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The Community Rule — Column 4

The Qumran Community · a new plain-English translation from the original language

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for everlasting ages, and in all its deeds it delights forever [...] utterly He abhors its counsel, and all its ways He hates forever [...]

And these are their ways in the world: to enlighten the heart of man, and to straighten before him all the ways of true righteousness, and to make his heart fear the judgments of

God [...] and a spirit of humility, and patience, and abundant compassion, and eternal goodness, and insight, and understanding, and mighty wisdom trusting in all

the deeds of God, and leaning upon the abundance of His mercy, and a spirit of knowledge in every plan of action, and zeal for righteous judgments, and a purpose

of holiness with a steadfast inclination, and abundant mercies toward all the sons of truth, and glorious purity, abhorring all the idols of impurity, and walking humbly

with prudence in all things, and concealing the mysteries of knowledge for the sake of truth [...] These are the counsels of the spirit for the sons of truth of the world, and the visitation of all who walk in it: healing

and abundant peace in length of days, and fruitfulness of seed with all everlasting blessings, and eternal joy in everlasting life, and a crown of glory

with a measure of majesty in eternal light [...]

But to the spirit of injustice belong: greed of soul, and slackness of hands in the service of righteousness, wickedness and falsehood, pride and haughtiness of heart, deceit and cruel treachery

and abundant hypocrisy, impatience and abundant folly, and proud zeal, abominable deeds in a spirit of lust, and ways of impurity in unclean service

and a blaspheming tongue, blindness of eyes and dullness of ear, stiffness of neck and hardness of heart, walking in all the ways of darkness and evil cunning [...] and the visitation

of all who walk in it: abundant afflictions by the hand of all the angels of destruction, for everlasting perdition through the wrathful fury of the avenging God, for eternal terror and shame

forever, with disgrace of destruction in the fire of the dark regions [...] and all their times, for their generations, in sorrowful mourning and bitter misery in the disasters of darkness until

they are consumed, with no remnant or survivor for them [...]

By these exist the natures of all the sons of man, and in their divisions all their hosts have their inheritance throughout their generations [...] and in their ways they walk, and all the work of

their deeds falls into their divisions, according to each man's inheritance, whether great or small, for all the everlasting ages [...] for God has set them in equal measure until the final

end, and He has set an eternal enmity between their divisions [...] deeds of injustice are an abomination to truth, and all the ways of truth are an abomination to injustice [...] and jealous

strife over all their judgments, for they do not walk together [...] But God, in the mysteries of His understanding and in His glorious wisdom, has set an end for the existence of injustice, and at the appointed time

of visitation He will destroy it forever [...] And then the truth of the world shall go forth in triumph forever, for it has wallowed in the ways of wickedness under the dominion of injustice until

the appointed time of decreed judgment [...] And then God will refine, by His truth, all the deeds of man, and refine for Himself (some) from among the sons of man, to destroy every spirit of injustice from the innermost parts of

his flesh, and to cleanse him with a holy spirit from all wicked deeds [...] and He will sprinkle upon him a spirit of truth like water of purification, from all the abominations of falsehood and the defilement

of the unclean spirit, to give the upright understanding in the knowledge of the Most High, and the wisdom of the sons of heaven, to instruct those perfect in the way [...] for God has chosen them for an everlasting covenant

and to them belongs all the glory of Adam [...] and there shall be no more injustice, to the shame of all deeds of deceit [...] Until now the spirits of truth and injustice have contended in the heart of man [...]

they walk in wisdom and folly. And according to each man's inheritance in truth and righteousness, so he hates injustice; and according to his possession in the lot of injustice, he acts wickedly in it, and so

he abhors the truth [...] For God has set them in equal measure until the decreed end and the making of a new thing [...] And He knows the work of their deeds for all the times

[...] and He has caused the sons of man to inherit them, to know good [and] [evil], to [cast] lots for every living being according to his spirit, in [the] [appointed] [day] of visitation [...]

An original translation made in 2026 by Scriptorium Press, working directly from the original language text (never from another English translation), in one consistent modern voice. Free to read, download, and listen — no accounts, no ads, nothing for sale.

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