http://skipstanley.com/the_damascus_doc_dss.htm

[ch 1]

| Now, therefore, hearken unto me, ye all who know Righteousness\1 and meditate upon the work of | HWHY\2 . For He has a controversy with all flesh\3 and He will execute judgment\4 upon all who despise Him. For because of their treason that they forsook Him, He hid His face\5 from Israel, and from His Sanctuary and delivered them unto the sword\6. But when He remembered the covenant of the forefathers\7 He left a remnant |5| to Israel and gave them not over unto extermination. And at the end of the wrath\8, three hundred and ninety years after He had delivered them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar\9, the King of Babylon,  He remembered them, and made bud from Israel and Aaron a Root of a plant\10 to inherit His land, and to rejoice in the wealth of His Earth. And they meditated over their sin, and they knew that they were guilty men, and they were like the blind *groping in the way\11  |10| twenty years\12. And HWHY considered their deeds\13, for they sought Him with a perfect heart\14 and He raised for them a\15 Teacher of Righteousness\16 to make them walk in the way of His Heart. ## And He made known to later generations what He has wrought\17 in a *former generation\18 in an assembly of treacherous men\19. They are those who turned out of the way\20. This is the time concerning which it has been written: "As a backsliding heifer so did Israel slide back\21," when there arose the man of scoffing\22 who dropped to Israel |15| waters of deceitfulness\23 and caused them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way\24, to bow down the loftiness of eternity\25, to turn away  from the paths of Righteousness, and to remove the bound which the forefathers have set in their inheritance\26. So as  to make cleave unto them the curses of the Covenant\27, to deliver them to the sword that shall execute the vengeance of the covenant\28. Because that they searched in smooth things\29 and chose deceits, and looked forward to the breaches\30. And they chose the pleasures of the throat\31 and justified the wicked and condemned the just\32 |20| and *transgressed the covenants\33 and broke the statute and\34 gathered themselves together against the soul of the Righteous\35 man. And all that walked uprightly their soul abhorred\36 and they pursued them with the sword and *rejoiced at the* war of the people\37. Therefore, was kindled the wrath of HWHY against their congregation\38 to make desolate their multitude, and their deeds* were unclean\39 before Him.

[ch 2]

 And now, hearken unto me ye all who entered into the covenant\1 and I will reveal to you\2 concerning the ways  of the wicked. ## HWHY loves Knowledge. Wisdom and Counsel\3 He placed before Him; Prudence 4 and Knowledge, they minister to Him. Long-suffering \5 is with Him, and an abundance of forgiveness to atone for those who return from sin\6, power, might and great wrath in flames of fire\7. Therein are all the angels of destruction\8 for them who turned out of the way, and despised the statute\9, so that there should be no remnant | nor escaping\10 for them. For, before the world was, HWHY chose them not, and ere they were established. He knew  their deeds, and He condemned the generations of blood\11 and hid His face from the earth | to *exterminate\12 them till they were consumed@ And He knew the years of the station \14 and the number, and the explanation of their ends \15, for all the *things that be everlasting and are to happen \16, to that which will come to their ends \17, for all the years of eternity. And in all of them He raised for Himself men called by Name\18, in order to leave a remnant to the earth\19 and to fill the face of the world with their children \20. And through His Anointed \21 He made them know His Qadesh Spirit, and he is True \22 , and the *explanation of their Names \23, and them He hated He made go astray.

[ch 3]

Now, therefore, children, hearken unto me\1 and I will open your eyes to see, and to meditate over the deeds of HWHY, and to choose what He desireth, and despise what He hateth. To walk uprightly\2 in all His ways, and not to seek after *the thoughts of the imagination\3 guilt, and after the *eyes of fornication\4. For many were led astray by them, and mighty men of valor stumbled by them from beforetime, and hitherto. Because they walked in the stubbornness | of their heart\5 fell the *Watchers\6 of the heaven. By them\7 were they caught, because they kept not The Commandment of HWHY. And their children whose height was like the height of the cedars\8 and whose bodies were like mountains* likewise fell\9. All flesh that was on dry land *also perished\10, and they were as though they had not been\11. Because they did their own will, and kept not The Commandment of their Maker until His wrath was kindled against them\12.

