 [\u2026]
\n4 [\u2026]b[\u2026 Go]d of the divine beings [\u2026]
\n5 [\u2026] bri[ck]work [\u2026] vestibules of the en[try of \u2026]
\n6 [to] their glorious [br]ickwork [\u2026 firma]ment
\n7 [\u2026]\u2019y wonder k[\u2026]\u02day puri[ty \u2026]l\u1e25wt
\n8 with majestic la[ud \u2026]bd\u02da\u02da[\u2026 la]uding
\n9 godlike beings \u02da[\u2026] lauding
\n10 [\u2026]glor[ious spi]rit [\u2026]l[\u2026]
\n11 [\u2026] wondrous likeness a spirit of holiest holiness mtl [\u2026]\u02da[\u2026 t]ongue of blessing; and from the likeness of
\n12 [\u2026 a so]und of blessing for the king of those who exalt; and their wondrous praise (is) for the God of divine beings [\u2026] their multicolored [\u2026]ym. And they exult
\n13 [\u2026]m the vestibules of their entryways, spirits of the inner sanctum of holiest holiness b[\u2026] eternal [?\u2026]
\n14 [And the likene]ss of the living godlike beings is engraved in the vestibules where the king enters, figures of luminous spirit [\u2026 k]ing, figures of glorious li[ght,] spirits of
\n15 [\u2026 in the] midst of spirits of splendor, works of wondrous mingled colors, figures of living godlike beings \u02da[\u2026] glorious [in]ner rooms, the structure of
\n16 [the sanctuary of ho]liest holiness in the inner rooms of the king, figure[s of god] lik[e beings; and from] the likeness of \u02da[\u2026] holiest holiness
\n17 [\u2026]\u02da\u02da[\u2026]\u02da\u02da\u02da[\u2026 li]ving[\u2026]m\u02da[\u2026]<\/p>\n
\n2 [Praise the God of \u2026]
\n3 [\u2026]
\n4 fringed edge [\u2026]
\n5 and rivers of fire [\u2026]\u02da[\u2026]\u02da\u02da \u02da\u02da\u02da[\u2026]\u02da[\u2026]
\n6 the appearance of flames of fire [\u2026 b]eauty upon the veil of the inner room of the king \u02da\u02da [\u2026]
\n7 in the inner room of his presence, the mingled colors of [\u2026]t everything which is engraved (upon) h\u02da[\u2026]mh figures of godl[ike beings,] works of [\u2026]
\n8 glory from both of their sides [\u2026] the veils of the wondrous inner rooms. And they bless [the G]od of all [\u2026]
\n9 their sides, they proclaim [\u2026] wondrous [\u2026]\u02da behind the precious place, of the inner room [\u2026 the ex]it of the vestibu[lues of \u2026]
\n10 [\u2026] wondrous figures [\u2026 give than]ks to the king of glory with the sound of exultation [\u2026] godlike beings [\u2026]
\n11 [\u2026]hm and images of [\u2026]\u02da\u02da[\u2026]lm all [\u2026]
\n12 [\u2026]r\u02da[\u2026]m they made known [\u2026] God of divine being[s \u2026]
\n13 [\u2026] eternal thrones [\u2026]
\n14 [\u2026] their [fi]gures, cherubim of [\u2026]
\n15 [\u2026] foundations [\u2026]m<\/p>\n
\n2 [Praise the God of \u2026]
\n3 [\u2026]
\n4 [\u2026] righteousness
\n5 [\u2026] their [wond]ers
\n6 [\u2026] their glory
\n7 [\u2026]\u02da\u02da m
\n8 [\u2026]
\n9 [\u2026]m[\u2026]\u02da\u02da[\u2026]q [\u2026]
\n10 And the figures of the godlike beings laud him, spirits of [holiest] ho[liness \u2026] chario[t \u2026]m[\u2026] ry[\u2026]\u02dal figures of glory, floor of
\n11 the wondrous inner rooms; spirits of eternal divine beings, all [\u2026]\u02da \u02da\u02da[\u2026]bd[\u2026 inner r]oom of the king. The workmanship of the spirit[s of the] wondrous firmament (is)
\n12 blended with brightness, [spi]rits of the knowledge of truth and righteousness in the holy of [h]olies, [im]ages of living godlike beings, images of luminous
\n13 spirits. All their wor[kmanship (is of)] wondrous h[ol]y mosaics, [spirits of] mingled colors, [fi]gures of images of godlike beings engraved
\n14 round about their [gl]orious brickwork, glorious images of b[ric]kwork of majesty and splen[dor.] Living godlike beings, all their workmanship,
\n15 and the images of their figures (are) holy angels. From beneath the wondrous in[ner]rooms (there is) a sound of quiet stillness, god[like] beings blessing
\n16 [\u2026]\u02da\u02da\u02da the king \u02da\u02da\u02da[ prai]sing continually a[l]l [\u2026]l[\u2026]q\u02da[\u2026]l[\u2026] G[o]d
\n17 [\u2026]hw with the second m[\u2026]
\n18 [\u2026] wonders of majesty and sp[lendor]
\n19 [\u2026]
\n20 [\u2026]wd[\u2026]
\n21 [\u2026]\u2019 his presence [\u2026] upon (the) height, (the) throne [\u2026]
\n22 [\u2026] they do [no]t delay when they arise [\u2026 inner r]ooms of all the priests of the inner sanctum [\u2026]\u02dam.
