The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English (57 page)

...
and remember that you are poor ...
What you lack, you will not find ...
[If someone has left] a deposit with you,
do not put your hand on it lest it be burnt
and your body be devoured by its flame.
A[s you have received] it, so return it
and you will rejoice if you have no responsibility for it.
Accept no goods from someone whom you do not know
lest he increase your poverty.
But if he has thrust it on you, let it be a deposit until death,
but do not let your spirit be destroyed by it.
Then you will lie with the truth
and your memory will flowe[r for ev]er when you die,
and your posterity will inherit joy.
You are poor, do not desire anything save your
inheritance,
and do not be devoured by it lest you change your
boundary.
But if He brings you back to glory, walk in it,
and in the approaching mystery search its beginnings.
Then you will know
His inheritance and you will walk in righteousness
For God will shine His face on all your ways.
Honour Him who glorifies you and praise His name always.
For your head is above the summit of the mountains
and He has given you a seat among the nobles
and has made you to rule over an inheritance of glory.
Seek always His pleasure.

 

You are a poor man. Do not say:
Since I am poor, I will not seek knowledge.
Shoulder every discipline
and with every ... refine your heart,
and your thoughts with a multitude of understanding.
Search the approaching mystery
and consider all the ways of truth,
and behold all the roots of injustice.
Then you will know what is bitter for a man
and what is sweet for a human being.
Honour your father in your poverty
and your mother in your steps.
For his father is like God to a man
and his mother like a ruler to a human being.
For they are the crucible from which you were born
and as He placed them over you as rulers
and a frame for the spirit (?), so serve them,
and as He has revealed to you the approaching mystery,
honour them for your honour's sake
and in ... the splendour of their face
for your life's sake and for the length of your days.
And if you are as poor as ...
without precept.
You have taken a wife in your poverty,
take the offspring ...
from the approaching mystery
when you are joined together.
Walk with the helpmate of your flesh ...

... his father and his mother and he will cling [to his wife
and they will become one flesh]
He made him rule over her
and she ...
He did not make her father rule over her
and He separated her from her mother .
and towards you [will be her longing
and she will be] one flesh for you.
He will separate your daughter for another
and your sons ...
And you will become one with the wife of your bosom,
for she is the flesh of your na[kedness]
and whoever rules over her apart from you
has changed the boundary of his life.
He has made you to rule over her spirit
so that she may walk according to your pleasure.
Let her not increase vows and free-will offerings ...
Bring back (her?) spirit to your good pleasure,
and annul by the utterance of your mouth
every binding oath of hers by which to vow a vow.
And by your will, stop her ...
of your lips ... forgive her for your sake.
Let her not multiply ...

... [And] you, O man of understanding, ...
Look on ...
and grasp the wonderful mysteries of the God of awe.
...
Look at the approaching mysteries
And the ancient deeds ...
... what was and what will be ...
... in each deed and de[ed] ...
[day and] night he meditates on the approaching mystery
and studies (it) always.
Then you will know truth and injustice,
wisdom [and folly ... ]
... in all their ways
together with their visitation
for all the eternal ages and everlasting visitation.
Then you will know the difference
between [go]od and evil relating to their deeds.
For the God of knowledge is the foundation of truth,
and through the approaching mystery
He set apart its foundation,
the work of [His hands] ...
... and in pure understanding were revealed
... the secrets of his thought
with his perfect conduct in all his deeds.
Always seek these eagerly,
and understand all their results.
And then you will know everlasting glory
and His marvellous mysteries, and the might of His deeds.
And you will understand the beginning of your reward
at the memorial of the time that has come.
Engraved is the decree and all the visitation is determined.
For God's ordinance is engraved
over all the in[iquities] of the sons of Seth.
And a book of memorial is written before Him
for those who keep His word.
And this is the vision issuing from the meditation
on the book of memorial. And He gave it as a heritage
to mankind and to the people of the spirit.
For his (man's) shape is modelled on the holy ones,
but meditation belongs no more to the fleshly spirit,
for it cannot distinguish between g[ood] and evil
according to the judgement of its spirit.
And you, son of understanding, look ... at the approaching mystery
and know the heritage of all the living.
And his conduct and his visitation ...
... whether large or small ...
do not be touched by wickedness ...
[For whoever is touched] by it
will not be innocent.
According to his inheritance in it
He will be wick[ed] ...
Son of the intelligent,
Consider your mysteries
And the foundation of ...

... watchfulness will be in our heart ...
and confidence in all our ways.
vacat
... knowledge,
and they have not searched for understandi[ng,
and] ... have not chosen.
vacat
Is [he] not the God of knowledge,
... on the truth,
establishing all [their ways of un]derstanding?
He has assigned to all those who inherit truth
... watchfulness ...
Have not peace and quiet... ?
[Have] you not known ... ?
For the holy angels ... in heaven
[and] ... truth.
And they will pursue all the roots of understanding,
And watch over ...
[And ac]cording to their knowledge
they will be honoured, one more than another,
and in conformity with his intelligence
will his honour increase.
... Are they (the angels?) inert like man?
Are they quiet like a son of man?
Are they not... eternity,
Inheriting an everlasting possession?
Have you not seen ... ?