[ch 4]

By it* went astray the sons of Noah and *their families\1, and because of it they were rooted out 2. Abraham did not walk in it, and he *became friend\3 because he kept The Commandment of HWHY, and chose not the will of his own spirit. And he delivered (it) to Isaac and to Yaaqov\4, and they observed (it)\6 and were recorded as friends of HWHY\6 and men of the covenant forever\7. ## By them the sons of Yaaqov went astray and they were punished* according\8 to |5| their error. And their children in Egypt walked in the stubbornness of their heart to take counsel against the Commandments of HWHY and every man doing* that which was right in his own\9 eyes and they ate blood \10. Therefore He exterminated their males in the desert* when He spake* to them in the desert in Kadesh, Go up and possess* the *land \11. *And they provoked* His spirit 12, and hearkened not unto the voice of their Maker\13, The Commandments of their teachers \14, and murmured in their tents\15. Therefore the wrath of HWHY was kindled against their congregations, and their children perished by it, and their kings were exterminated by it, and their mighty men perished by it and their land *was made desolate by it. By it were guilty the first that entered into the covenant, and they were delivered unto the sword\19. Because they forsook the Covenant of HWHY and chose their* own will and sought after the stubbornness of their heart, and  every man doing according to his pleasure.

[ch 5]

But with them that held fast to\1 The Commandments of HWHY, who were left among them, HWHY confirmed His Covenant with Israel forever, revealing unto them the hidden things in which all Israel erred: His Qadash  Sabbaths, and His Qadash Festivals, the testimony of His Righteousness, and the ways of His Truth, and the desires of His will which a man shall do and live by them. He opened before them\3 and they digged a well of many waters,  and he that despises them shall not live, But they wallowed in the transgression of man\6 and in the ways of the unclean woman.

 And they said that it belongs to us\7 . But HWHY in the abundance of His wonder made atonement for their sins and forgave their transgression. And He built them a sure house in Israel\10, the like of which never arose beforetime and hitherto. They who hold fast to Him are for the life of eternity, and all Righteousness of man is for them; as HWHY confirmed it to them through Ezekiel, the prophet, saying: "The priests and the Levites and the sons of Zadok that kept the charge of His Sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from *them they shall bring near unto me fat and blood."

[ch6]

The priests are the captivity of Israel who have gone forth out of the land of Judah and they who have joined them. And the sons of Zadok are the chosen of Israel called by names\3 that arose at the end of the days. Behold the explanation of their names according to their generations, the end of their station and the number of their sufferings and the years of their sojourns\5 and the explanation of their deeds. The Qadash they alter, which HWHY made atonement for them\6. And they justified the righteous and condemned the wicked\7. And all they who come after them  to do according to the interpretation of the Law in which the forefathers were *instructed\8 until the *completing of the end of these years. In accordance with the covenant which HWHY has confirmed to the forefathers to make atonement |10| for their sins, so shall HWHY make atonement for them\10. And after the completing of the end in accordance with the number of these years one shall not join The House of Yudah \11, but every man shall stand up against his net\12. The wall is built, the decree is far removed \13. And during all these years there will be Belial \14 let loose against Israel as HWHY hath spoken through Isaiah, the prophet, the son of Amoz, saying: Fear and the net and the snare are upon thee, O inhabitant of the land\15. Its explanation is\16: three nets of Belial concerning which Levi the Son of Yaaqov hath spoken\17 by* which he ensnared Israel\18, and *directed their faces to the three kinds of righteousness. The first is fornication, the second is*wealth\19, the third  is the *pollution of the sanctuary\20. He that fleeth from this will be ensnared by that, and he that escapeth the one will be ensnared by the other\21. ## They that builded the *wall\22 who walked after the *commanding one\23.

[ch 7]

  The commanding one is he who prophesies concerning which he said, "For a surety they do drop words\1." They are ensnared by two: by fornication\2, taking two wives during their lifetimes\3, *but the foundation of the creation\4 is, "Male and female created He them\5." And they who came into the Ark, "Two and two went into the Ark\6." As to the prince\7 it is written, "He shall not multiply wives unto himself\8." *But David read not in the Book of the Law that was sealed, which was in the Ark. For it was not opened in Israel from the day of the Death of Eleazar and oSWHY\9 and the Elders who worshipped Ashtareth\10. And it was hidden |5| and was *not discovered\11 until Zadok arose. But they *concealed\12 the deeds of David save only the blood of Uriah\13 and HWHY abandoned them to him. They also contaminate the sanctuary as* they  separate not\14 according to the Law and lie with her who sees the blood of her issue\15. They take unto them a wife\16 the daughter of their brother and the daughter of their sisters\17. But Moses said, "Thou shalt not approach the sister of thy mother: she is thy mother's near kin\18," and the law of incest\19 for males is written, and like them\20 are the females; and if the daughter of the brother uncovers the nakedness of the brother of her father* he\21 is a near kin. ## They also contaminated their Qadash spirit\22 and with a tongue of reproaches they opened the mouth against the statutes of The Covenant of HWHY, saying, They are not proper. But abomination they speak concerning them. They all kindled\23 a fire and set in flames the sparks\24. The weaving of spiders are their weavings and the eggs of adders are their eggs\25. He who comes near them shall not be innocent. Like *a thing accursed shall his house be guilty\26* unless he was* forced\27. Beforetimes\28 HWHY *observed their deeds and His wrath was kindled because of their devices. For it is a people of no understanding\29. They are a nation void of counsel\30, because there is no understanding in them\31. For beforetimes rose\32  Moses and Aaron through the prince of the Urim\33, *when\34 Belial raised Yochaneh and  his brother\35 in his device when Israel was delivered for the first time\36.