\n23 By statute they are steadfast in the service l\u02da[\u2026]\u02da[\u2026] seat like his royal throne in his glorious inner rooms [they] do not sit [\u2026]
\n24 his glorious chariots [\u2026] holy cherubim, luminous ophannim in the in[ner room \u2026] di[vine] spirits [\u2026] purity b\u02da
\n25 holiness, the workmanship of its corners [\u2026] kingdom, the glorious seats of the chariot[s \u2026] wings of knowledge [\u2026] wondrous [p]ower [\u2026]
\n26 truth and righteousness, eterna [l \u2026] his glorious chariots. As they move [the]y shall n[ot] turn to any s[ide] they [sh]all go straight l[\u2026]<\/p>\n
\n2 O wondrous [de]puty [princes,] and exalt him according to the glory. In the taberna[le \u2026] knowledge, the cheru[bim] fal[l] before him and bless as they rise. A sound of divine stillness
\n3 [is heard] and (there is) a tumult of exultation as their wings lift up, the sound of divine [stillne]ss. The form of the chariot throne do they bless, (which is) above the firmament of the cherubim.
\n4 [And (in) the maje] sty of the luminous firmament do they exult, (which is) beneath his glorious seat. And when the ophannim move, the holy angels return. They go out<> from between
\n5 its glorious [h]ubs. Like the appearance of fire (are) the spirits of holiest holiness round about, the appearance of streams of fire like electrum. And (there are) works of
\n6 [ra]diance with the glorious mingled colors, wondrously hued, bright
\n7 (And there is) a still sound of blessing in the tumult of their movement, and holy<> praise as they return on their ways. As they rise, they rise wondrously and when they settle,
\n8 they [stand] still. The sound of exultant rejoicing falls silent, and (there is) a stilln[ess] of divine blessing in all the camps of the godlike beings; [and] the sound of lau[ding]
\n9 [\u2026]\u02da\u02da[\u2026]w from between all their the[ir] divisions on [their] side[s \u2026 and] all their mustered troops exult, each o[n]e in [his] statio[n.]
\n10 [\u2026]
\n11 [\u2026] wonderous knowledge, and discernme[nt \u2026] wondr[ous] firmaments
\n12 [\u2026]\u2019 with the lights of lights, majesty [\u2026] every form of wondr [ous] spririts
\n13 [\u2026] godlike beings, terrible (in) strength, all [\u2026] their [wondr]ous wonders with the strength of the God of
\n14 [eter]nity and exalting the powerful acts of the Go[d of \u2026] from the four foundations of the wondrous firmament
\n15 they dec[l]are at the sound of the uplifting (of praise by the) godlike beings [\u2026] qyr blessing and praising the God of
\n16 the divine beings; hm\u02da[\u2026] heights of [\u2026]\u02da the king of glory \u02da[\u2026] to the wondrous foundations
\n17 for an uplifting (of praise) m[\u2026]\u02day of the God of [\u2026] and all their fortifications [\u2026] holie[st]
\n18 ho[li]ness \u2026]\u02da with the uplifting (of praise) [\u2026] their [w]ings ex[alting \u2026]\u02da head [\u2026]
\n19 and [they] cal[l \u2026] stations [\u2026]
\n20 [\u2026]
\n21 [\u2026 th]eir tasks [\u2026]
\n22 [\u2026] when they stand [\u2026] \u0161bt [\u2026]
\n23 [\u2026] his glorious royal thrones and all the congregation of those who servce
\n24 [\u2026]\u02da wonderfully. The godlike beings [\u2026] will not be shaken forever
\n25 [\u2026 in order that] they be steadfast in the tasks of all things; for the godlike beings of his whole offering
\n26 [\u2026]\u02da his whole offering. The godli[k]e beings praise him [\u2026]lt their stations, and all the sp[irits of] the shining firmam[en] ts
\n27 rejoice in his glory. And (there is) a sound of blessing from all his divisions, tell of his glorious firmaments; and his gates praise
\n28 with a sound of exultation. Whenever the divine beings of knowledge enter by the portals of glory, and whenever the holy angels go out to their dominion,
\n29 the portals of entrance and the gates of exit make known the glory of the king, blessing and praising all the spirits of
\n30 God at (their) going out and at (their) coming in through the ga[t]es of holiness. And there is none among them who transgresses a statute; and never against the commands
\n31 of the king do they set themselves. They do not run from the way nor tarry away from his territory. They are not too exalted for his missions;
\n32 th[ey] are not (too) lowly. He will n[o]t show compassion in the dominion of the fury of his annihila[ting wra]th, (but) he will not judge those who are turned back by his glorious anger.
