The War Scroll

1 the fathers' houses of the congregation — fifty-two. And the heads of the priests they shall order after the Chief Priest and his deputy: twelve heads, to be ministering

2 in the perpetual offering before God. And the heads of the courses, twenty-six, shall minister in their courses. And after them the heads of the Levites, to minister continually — twelve, one

3 for a tribe. And the heads of their courses shall minister, each in his station. And the heads of the tribes and the fathers' houses of the congregation after them, to stand continually in the gates of the sanctuary.

4 And the heads of their courses, with those enrolled under them, shall stand at their appointed times, at their new moons and on the sabbaths and on all the days of the year, from fifty years of age and upward.

5 These shall stand over the burnt offerings and over the sacrifices, to set in order the incense of pleasing fragrance for the favour of God, to make atonement for all His congregation, and to be satisfied before Him continually

6 at the table of glory. All these they shall order at the appointed time of the year of release. And in the thirty-three remaining years of the war, the men of renown,

7 those called to the assembly, and all the heads of the fathers' houses of the congregation shall choose for themselves men of war for all the lands of the nations. From all the tribes of Israel they shall equip

8 for themselves men of valour, to go out to the host according to the summonses of the war, year by year. But in the years of release they shall not equip men to go out to the host, for it is a sabbath

9 of rest for Israel. In the thirty-five years of service the war shall be arrayed for six years, and those who array it are all the congregation together.

10 And the war of the divisions is in the remaining twenty-nine. In the first year they shall fight against Aram Naharaim; and in the second against the sons of Lud; and in the third

11 they shall fight against the rest of the sons of Aram — against Uz and Hul, Togar and Mesha, who are beyond the Euphrates. In the fourth and the fifth they shall fight against the sons of Arpachshad.

12 In the sixth and the seventh they shall fight against all the sons of Asshur and Persia, and the easterners as far as the great wilderness. In the eighth year they shall fight against the sons of

13 Elam. In the ninth they shall fight against the sons of Ishmael and Keturah. And in the ten years after them the war shall be divided against all the sons of Ham

14 [ … in ]their [dwell]ings. And in the remaining ten years the war shall be divided against all [the sons of Japhe]th in their dwellings.

15 [ … ] [blank] [ … ] [blank]

16 [ … ] the war-shout for all their service, for [ … ] according to those enrolled among them,

17 [ … ] and tens, over [ … ]