Religion: HYMNS FROM THE DEAD SEA

The hymns of the Qumran sect, now completely translated and accessible to the layman for the first time, give readers an authentic feeling of what the scrolls are like. They also offer a moving insight into an ancient mode and mood of worship as well as haunting echoes of Biblical psalms. Excerpts:

Yea, I am in distress

as a woman in travail

bringing forth her firstborn,

when, as her time draws near,

the pangs come swiftly upon her

and all the grievous throes

that rack those heavy with child.

For now, amid throes of death,

new life is coming to birth,

and the pangs of travail set in,

as at last there enters the world

the man-child long conceived . . .

Now, amid pangs of hell,

there will burst forth from the womb

that marvel of mind and might,

and that man-child will spring from the throes!

Delivery comes apace

for him that now lies in the womb . . .

Crafty men are they;

they think base thoughts,

see Thee with heart divided,

stand not firm in Thy truth.

In their every thought is a root

which blossoms to wormwood and gall.

In the stubbornness of their hearts

they wander astray

and go seeking Thee through idols . . .

They [have paid no heed to] Thy teaching,

nor given ear to Thy word,

but have said of the vision of knowledge,

‘It is not sure,’

and of the way Thou desirest,

‘There is no such thing.’

But Thou, O God, wilt give them their answer,

judging them in Thy power

for all their idolatrous acts

and their manifold transgressions,

to the end that they shall be caught

in their own designs

who have turned away from Thy covenant.

Thou wilt sentence all men of deceit

to be cut off,

and all the prophets of error

will be found no more.

I shall say unto God:

‘Thou, for me, art the Right!’

and unto the Most High:

‘For me Thou art cause of all good!’

Fountain of all knowledge,

Spring of holiness,

Zenith of all glory,

Might omnipotent,

Beauty that never fades . . .

Whenever I first put forth my hand or foot,

I will bless His name;

when first I go or come,

when I sit and when I rise,

when I lie down on my couch,

I will sing unto Him.

At the common board,

or ever I raise my hand

to enjoy the rich fruits of the earth

with that which flows from my lips

I will bless Him as with an oblation.

At the onset of fear and alarm

or when trouble and stress are at hand,

I will bless Him with special thanksgiving

and muse upon His power,

and rely on His mercies alway,

and come thereby to know

that in His hand lies the judgment of all living,

and that all His works are truth.