The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English (28 page)

 

... [the trumpets of Summons shall sound for disposal in] III battle formations and to summon the foot-soldiers to advance when the gates of war shall open; and the trumpets of Alarm shall sound for massacre, and for ambush, and for pursuit when the enemy shall be smitten, and for retreat from battle.

On the trumpets calling the congregation they shall write,
The Called of God.

On the trumpets calling the chiefs they shall write,
The Princes of God.

On the trumpets of the levies they shall write,
The Army of God.

On the trumpets of the men of renown and of the heads of family of the congregation gathered in the house of Assembly they shall write,
Summoned by God to the Council of Holiness.

On the trumpets of the camps they shall write,
The Peace of God in the Camps of His Saints.

And on the trumpets for breaking camp they shall write,
The mighty Deeds of God shall Crush the Enemy, Putting to Flight all those who Hate Righteousness and bringing Shame on those who Hate Him.

On the trumpets for battle formations they shall write,
Formations of the Divisions of God for the Vengeance of His Wrath on the Sons of Darkness.

On the trumpets summoning the foot-soldiers to advance towards the enemy formations when the gates of war are opened they shall write,
Reminder of Vengeance in God's Appointed Time.

On the trumpets of massacre they shall write,
The Mighty Hand of God in War shall Cause all the Ungodly Slain to Fall.

On the trumpets of ambush they shall write,
The Mysteries of God shall Undo Wickedness.

On the trumpets of pursuit they shall write,
God has Smitten All the Sons of Darkness; His Fury shall not End until They are Utterly Consumed.

On the trumpets of retreat, when they retreat from battle to the formation, they shall write,
God has Reassembled.

On the trumpets of return from battle against the enemy when they journey to the congregation in Jerusalem they shall write,
Rejoicings of God in the Peaceful Return.

 

On the great standard at the head of the people they shall write,
The People of God,
together with the names of Israel and Aaron, and the names of the twelve [tribes of Israel]. according to the order of their precedence.

On the standards of the camp columns formed by three tribes they shall write, ...
of God,
together with the name of the leader of the camp ...

On the standard of the tribe they shall write,
Banner of God,
together with the name of the leader of [the tribe and the names of the chiefs of its clans].

[On the standard of the Myriad they shall write, ...
of God,
together with] the name of the chief of the Myriad and the names of the [leaders of its Thousands].

[On the standard of the Thousand they shall write, ...
of God,
together with the name of the chief of the Thousand and the names of the leaders of its Hundreds].

[On the standard of Hundred] ...

IV On the standard of Merari they shall write,
The Votive-Offering of
God, together with the name of the chief of Merari and the names of the leaders of its Thousands.

On the standard of the Thousand they shall write,
The Wrath of God is Kindled against Belial and against the Men of his Company, Leaving no Remnant,
together with the name of the chief of the Thousand and the names of the leaders of its Hundreds.

On the standard of the Hundred they shall write,
From God comes the Might of War against All Sinful Flesh,
together with the name of the chief of the Hundred and the names of the leaders of its Fifties.

On the standard of the Fifty they shall write,
The Stand of the Ungodly is Ended by the Power of God,
together with the name of the chief of the Fifty and the names of the leaders of its Tens.

On the standard of the Ten they shall write,
Praised be God on the Ten-stringed Harp,
together with the name of the chief of the Ten and the names of the nine men under his command.

 

When they march out to battle they shall write on their standards,
Truth of God, Justiceof God, Glory of God, Judgement of God,
followed by the whole ordered list of their names.

When they approach for battle they shall write on their standards,
Right Hand of God, Appointed Time of God, Tumult of God, Slain of God,
followed by the whole list of their names.

When they return from battle they shall write on their standards,
Honour of God, Majesty of God, Splendour of God, Glory of God,
together with the whole list of their names.

 

When they set out for battle they shall write on the first standard
Congregation of God,
on the second standard
Camps
of
God,
on the third standard
Tribes of God,
on the fourth standard
Clans of God, on
the fifth standard
Divisions of God,
on the sixth standard
Assembly of God,
on the seventh standard
The Called of God,
on the eighth standard
Hosts of God;
and they shall write the list of their names with all their order.

When they approach for battle they shall write on their standards,
War of God, Vengeance of God, Trial of God, Reward of God, Power of God, Retributions of God, Might of God, Extermination of God for all the Nations of Vanity;
and they shall write on them the whole list of their names.

When they return from battle they shall write on their standards,
Salvation of God, Victory of God, Help of God, Support of God, Joy of God, Thanksgivings of God, Praise of God, Peace of God.

 

[The measurements of the standards.] The standard of the whole congregation shall be fourteen cubits long; the standard [of the three tribes,] thirteen cubits long; [the standard of the tribe,] twelve cubits; [the standard of the Myriad], eleven cubits; [the standard of the Thousand, ten cubits; the standard of the Hundred,] nine cubits; [the standard of the Fifty, eight] cubits; the standard of the Ten, s[even cubits] ...

V And on the sh[ield of] the Prince of all the congregation they shall write his name, together with the names of Israel, Levi and Aaron, and the names of the twelve tribes of Israel according to the order of their precedence, with the names of their twelve chiefs.

 

The formation shall consist of one thousand men ranked seven lines deep, each man standing behind the other.

They shall all hold shields of bronze burnished like mirrors. The shield shall be edged with an interlaced border and with inlaid ornament, a work of art in pure gold and silver and bronze and precious stones, a many-coloured design worked by a craftsman. The length of the shield shall be two and a half cubits and its width one and a half cubits.

