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‫המחלקה לחינוך יהודי ציוני‬

The Department for Jewish Zionist Education

The War Scroll

Col. 1
1 For [. . . of] the war. The first attack of the Sons of Light shall be launched against the lot of the
Sons of Darkness, against the army of Belial, against the troop of Edam, Moab, the sons of Ammon
2 and [. . .] Philistia, and against the troops of the Kittim of Asshur, these being helped by those
who violate the covenant. The sons of Levi, the sons of Judah, and the sons of Benjamin, the exiles
of the wilderness, shall wage war against them
3 [...] according to all their troops, when the exiles, the Sons of Light, return from the wilderness of
the peoples to encamp in the wilderness of Jerusalem. After the battle, they shall depart from there.
4 [... of] the Kittim in Egypt. When his time (has arrived) he shall march out with great fury to
wage war against the kings of the north, his wrath (aiming) at exterminating and cutting off the
horn
5 [...]a time of salvation for God's people and a time of dominion for all the men of his lot, but of
everlasting destruction for all the lot of Belial. There shall be panic '
6 [...] the sons of Japhet, Asshur shall fall down, there will be no rescue for it; the Kittim's
dominion shall come to an end, wickedness being subdued without a remnant; neither shall there be
an escape
7 f[or the Son]s of Darkness.
8 But [the Sons of Rig]hteousness shall shine unto all the uttermost ends of the world, going on to
shine till the completion of all the appointed times of darkness. At the appointed time of God, his
exalted greatness shall shine to all the ends of
9 [...] for peace and blessing, glory, joy, and long life for all the Sons of Light. On the day of the
Kittim's fall, there shall be clash and fierce carnage before the God of
10 Israel for this is the day he has appointed long ago for a destructive war against the Sons of
Darkness. On this (day) they shall clash in a great carnage; the congregation of divine beings and
the assembly of
11 men, the Sons of Light and the lot of darkness, shall fight each other to (disclose?) the might of
God, with the uproar of a large multitude and the war cry of divine beings and men, on the day of
calamity. This (is) a time of
12 tribulaton '[...]the people whom God redeems; of all their tribulations none was comparable to
this, because of its hastening towards the end for an everlasting redemption.
---

Col. 8
1 The trumpets shall keep blowing to conduct the slingers until they have finished throwing seven
2 times. Then the priests shall blow for them on the trumpets of withdrawal, and they shall come to
the side of the
3 first line to station themselves in their position.The priests shall blow the trumpets of summoning,
and
4 three skirmishing battalions shall march out from the gates and take position between the lines,
beside them the mounted men
5 on the right and on the left. The priests shall blow on the trumpets a level sound, the signal of
battle array,
6 and the columns shall be spreading out to their formations, each man to his position. When they
stand in three formations,
7 the priests shall blow for them a second alarm, a low and legato sound, the signal of marching,
until they approach
8 the line of the enemy, and stretch out their hand(s) to the weapons. The priests shall blow on the
six trumpets
9 of the slain a shrill staccato sound to conduct the battle; the Levites and the entire horn band shall
blow
10 together a great war alarm to melt the enemy's heart. With the sound of the alarm,
11 the war javelins shall go out to bring down the slain. The sound of the horns shall cease, but on
the t[ru]mpets .
12 the priests shall keep blowing a shrill staccato sound, conducting the fighting hands, until they
have thrown
13 the enemy seven times. Then the priests shall blow for them on the trumpets of withdrawal into
the line of
14 a low, level, legato sound. According to this rule shall the [pr]iests blow for the three battalions.
With
15 the first cast,. [. . .] shall blow [. . . ] a great-sound of alarm
16 to conduct the bat[tle…]
---

Col. 18
1 [... .] When the great hand of God is [rai]sed against Belial and against all [. . .] of his dominion
in an everlasting slaughter
2 [...] and the alarm of the holy ones when they pursue Asshur; the sons of Japhet will be falling
down without recovery; the Kittim shall be crushed without
3 [...]the upraising of the hand of the God of Israel against all the multitude .of Belial. At that time,
the priests shall blow
4 [... the trum]pets of memorial; all the battle lines shall gather towards them and they shall divide
against all [. . . of the K]ittim
5 to annihilate them [...] the sun shall hasten to go down, on that day, (then) they shall take position
"(namely) the chief priest, the priests and the [Levite]s who
6 (are) with him, the chi [efs of ... of] the rule. They shall bless there the God of Israel. They shall
speak up saying, "Blessed be your name, God of [god]s, for
7 you have made great with yo[ur] people [...] to do wonders. You have kept your covenant for us
since long ago. The gates of deliverances you have opened many times for us
8 for the sa[ke of] your [co]venant [...]' our oppression according to your goodness towards us.
You, O God of righteousness, have acted for the sake of your name."

Source: The Dead Sea Scrolls, edited by James H. Charlesworth, Westminster-John Knox Press