Dead Sea Scrolls Bible Translations
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Lamentations 4 from Scroll 5Q6 Lamentationsa

5 Those who ate delicacies are desolate in the streets.

Those who were brought up in purple embrace dunghills.

 

For the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the sin of Sodom,

which was overthrown as in a moment.

No hands were laid on her.

 

7 Her nobles were purer than snow.

They were whiter than milk.

They were more ruddy in body than rubies.

Their polishing was like sapphire.

 

Their appearance is blacker than a coal.

They are not known in the streets.

Their skin clings to their bones.

It is withered.

It has become like a stick.

[..]

11 Yahweh has accomplished his wrath.

He has poured out his fierce anger.

He has kindled a fire in Zion,

which has devoured its foundations.

 

12 The kings of the earth didn’t believe,

neither did all the inhabitants of the world,

that the adversary and the enemy would enter into the gates of Jerusalem.

 

13 It is because of the sins of her prophets

and the iniquities of her priests,

That have shed the blood of the just in the middle of her.

 

14 They wander as blind men in the streets.

They are polluted with blood,

So that men can’t touch their garments.

 

15 Go away!” they cried to them.

“Unclean! Go away! Go away! Don’t touch!

When they fled away and wandered, men said among the nations,

“They can’t live here any more.”

 

16 Yahweh’s anger has scattered them.

He will not pay attention to them any more.

They didn’t respect the persons of the priests.

They didn’t favor the elders.

 

[..]

19 Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the sky.

They chased us on the mountains.

They set an ambush for us in the wilderness.

 

20 The breath of our nostrils,

the anointed of Yahweh,

was taken in their pits;

of whom we said,

under his shadow we will live among the nations.

 

21 Rejoice and be glad, daughter of Edom,

that dwells in the land of Uz.

The cup will pass through to you also.

You will be drunken,

and will make yourself naked.

 

22 The punishment of your iniquity is accomplished, daughter of Zion.

He will no more carry you away into captivity.

He will visit your iniquity, daughter of Edom.

He will uncover your sins.

 

Lamentations 4 from Scroll 5Q7 Lamentationsb

17 Our eyes still fail,

looking in vain for our help.

In our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save.

 

18 They hunt our steps,

so that we can’t go in our streets.

Our end is near.

Our days are fulfilled,

for our end has come.

 

19 Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the sky.

They chased us on the mountains.

They set an ambush for us in the wilderness.

 

20 The breath of our nostrils,

the anointed of Yahweh,

was taken in their pits;

of whom we said,

under his shadow we will live among the nations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.