[ch 8]

And at the end of the destruction of the land there arose those who removed the bound\1 and led astray Israel.  And in the age of devestation of the land there arose those who shifted the boundary and made Israel stray. And the land became desolate because they have spoken rebellion\2 against the Commandments of HWHY through Moses and also The Torah, And the land became desolate, for they spoke of rebellion against HWHY's precepts through the hand of Moses and also against His Qadash Anointed one\3, and they prophesied a lie to turn away Israel from after of the Qadash anointed ones. They prophesied deceit in order to divert Israel from following HWHY. But HWHY remembered the Covenant with the forefathers\4. And He took from Aaron* men of understanding and from Israel. But HWHY remembered the Covenant of the very first, and from Aaron raised men of knowledge and from Israel wise men and made them* understand\5, and they digged the well\6."The princes digged the well; they digged it,  wise men, and forced them to listen. And they dug the well: {Num 21.18} "A well which the princes dug, which the nobles of the people, by the lawgiver\7. The well is the Law, and they who digged it are the nobles of the people delved with the staff."The well is the law. And those who dug it are |5| captivity\8 of Israel who have gone forth out of the land of Yudah\9 and sojourned in the land of Damascus\10 the converts of Israel, who left the land of Yudah and lived in the land of Damascus, all of whom HWHY called Princes. For they sought Him and their bough was not turned back all of whom HWHY called Princes, for they sought him, and their renown has not been repudiated in the mouth of one\11. And the Lawgiver is he who interprets the Law concerning whom in anyone's mouth. {blank} And the staff is the Interpreter of the Law, of whom Isaiah said, "He bringeth forth an instrument for His work\12."And the nobles of the people are they Isaiah said: {Isa 54.16} "He produces a tool for his labor." {blank} And the nobles of the people are who came to dig the well by the precepts\13 which the Lawgiver ordained those who have arrived to dig the well with the staves that the scepter decreed, to walk in *them\14 for all end of the wickedness\15. And they shall reach *nothing beside them\16 until there will arise\17 to walk in them throughout the whole age of wickedness, and without which they will not obtain it, until there arises the Teacher of Righteousness\18 in the end of the days. And all they who were brought\19 into The Covenant,  he who teaches justice at the end of days. {blank} But all those who have been brought into The Covenant they shall not enter into the Sanctuary to kindle His altar, and be shutting shall not enter the temple to kindle his altar in vain. They will be the ones who close the door, concerning whom HWHY said, "Who is there among you who would shut the doors\20, neither do you kindle My Altar the door, as HWHY said: {Mal 1.10} "Whoever amongst you will close its door so that you don't kindle my altar for naught\21." If\22 they will not observe to do\23 according to the Interpretation of the Law, until the end of the wickedness\24, and to separate in vain!" Unless they are careful to act in accordance with the exact Interpretation of the Law for the age of wickedness: to separate themselves |15| from the children of destruction\25, and to separate from the wealth of wickedness which is contaminated by a vow and curse\26, from the sons of the pit; to abstain from wicked wealth which defiles, either by promise or by vow, and *from\27 the wealth of the sanctuary, and rob the poor of his people (so that) widows be their prey,  and from the wealth of the temple and from stealing from the poor of the people, from making their widows their spoils and they murder the fatherless and\28 to distinguish between clean and unclean\29 and to make known between and from murdering orphans; to separate unclean from clean and differentiate between the Qadash and the profane, and to observe the Sabbath according to its interpretation and the Qadash Feasts and the common; to keep the Sabbath day according to the exact interpretation, and the Festivals and the Day of Fast\30* according to the Command\31 of them who entered in to the New Covenant\32 in the land of Damascus. and the day of Fasting, according to what they had discovered, those who entered the New Covenant in the land of Damascus; To raise their offerings according to their interpretation\33, to love every one his neighbor as himself\34, and to strengthen the hand of the poor and the needy and the stranger\35, ## and to seek every one the peace of his neighbor. And no man shall commit treason against his nearest of kin, separating himself from *fornication\36 according to the Law\37. To admonish every one his neighbor according to the Law\38, and not to bear a grudge from day to day\39, and to separate from all the contaminations according to their laws\40. And no man shall defile his Qadash Spirit\41, *(even) as HWHY did separate them\42. All they who walk|5| in these things in the perfection of Qadash\43 according to all the *instructions\44, The Covenant of HWHY [[MS B page 19 starts here]] stands fast to them to preserve them for [[MS B + thousands of generations\1. *As it is written\2, "He keepeth The Covenant and mercy with them who love Him\3 and keep His\4 Commandments for]] [[A = B]] a thousand generations.