In their hands they shall hold a spear and a sword. The length of the spear shall be seven cubits, of which the socket and spike shall measure half a cubit. The socket shall be edged with three embossed interlaced rings of pure gold and silver and bronze, a work of art. The inlaid ornaments on both edges of the ring shall be bordered with precious stones - patterned bands worked by a craftsman - and (embossed) with ears of corn. Between the rings, the socket shall be embossed with artistry like a pillar. The spike shall be made of brilliant white iron, the work of a craftsman; in its centre, pointing towards the tip, shall be ears of corn in pure gold.

The swords shall be made of pure iron refined by the smelter and blanched to resemble a mirror, the work of a craftsman; on both sides (of their blades) pointing towards the tip, figured ears of corn shall be embossed in pure gold, and they shall have two straight borders on each side. The length of the sword shall be one and a half cubits and its width four fingers. The width of the scabbard shall be four thumbs. There shall be four palms to the scabbard (from the girdle), and it shall be attached (to the girdle) on both sides for a length of five palms (?). The hilt of the sword shall be of pure horn worked by a craftsman, with patterned bands in gold and silver and precious stones...
vacat

When... shall stand, the ... they shall order the seven battle divisions, division after division... thirty cubits where the me[n of the division] shall stand...

 

VI seven times and shall return to their positions.

And after them, three divisions of foot-soldiers shall advance and shall station themselves between the formations, and the first division shall hurl seven javelins of war towards the enemy formation. On the point of the javelins they shall write,
ShiningJavelinof the Power of God;
and on the darts of the second division they shall write,
Bloody Spikes to Bring Down the Slain by the Wrath of God;
and on the javelins of the third division they shall write,
Flaming Blade to Devour the Wicked Struck Down by the Judgement of God.
All these shall hurl their javelins seven times and shall afterwards return to their positions.

Then two divisions of foot-soldiers shall advance and shall station themselves between the two formations. The first division shall be armed with a spear and a shield, and the second with a shield and a sword, to bring down the slain by the judgement of God, and to bend the enemy formation by the power of God, to pay the reward of their wickedness to all the nations of vanity. And sovereignty shall be to the God of Israel, and He shall accomplish mighty deeds by the saints of his people.

 

Seven troops of horsemen shall also station themselves to the right and to the left of the formation; their troops shall stand on this (side) and on that, seven hundred horsemen on one flank and seven hundred horsemen on the other. Two hundred horsemen shall advance with the thousand men of the formation of foot-soldiers; and they shall likewise station themselves on both [flanks] of the camp. Altogether there shall be four thousand six hundred (men), and one thousand cavalrymen with the men of the army formations, fifty to each formation. The horsemen, together with the cavalry of the army shall number six thousand: five hundred to each tribe.

The horses advancing into battle with the foot-soldiers shall all be stallions; they shall be swift, sensitive of mouth, and sound of wind, and of the required age, trained for war, and accustomed to noise and to every (kind of) sight. Their riders shall be gallant fighting men and skilled horsemen, and their age shall be from thirty to forty-five years. The horsemen of the army shall be from forty to fifty years old. They [and their mounts shall wear breast-plates,] helmets, and greaves; they shall carry in their hands bucklers, and a spear [eight cubits] long. [The horseman advancing with the foot-soldiers shall carry] bows and arrows and javelins of war. They shall all hold themselves prepared ... of God and to spill the blood of the wicked ...

 

VII
The men of the army shall be from forty to fifty years old. The inspectors of the camps shall be from fifty to sixty years old. The officers shall be from forty to fifty years old. The despoilers of the slain, the plunderers of booty, the cleansers of the land, the keepers of the baggage, and those who furnish the provisions shall be from twenty-five to thirty years old.

 

No boy or woman shall enter their camps, from the time they leave Jerusalem and march out to war until they return. No man who is lame, or blind, or crippled, or afflicted with a lasting bodily blemish, or smitten with a bodily impurity, none of these shall march out to war with them. They shall all be freely enlisted for war, perfect in spirit and body and prepared for the Day of Vengeance. And no man shall go down with them on the day of battle who is impure because of his ‘fount', for the holy angels shall be with their hosts. And there shall be a space of about two thousand cubits between all their camps for the place serving as a latrine, so that no indecent nakedness may be seen in the surroundings of their camps.

 

When the battle formations are marshalled facing the enemy formation facing formation, seven Priests of the sons of Aaron shall advance from the middle gates to the place between the formations. They shall be clothed in vestments of white cloth of flax, in a fine linen tunic and fine linen breeches; and they shall be girdled with fine cloth of flax embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet thread, a many-coloured design worked by a craftsman. And on their heads they shall wear mitred turbans. These shall be battle raiment; they shall not take them into the Sanctuary.

The first Priest shall advance before the men of the formation to strengthen their hand for battle, and the six other Priests shall hold in their hands the trumpets of Summons, and the trumpets of the Reminder, and the trumpets of Alarm (for massacre), and the trumpets of Pursuit, and the trumpets of Retreat. And when the Priests advance to the place between the formations, seven Levites shall accompany them bearing in their hands seven rams' horns; and three officers of the Levites shall walk before the Priests and Levites. The Priests shall sound the two trumpets of Sum[mons for the gates of] war to open fifty shields (wide) and the foot-soldiers shall advance, fifty from one gate [and fifty from the other. With them shall advance] the officers of the Levites, and they shall advance with every formation according to all this R[ule].

[The Priests shall sound the trumpets, and two divisions of foot-] soldiers [shall advance] from the gate [and shall] station [themselves] between the two [formations] ...
VIII
the trumpets shall sound to direct the slingers until they have cast seven times. Afterwards, the Priests shall sound for them the trumpets of Retreat and they shall return to the flank of the first formation to take up their position.