Dead Sea Scrolls Bible Translations
Change to Scroll View
<< Previous Chapter: Exodus 19
Book/Chapter View:
Exodus 20
Next Chapter: Exodus 21>>
Translation process is ongoing.
For current status see details

Home

Genesis - 21 Scrolls

Exodus - 18 Scrolls

Leviticus - 12 Scrolls

Numbers - 11 Scrolls

Deuteronomy - 32 Scrolls

Joshua - 2 Scrolls

Judges - 3 Scrolls

Ruth - 4 Scrolls

1 Samuel - 4 Scrolls

2 Samuel - 3 Scrolls

1 Kings - 3 Scrolls

2 Kings - 1 Scroll

2 Chronicles - 1 Scroll

Ezra - 1 Scroll

Job - 4 Scrolls

Psalms - 41 Scrolls

Proverbs - 2 Scrolls

Ecclesiastes - 2 Scrolls

Song of Solomon - 4 Scrolls

Isaiah - 22 Scrolls

Jeremiah - 6 Scrolls

Lamentations - 4 Scrolls

Ezekiel - 4 Scrolls

Daniel - 8 Scrolls

Hosea - 3 Scrolls

Joel - 3 Scrolls

Amos - 4 Scrolls

Obadiah - 2 Scrolls

Jonah - 5 Scrolls

Micah - 4 Scrolls

Nahum - 3 Scrolls

Habakkuk - 3 Scrolls

Zephaniah - 5 Scrolls

Haggai - 3 Scrolls

Zechariah - 5 Scrolls

Malachi - 2 Scrolls

The Translation Process

Frequently Asked Questions

About the Author

Exodus 20 from Scroll 1Q2 Exodus

God spoke all these words, saying,

[..]

“You shall have no other gods before me.

[..]

you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

[..]

25 If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of cut stones; for if you lift up your tool on it, you have polluted it. 26 You shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed to it.’

 

Exodus 20 from Scroll 4Q11 PaleoGenesis-Exodusl

God spoke all these words, saying, “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

 

Exodus 20 from Scroll 4Q22 PaleoExodusm

God spoke all these words, saying,

[..]

18 All the people perceived the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and stayed at a distance. 19 They said to Moses, “Speak with us yourself, and we will listen;  “Behold, Yahweh our God has shown us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the middle of the fire. We have seen today that God does speak with man, and he lives. Now therefore, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us. If we hear Yahweh our God’s voice any more, then we shall die. For who is there of all flesh, that has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the middle of the fire, as we have, and lived? Go near, and hear all that Yahweh our God shall say, and tell us all that Yahweh our God tells you; and we will hear it, and do it,[1] but don’t let God speak with us, lest we die.”

 



[1] This reading matches the Samaritan Pentateuch and Deuteronomy 5:24-27.

How to read these pages:

      The translation to the left is based on the World English Bible. Words in regular black font are words in the scrolls matching the traditional text for that passage.

      Words in italics cannot be seen in the scroll, since the scroll is fragmentary. These words are supplied for readability by the World English Bible translation.

      Words present in the scroll but with some letters unreadable or missing are in blue like this: blue. One Hebrew word often is translated into multiple English words, and when this occurs, all the English words are in blue.

      Words present in the scroll but with spelling differences that do not affect the meaning are in green like this: green. This is common in Hebrew.

      If the scroll is different from the traditional text, words in the traditional text that are missing from the text of the scroll are marked through in red like this: strike-through.

      If the scroll is different from the traditional text, words in the scroll that are not in the traditional text are underlined in red like this: new words.