[ch 9]

And if they settle in camps in accordance\7 with the *usage' [[B = laws]] of the land [[B + which were\5 from of old]] and take wives [[B + in accordance with the usage of the Law]] and beget children they shall walk\B6 according to the Law, [[B ##]] and according to the *foundations\2 according to the usage of the Law as He had spoken, "between man and his wife and between father and his son\3" But upon all them that despise\4 ... [[B + the commandments and the statutes]] [[A // when HWHY will bring a visitation upon the land, will be returned the desert of the wicked;]] [[B // will be returned the desert of the wicked HWHY will bring a visitation upon the land,]]

[[A = B]]                                                                                                                                                                                               Counter Stats

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|10| when there will come to pass the word which is written [[A // in the words of Isaiah the son of Amoz the prophet [[B // by the hand of Zechariah, the prophet,]] [[A | who said, *" He will bring\5 upon thee and upon thy people and upon thy father's house days that  have* not\6 come from the day\7 that Ephraim departed from Yudah." When the two houses of Israel\8 separated  Ephraim* turned away\9 from Judah, and those who turned back were delivered to the sword and those who held fast\10 escaped into the land of the North. ## As He said, "And I will cause to go into captivity\11 Siccuth your King and Chiyun your images\12, from the tents of Damascus\13." The Books of the Law are the Tent of the King, as He said, "And I will raise up the tent of David that is fallen\14." The King is the congregation and Chiyun the images\15 are the Books of the Prophets whose words Israel has despised\16, ## and the Star\17 is he who explained the Law who came to Damascus, as it is written, "There came forth a Star out of Yaaqov and a scepter shall rise out of Israel\18." The Scepter is the prince of all the congregation, and when he will rise "he will destroy all the children of Seth\19." ]] [[B "O sword, awake, against | my shepherd and against the man that is My fellow, says HWHY\7, smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered, and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones." And they that watch him are the poor of the flock\8.]] [[A These escaped\20 at the end of the first visitation\21,]] [[A |page 8| and those who removed back were delivered to the sword\22.]] [[B |10| These shall escape at the end of the visitation\9, and they that remain will be delivered to the sword, when there will come the Anointed *from Aaron and Israel\10. As it was at the end of the first visitation concerning which * He\11 spoke through Ezekiel to mark a mark upon the foreheads of them that sigh and cry\12, but they that remain will be delivered to the sword that avengeth the vengeance of the Covenant\13.]] [[A = B]] And this also will be the judgment of all of them who have entered into His Covenant who will not hold fast to these\23 to visit them *with\24 destruction through the hand of Belial. This is the day on which HWHY shall visit\25. The princes of Judah were *like them that remove the bound. Upon them I will pour out my wrath\B14 like water\26. [[A | For they became diseased incurably\27 and they *crushed them\28. *They are all rebels\29, because [[B Because they entered\15 into the covenant of repentance | and *yet]]  [[A |4| = B |17|]] they turned not out of the way |5| of the traitors and they *wallowed [[B dealt want only]] in the ways of harlots [[B harlotry]] and in the wealth of wickedness\31 and (in) revenge and every man bearing grudge to his brother and every man hating his neighbor \32. And they*committed treason\33[B16] every man against his next of kin and were joined to unchastely \34 and *sold themselves to [[B and they were mighty\17 for]] wealth and gain*\35 [[B + and]] every man of them did that which was right in his own eyes\36.  And they chose every man in [[B om ev. man in]] the stubbornness of his heart\37 and they separated not from the people\38 [[B + and their sins]]. And they cast off restraint with an high hand to walk in the way [[B ways]] of the wicked; concerning whom HWHY said, "Their wine is the poison of dragons |10| and the head of asps that is cruel\39." The dragons are the kings of the nations and their wine is their ways, and the head of the asps is the head of the kings of Javan \40, who came to execute vengeance upon them. But upon all these things they meditated not who built the*wall\41 and daubed it with untempered mortar. For [[A |13| one confused of spirit\42 and who dropped lies prophesied to them\43]] [[B |25| the *man walking in wind\18 and weighing storms the prophet of *man\19 | to lie]]

