4Q37 Deuteronomy^j

Language: Hebrew

Date:  About 50 A.D.

Location: Qumran Cave 4

Contents: (non-canonical order) Deuteronomy 5:1-11, 13-15, 21-33; 6:1-3; 8:5-10; 11:6-13, 21; Exodus 12:43-51, Exodus 13:1-5; Deuteronomy 32:7-8

 

Deuteronomy 5

1 Moses called to all Israel, and said to them, “Hear, Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I speak in your ears today this day, that you may learn them, and observe to do them.” 2 Yahweh our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. 3 Yahweh didn’t make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive today. 4 Yahweh spoke with you face to face on the mountain out of the middle of the fire, 5 (I stood between Yahweh and you at that time, to show you Yahweh’s word: for you were afraid because of the fire, and didn’t go up onto the mountain;) saying,

6 “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

7 “You shall have no other gods before me.

8 “You shall not make a carved image for yourself, any likeness of what is in heaven above, or what is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 9 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, and on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me; 10 and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

11 “You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain: for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

[..]

13 You shall labor six days, and do all your work; 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God, in which you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates; that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and Yahweh your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm. Therefore Yahweh your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

[..]

21 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. Neither shall you desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

22 Yahweh spoke these words to all your assembly on the mountain out of the middle of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice. He added no more. He wrote them on two stone tablets, and gave them to me. 23 When you heard the voice out of the middle of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders; 24 and you said, “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. 25 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. 26 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? 27 Go near, and hear all that Yahweh our God shall say to you, and tell us all that Yahweh our God tells you; and we will hear it, and do it.”

28 Yahweh heard the voice of your words, when you spoke to me; and Yahweh said to me, “I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They have well said all that they have spoken. 29 Oh that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever!

30 “Go tell them, ‘Return to your tents.’ 31 But as for you, stand here by me, and I will tell you all the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which you shall teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it.”

32 You shall observe to do therefore as Yahweh your God has commanded you. You shall not turn away to the right hand or to the left. 33 You shall walk in all the way which Yahweh your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess.

 

Deuteronomy 6

1 Now this is the commandment, the statutes, and the ordinances, which Yahweh your God commanded to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you go over to possess it; 2 that you might fear Yahweh your God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you; you, and your son, and your son’s son, all the days of your life; and that your days may be prolonged. 3 Hear therefore, Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with you, and that you may increase mightily, as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has promised to you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

[..]

Deuteronomy 8

5 You shall consider in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so Yahweh your God disciplines you. 6 You shall keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, to walk in all his ways, and to fear him. 7 For Yahweh your God brings you into a good land and spacious, a land of brooks of water, of springs, and underground water flowing into valleys and hills; 8 a land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig trees and pomegranates; a land of olive trees and honey; 9 a land in which you shall eat bread without scarceness, you shall not lack anything in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you may dig copper. 10 You shall eat and be full, and you shall bless Yahweh your God for the good land which he has given you.

[..]

Deuteronomy 11

6 and what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben; how the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, with their households, their tents, and every living thing that followed them, in the middle of all Israel; 7 but your eyes have seen all of Yahweh’s great work which he did. 8 Therefore you shall keep all the commandment and the statutes which I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land, where you go over to possess it; 9 and that you may prolong your days in the land, which Yahweh swore to your fathers to give to them and to their offspring, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 For the land, where you go in to possess, isn’t like the land of Egypt, that you came out of, where you sowed your seed, and watered it with your foot, as a garden of herbs; 11 but the land, where you go over to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys which drinks water from the rain of the sky, 12 a land which Yahweh your God cares for. Yahweh your God’s eyes are always on it, from the beginning of the year even to the end of the year. 13 It shall happen, if you shall listen diligently to my commandments which I command you today, to love Yahweh your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,

[..]

21 that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens above the earth.

 

Exodus 12[1]

43 Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover. No foreigner shall eat of it, 44 but every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then shall he eat of it.

[..]

46 It must be eaten in one house. You shall not carry any of the meat outside of the house. Do not break any of its bones.

[..]

48 When a stranger shall live as a foreigner with you, and will keep the Passover to Yahweh, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one who is born in the land: but no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. 49 One law shall be to him who is born at home, and to the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you.” 50 All the children of Israel did so. As Yahweh commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. 51 That same day, Yahweh brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.

 

Exodus 13

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Sanctify to me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of animal. It is mine.”

3 Moses said to the people, “Remember this day, in which you came out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand Yahweh brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. 4 Today you go out in the month Abib. 5 It shall be, when Yahweh your God shall bring you into the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perrizite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, and the Gergashite, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, to them that you shall keep this service in this month.

[..]

Deuteronomy 32[2]

7 Remember the days of old.

Consider the years of many generations.

Ask your father, and he will show you;

your elders, and they will tell you.

8 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,

when he separated the children of men,

he set the bounds of the peoples

according to the number of the children of Israel God[3].