\n33 The fearfulness of the king of the godlike beings (is) dreadful to [al]l the godlike beings [\u2026] for all his missions (Are) according to his tr[u]e norm. And they go
\n34 [\u2026]l[\u2026]l[\u2026]l[\u2026]\u02da\u02da[\u2026]\u02da[\u2026]\u02da\u02da[\u2026]\u02da[\u2026]<\/p>\n
\n2 [Praise the God of \u2026]
\n3 [\u2026]
\n4 [\u2026] goodwill [offerings] hm [\u2026] all th[eir] works
\n5 [\u2026]\u02da for the sacrifices of the Holy Ones [\u2026] the odor of their offerings \u02da\u02da\u02da[\u2026]
\n6 [\u2026]lm and the o[do]r of their drink offerings lms[\u2026]m of the purity with a spirit of holine[ss]
\n7 [\u2026] eternity, with [majesty and] splendor l\u02da[\u2026]\u02da wondrous [\u2026] and the form of the breastplates of
\n8 [\u2026] beautiful [th]reads [\u2026] multicolored like [woven] wo[rks \u2026] brightly blended, dyed
\n9 [\u2026 ma]jesty [and] splendor \u02da[\u2026]\u02da\u02da\u02da[\u2026] mw for images [\u2026]s\u2019 ephod
\n10 [\u2026] angels of [\u2026] his [holi]ness
\n11 [\u2026]
\n12 [\u2026]m beauty of engravings of [\u2026]
\n13 they approach (the) king when they serve bef [ore \u2026]
\n14 king, and he inscribed his glory h[\u2026]
\n15 holiness, the sanctuary of all [\u2026]
\n16 their ephodim; th[ey] spread out [\u2026]
\n17 Holy Ones, goodwill [\u2026]\u02da[\u2026]\u02da\u02da\u02da[\u2026]\u02da[\u2026]\u02da\u02da\u02da[\u2026]\u02da[\u2026]\u02da[\u2026] spirits of the ho[ly ones of \u2026]\u02da[. ]\u02da
\n18 their holy places. In their wondrous station (are) spirits of mingled colors like woven work, engraved with images of splendor.
\n19 In the midst of the glorious appearance of scarlet are (garments) dyed with a light of a spirit of holiest holiness, those who stand fast (in) their holy station before
\n20 (the) [k]ing, spirits of [brightly] dyed stuffs in the midst of the appearance of whiteness. And the likeness of (the) glorious spirit (is) like fine gold work, shedding
\n21 [ligh]t. And all their decoration is brightly blended, an artistry like woven works. These are the chiefs of those wondrously arrayed for service,
\n22 the chiefs of the kingdoms of kingdoms, Holy Ones of the king of holiness in all the heights of the sanctuaries of his glorious
\n23 realm. In the chiefs of offerings (are) tongues of knowledge [and] they bless the God of knowledge (together) with all his glorious works.
\n24 [And the stat]utes of their divisions in all the hol[y \u2026]r [\u2026 in] his discerning knowledge and in his [glor]ious insight \u02da\u02da\u02da[\u2026]
\n25 [\u2026]
\n26 [\u2026] heights of [his] g[lory \u2026] his [gl]ory b\u2019\u02da[\u2026]mt
\n27 his [re]co[mpe]nses with judgments of [\u2026] his compassion with the honor \u02da[\u2026] his [fi]xed times
\n28 [and] all the blessings of [his] peace [\u2026 glo]ry of his works and with the lig[ht \u2026]mlh and with
\nthe splendor of
\n29 his laud in all the firmame[nts of \u2026]m light and darkness and the figures of [\u2026] holiness of the king of
\n30 glory for all [his] true works [\u2026] for the angels of knowledge with all ml[\u2026]hw (with) holy upliftings (of praise)
\n31 for his glorious thrones and for [his foo]tstool [\u2026] his splendid [cha]riots and for [his] ho[ly] inner rooms [\u2026]\u02daw and for the portals of the entrances of
\n32 [\u2026]\u02da (together) with all the exits of [\u2026 the cor]ners of its structure and for all the lo[fty abodes of \u2026 and] for his glorious temples and for the firmaments of
\n33 [\u2026] for all d\u02da[\u2026]<\/p>\n