[[A = B]]

that the wrath of HWHY was kindled against all His congregation\44 | [[B ##]] and what Moses said [[B + to Israel]], "Not for thy righteousness or for the uprightness of thine heart dost thou go to inherit |15| these nations\45, but because He loved thy fathers and because He would keep the oath\46." | ## And [[ B om]] so is the law for the captivity\47 of Israel who\B20 tumed out of the way of the people\48. Through the love of HWHY of the forefathers who *aroused the people toward\B21 Him\49 [[B HWHY* and]], He loved them that came after them. For to them | is the covenant of the fathers, ## but in his hatred\59 of [[B but HWHY hates and despises]] them who builded the\51 *wall His wrath was kindled [[B against them and against all | who walk after them]]. ## And like unto this judgment  it will be for everyone who despises the Commandments of HWHY, and He forsook them and they turned away in the stubbornness of their heart. [[A |20| ## This is the word which Jeremiah has spoken to Baruch the son of Neriah, and Elisha | to his servant Gehazi.]] [[B |33| So are]] [[A = B]] ## All the men who entered into the New Covenant in the land of Damascus\52  [[Schecter's note to A reads "Here is a break in the MS."]]  [[B |34| continues]] but they turned and committed treason and turned away from the spring of living waters.  |35| *'They *shall not be\22 counted in the assembly of people, and in its writing\23 *they shall not be written.' From the day when there was gathered in\24 [[MS B, page 20]] | the only teacher until there will arise the Anointed from Aaron and from Israel\25. ## And this is also the Law | for all that entered into the congregation of men of perfection  of holiness\26, but he will *cease\27 accomplishing the statutes that are upright. | He is the man who is melted in the furnace. ## When his deeds will appear\28 he shall be expelled from the congregation as though his lot had not fallen among them that are taught by HWHY\29. According to his treason they shall record him\30 *with the men |5| of * perversion\31 until he will come back to stay in the station of the men of perfect holiness. And when his deeds shall appear according to the interpretation of the Law in which walk the men of perfection of holiness, no man shall * profit\32 him in wealth and Tabour, for the saints of the Most High have cursed him. And like this judgment shall be to everyone who despises both among them who were before and among them who came after\33, who placed idols upon their hearts and walked in the stubbornness |10| of their hearts. They have no share in the house of the Law. ## Like the judgment of their neighbours who returned with the men of scoffing\34 they shall be judged. For they uttered error against the statutes of righteousness and despised the covenant and the pledge of faith which they have affirmed in the land of Damascus; and this is the New Covenant\23. | And there shall not be unto them or unto their families a share in the house of the Law. ## And from the day | when there was gathered in the only teacher\36 until all the men of the war were wasted who walked |15| with the man of lies about forty years\37. ## And at the end of these there will be kindled | the wrath of HWHY against Israel as He said, 'There is no King, and no prince\38,' *and no Judge, and none | rebuking in righteousness\39. And they who turn from sin...\40 who observed the Covenant of HWHY ... man... his brother He will support their steps in the way of HWHY.'And HWHY hearkened  and heard and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that fear HWHY and think |20| upon His Name\41' ... until there will be brought up\42 salvation and righteousness for them who fear\43 HWHY. Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous | and wicked, between them that served Him\44 and them that served Him not." "And showeth mercy *unto thousands\45 of them that love Him and unto them that observe *His commandments\46 for a thousand generations," from the * house of Peleg\47 that have gone out from the city of the sanctuary. And they confided in HWHY at the end of the treason of Israel and they polluted the Sanctuary and they came back unto HWHY. The *prince of the people\48 with few words\49 ... according to His spirit they shall be judged ... in the counsel |25| of holiness. ## And all they who broke through the bound of the Law of those who entered into the covenant when there will shine forth the glory of HWHY to Israel they will be cut off from among the camp and with them all they who do wickedly\50 of Judah in the days of its trial\51. ## But all they who hold steadfast to these laws to go out and to come in according to the Law and listen to the voice of the teacher and shall confess before HWHY ... we are guilty, we and our fathers because they walked contrary\52 unto the laws of the covenant  |30| and true is thy judgment against us. And they will not lift the hand against His holy statutes, His righteous judgment | and the testimony\53 of His truth. And they will be chastised by the first judgments in which  the children of the men of the only one were judged. And they will listen to the voice of the teacher of righteousness. And they will not *answer\54 the statutes of righteousness when they hear them. They will rejoice and be glad and their hearts will exult\55 and they will show themselves mighty against all the children of the world, and HWHY w