I

1 And this (is) the rule for all (in) the Congregation of Israel in the end of days: When they gather [as a Community to wa]lk continuously
2 according to the judgment of the Sons of Zadok, the priests, and the men of their covenant who have tu[rned away from walking in the] way of
3 the people. These are the men of his (God's) counsel who have kept his covenant amidst evil to ato[ne for the lan]d.
4 When they come, they shall assemble all those who enter, (including) children along with women; and they shall read in [their] h[earing]
5 [al]l the statutes of the covenant, and instruct them in all [th]eir judg[ments] lest they err g[reatly].
6 And this is the rule for all the hosts of the Congregation, (indeed only) for all born in Israel. And from [his you]th
7 they [shall instru]ct him in the Book of Hagu, and according to his age they shall enlighten him in the statute[s of] the covenant. And [according to his understanding]
8 [they shall] teach (him) their precepts. (For) ten years [he shall] come in with the children. And [at] twenty year[s (of age) he shall pass over into]
9 those commissioned to enter into lot in the midst of his fam[il]y, to join the holy Congre[gation]. But he shall not [approach]
10 a woman to know her by lying with her until he is fully twe[nty] years (of age), at which time he knows [good]
11 and evil. And consequently he shall be received so as to witness the precepts of the Torah, and to take a firm sta[n]d in the hearing of judgments.
12 And when he is fully. . . And at twen[ty]-five years (of age) he shall come to take a firm sta[n]d among the units of
13 the holy Congregation to perform the service of the Congregation. And at thirty years (of age) he shall draw near to decide a legal case
14 and ju[dgme]nt, and to take a firm stand among the heads of the thousands of Israel, the rulers of hundreds, the rulers of fi[f]ties,
15 [and the rulers of] tens, (and to be one of the) judges and officers for their tribes, in all their families, [according t]o the Sons of
16 [Aar]on, the priests. And each head of the magistrates of the Congregation for whom the lot shall be cast shall take a firm st[and in (fulfilling his) se]rvice
17 [to go forth] and to come in before the Congregation. And according to his understanding along with the perfection of his way, he shall strengthen his back to take (his) posi[tion forservice] .
18 of his work among his brothers. [Whether] important or unimportant, [one] to another, (each) man shall honor his fellow.
19 And as the years of a man increase, according to his ability [they shall assign] him his duties in the [service] of the Congregation. And everyman (who is) incompetent
20 shall not enter into the lot to take his firm stand over the Congregation of Israel, to (decide) a legal case [(or) ju]dgment, to bear the business of the Congregation,
21 and to stand firm in battle to subdue (the) nations. Rather, he (the Master?) shall inscribe his (the incompetent's) family in the register of the army.
22 And regarding task-work, he shall perform his service according to his ability. And the Sons of Levi shall take their stand, each in his position,
23 according to the Sons of Aaron, to bring in and. to lead out all the Congregation, each according to his (place in the) register, at the hand of the heads of
24 [the magis]trates of the Congregation, as rulers, and judges, and officers, according to the number of all their hosts, according to the Sons of Zadok, the priests,
25 [and all] the heads of the magistrates of the Congregation.
- - -

II

16 thus all those who are entering shall cross over into the covenant before God by the Rule of the Community, in order to act
17 according to everything which he has commanded. They must not turn back from following after him because of any terror, dread, affliction,
18 or agony during the reign of Belial. When they cross over into the covenant the priests
19 and the Levites shall praise the God of salvation and all his true works, and all
20 those who cross over into the covenant shall say after them: "Amen, amen."
21 Then the priests shall report the righteousness of God along with its wondrous works,
22 and recount all (his) merciful acts of love towards Israel. Then the Levites shall enumerate
23 the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their guilty transgressions and their sins during the dominion of
24 Belial. [And al]l those who cross over into the covenant shall confess after them (by) saying: "We have perverted ourselves,
25 we have rebel[led], we [have sin]ned, we have acted impiously, we [and] our [fath]ers before us, by our walking
26 [... ] True and righte[ous] is the [Go]d of [Israel and] his judgment against us and [our] fathers;