II.
..
And now, O you foolish hearts,
What good is to (someone) who is not...
[What] is silence for someone who does not exist,
and what is judgement if it has no foundation?
Why do the dead groan over their ...
... you have been shaped
and your return is to eternal destruction.
For it shall wake up... your sin
Darkness will roar against your dispute.
And all those who will exist for ever,
those who search truth will be aroused for your judgement
[and then] all the foolish hearts will be destroyed,
and the sons of injustice will be found no more,
[and a]ll the supporters of wickedness will be put to shame.
The foundations of the firmament scream at your judgement
and all the ... will thunder.
And you, elect of truth
and pursuers of [righteousness and] jud[gement]
... guardians of all knowledge,
how will you say:
We labour for understanding
and keep awake to pursue knowledge
... and be not weary in all the years of eternity.
Will he not delight in truth for ever
and knowledge... The s[ons of] heaven whose inheritance is eternal life,
Will they indeed say:
We have laboured in the works of truth
and we exhausted ourselves in all the ages.
Will they not walk in eternal light
[and inherit g]lory and great splendour.
And you, O son of [understanding] ...

Your lips are the opening of a spring to bless the holy,
and in the eternal spring you have praised...
The [Hol]y... has separated you from every spirit (bound to)
flesh.
As for you, separate from all that He hates,
and keep away from all the abomination of the soul.
For He has made all,
and caused them to inherit each his heritage.
He is your portion and your heritage among the sons of man,
[and] He has made you ruler [in] his [her]itage.
And in this you glorify Him, in consecrating yourself to Him.
When He made of you the holy of holies for the whole world
And in all these
He cast your lot.
And He has much increased your glory
and has made you the first-born for Himself among...
... and I give you My goodness.
As for you, is not My goodness for you?
In His faithfulness He has walked always.
... your deeds.
And as for you, search His judgements from all your accusers
with all ... love Him,
and with eternal loving-kindness, and with mercy towards
all who keep His word.
And his zeal...
And as for you, He has opened understanding to you and has made you the ruler over His treasury
and appointed [you] a receptacle of truth ...
... them with you,
and to revoke anger from the men of goodwill by your hand.
And to visit... with you,
and before you take your heritage from His hand,
glorify(?) His holy ones;
and bef[ore] ...
... He has opened the [spr]ing of all the holy ones,
and everyone called holy by His name ...
... with all the ages,
his beauty and splendour to become an ever[lasting] plant.
... will walk all those who inherit the earth.
For in heav[en] ...
And you, O man of understanding,
if He has made you rule over handcraft
and know[ledge] ...
secret (?) to all mortal men.
And from there you will seek your prey
and ... understand much.
And by all your instructors increase in learning.
... bring from your poverty
to all those who seek pleasure.
Then you will establish...
... you will be filled
and you will be satisfied with plenty of good.
By the skill of your hands...
For God has assigned a heritage to all the [living]
and all those wise in heart have become intelligent...

... For all of them will seek their times
and each man according to [his] pleasure...
like a spring of living water which contains a secret.
... Do not mix with your merchandise that which...
Why should it be a mixture like a mule,
and you should be like one dres[sed in mixed materials],
in wool and in linen,
and you should labour with an ox and an ass (yoked) together.
Your produce also would be like that of one who sows
mixed seeds.
Let the seed and the crop and the produce of the [vineyard]
be holy
...

... and every fruit that is grown
and every tree that is pleasant
and desirable providing understanding.
Is this not a pl[easant and desirable] garden
providing much understanding?
He made you (Adam) rule over it
to cultivate and guard it.
vacat
... [the soil] will sprout for you thorn and thistle
and it will not give you its strength
... because of your unfaithfulness.
vacat
... she (Eve) gave birth
and all the sentiments of her who has concei[ved] ...
... all your secrets... and all your affairs.
For it will sprout [for you] everything...
... [knowing] evil, knowing good ...

... and beware lest you... the judgement of Korah.
And as He has unstopped your ear...
... and the prince of your people...
He has divided the inheritance of all the rulers
and the formation of every [dee]d is in His hand.
He [knows] the reward of [their works
and] j[udges] them all in truth.
He visits the sons and the fathers,
[the sojourners] (proselytes) with all the natives.
He will speak...
[If you are a f]armer,
pay attention to the seasons of the summer
and gather in your produce in its time,
and the period of...
... the good with the evil
Observe your produce and your work,
In your labour consider... the good with the bad,
the intelligent man with the fool

(4Q
420
-21)

Two badly fragmented copies of a Wisdom composition portray the behaviour of the righteous man in universal terms. However, since the vocabulary of 4
Q421
1 i echoes the terminology of the Community Rule, the whole work may be classified as sectarian.

For the
editio princeps,
see T. Elgvin,
DJD,
XX, 173-202.

II to practise righteousness in the ways of God (
4Q421
ii).
... he shall not reply before he has heard,
nor shall he speak before he has gained understanding.
He shall patiently respond and... shall issue a word.
He shall seek truth (and) judgement
and by searching righteousness he shall find its outcome.
A humble and modest man shall not turn back
until...
A faithful man shall not depart from the ways of righteousness
and he shall set his heart on ...
and the bones (of) his hands on ...
He shall be redeemed through righteousness;
through understanding... his fields.
His territory...
to [practise ri]ghteousness ...

... [He shall bring all] his wisdom, knowledge, understanding and good things [into the Community of God] ... (cf. 1QS 1, 11-12) to regulate all (placement of) one before another... the first lot will fall. And thus they shall set out... (cf. 1QS 11, 21-23).

(4Q
424
)

The main aim of this poetic composition is to instruct the just man how to ensure the progress of wisdom by not entrusting its propagation to the unworthy. Palaeographically it is dated to the second half of the first century BCE.