The War Scroll

1 our camps, and to keep ourselves from every shameful nakedness of an evil thing. And He told us that You are in our midst, a great and terrible God, to despoil all

2 our enemies be[fore u]s. And He taught us from of old, for our generations, saying: When you draw near to the battle, the priest shall stand and speak to the people,

3 saying: Hear, O Israel! You are drawing near this day to the battle against your enemies. Do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint,

4 and do not be alar[med, and d]o not be terrified before them; for your God goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to deliver

5 you. And our [o]fficers shall speak to all who are ready for the war, the willing of heart, to hold fast to the might of God, and to turn back all

6 whose heart melts, and to strengthen together all the mighty men of valour. And as for what You s[po]ke by the hand of Moses, saying: When war comes

7 in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, [then you] shall sound the alarm with the trumpets, and you shall be remembered before your God

8 and be delivered from your enemies. Who is like You, O God of Israel, in the hea[ven]s and on the earth, who does according to Your great works

9 and according to Your mighty power? And who [blank] is like Your people Israel, whom You chose for Yourself out of all the peoples of the lands —

10 a people of the holy ones of the covenant, taught in the statute, wise in understand[ing … ] who hear a glorious voice and see

11 holy angels; whose ear is uncovered, and who hear deep things: [ … ] the spreading out of the skies, the host of the luminaries,

12 and the burden of the winds, and the dominion of the holy ones; the treasuries of glo[ry … ] the clouds; who created the earth and the statutes of its divisions

13 into wilderness and desert land, and all its offspring, with its fru[its … ] the circle of the seas, and the gatherings of the rivers, and the cleaving of the deeps,

14 the works of beast and of winged creatures, the form of man, and [ … ] the confusion of tongue and the separation of peoples, the dwelling of families,

15 and the inheritance of lands, [ … ] appointed times of holiness, and the turnings of years, and the ages of

16 eternity. [ … ] These things we have known from Your understanding, which [ … ]

17 [ … ] Your [ear] to our cry, for [ … ]

18 [ … ] his house, the [ … ]