Col. 2
1 but his loving mercy he has [bes]towed upon us from eternity to eternity." Then the priests shall bless all
2 the men of God's lot who walk perfectly in all his ways, and say: "May he bless you with all
3 good and keep you from all evil; may he enlighten your heart with insight for living, may he favor you with eternal knowledge.
4 May he lift up his merciful countenance toward you for eternal peace." Then the Levites shall curse all the men of
5 Belial's lot; they shall respond and say: "Cursed be you in all your guilty (and) wicked works. May God give you up
6 (to) terror through all the avengers. May he visit upon you destruction through all those who take
7 revenge. Cursed be you without compassion in accordance with the darkness of your works.
Damned be you
8 in everlasting murky fire. May God not be compassionate unto you when you cry out. May he not forgive (you) by covering over your iniquity.
9 May he lift up his angry countenance to wreak his vengeance upon you. May there be no peace for you according to all who hold fast to the fathers. "
10 And all those who cross over into the covenant shall say after those who bless and those who curse:"Amen, amen."
11 And the priests and the Levites shall continue and say: "Because of the idols of his heart which he worships cursed be.
12 he who enters into this covenant and puts the stumbling-block of his iniquity before him so that he backslides,(stumbling) over it. And
13 when he hears the words of this covenant, he blesses himself erroneously, saying: 'Peace be with me,
14 for I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.' May his spirit be destroyed, (suffering) thirst along with saturation, without
15 forgiveness. May God's wrath and his angry judgments flare up against him for everlasting destruction, and may all
16 the curses of this covenant stick to him. May God set him apart for evil that he may be cutoff from all the Sons of Light because of his backsliding
17 from God through his idols and the stumbling-block of his iniquity. May he put his lot among those who are cursed forever."
18 And all those who enter the covenant shall respond and say after them: "Amen, amen."
- - -

III

16 their works (falls) within their divisions according to a man's share, much or little, in all the times of eternity. For God has set them apart until the Endtime;
17 and put eternal enmity between their (two) classes. An abomination to truth (are) the doings of deceit, and an abomination to deceit (are) all the ways of truth. (There is) a fierce
18 struggle between all their judgments, for they do not walk together. But God, in his mysterious under-standing and his glorious wisdom, has set an end for the existence of deceit. At the appointed time
19 for visitation he will destroy it forever. Then truth will appear forever (in) the world, which has polluted itself by the ways of ungodliness during the dominion of deceit until
20 the appointed time for judgment which has been decided. Then God will purify by his truth all the works of man and purge for himself the sons of man. He will utterly destroy the spirit of deceit from the veins of
21 his flesh. He will purify him by the Holy Spirit from all ungodly acts and sprinkle upon him the Spirit of Truth like waters of purification, (to purify him) from all the abominations of falsehood and from being polluted
22 by a spirit of impurity, so that upright ones may have insight into the knowledge of the Most High and the wisdom of the sons of heaven, and the perfect in the Way may receive understanding. For those God has chosen for an eternal covenant,
23 and all the glory of Adam shall be theirs without deceit. All false works will be put to shame. Until now the spirits of truth and deceit struggle in the heart of humans,
24 and (so) they walk in wisdom or vileness. According to a man's share in truth shall he be righteous and thus hate deceit, and according to his inheritance in the lot of deceit he shall be evil through it, and thus
25 loathe truth. For God has set them apart until the time of that which has been decided, and the making of the new. He knows the reward 81 of their works for all the end of
26 [appointed tim]es, and he allots them to the sons of man for knowledge of good [... and thus] dec[id]ingthe lots for every living being, according to his spirit [. . .] the visitation.

Col. 5
1 This (is) the rule for the men of the Community who devote themselves to turn away from all evil and hold fast to all which he has commanded as his will: they shall separate themselves from the congregation of
2 the men of deceit, in order to become a Community, with Torah and property, and answerable to the Sons of Zadok, the priests who keep the covenant, according to the multitude of the men of
3 the Community who hold fast to the covenant. According to their order shall go forth the determination of the lot about everything concerning Torah, property, and judgment, to do truth (in) unity, humility,
4 righteousness, justice, merciful love, (indeed) circumspectly walking in all their ways. No man shall wander in the stubbornness of his heart, to err following his heart,
5 his eyes, and the plan of his inclination. He shall rather circumcise in the Community the foreskin of the inclination (and) a stiff neck. They shall lay a foundation of truth for Israel, for the Community of an eternal
6 covenant. They shall atone for all those who devote themselves, for a sanctuary in Aaron and for94 a house of truth in Israel, and for those who join them for a Community. In a lawsuit and judgment
7 they shall pronounce guilty all those who transgress the statute. These are the determination(s) of their ways, according to all these statutes, when they are gathered to the Community: every one who enters into the Council of the Community,
8 shall enter into the covenant of God in the sight of all those who devote themselves. He shall take upon his soul by a binding oath to return to the Torah of Moses, according to all which he has commanded with all
9 heart and with all soul, according to everything which has been revealed from it to the Sons of Zadok, the priests who keep the covenant and seek his will, and according to the multitude of the men of their covenant
10 who devote themselves together to his truth and to walking in his will.

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