Damascus Document

Damascus Document, CD-A column 9, Schechter 1910 English

|| Any man who will destroy a man* in accordance with the statutes of the gentiles* so that he is to be *put to death, | *it is concerning him that He said, “Thou shalt not avenge nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people.” And every man of them who hath *entered | into the Covenant who shall bring a* charge against his neighbour which is not* proved before witnesses | and* shall beat him in his fierce wrath or *speak against him *to his elders so as to insult him, is taking vengeance and bearing grudge; | but it is only written, “He will take vengeance of his adversaries and He is bearing grudge against His enemies.” | If he held his peace from day to day but in his fierce wrath he spake against him in a matter concerning death | his* sin is upon him because he did not fulfil the commandment of God who said to him, “Thou shalt surely rebuke | thy neighbour and not suffer sin upon him.” As to the oath concerning which | He said “thy hand shall not help thee,” if a man will make *another *man swear in the open field |—that is not* in the presence of the judges or their word—his hand has helped him. And he who has lost | (anything), and it is not known who has stolen it from the* Tent of the camp in which the thing has been stolen, its owner shall* proclaim | it by the oath of cursing, and whoso hears, if he knows and utters it not, he shall be guilty. | In any* recompense made for that which has no owners he who makes the recompense shall confess to the priest, | and it shall all belong to him, besides the ram of the guilt offering. And so everything lost that was found and has no | owners it shall belong to the priests, for he who* found it knows not its law. | If its owners were not found they shall keep it in trust. If a man acts treacherously | against any law and his neighbour sees it and he is only one—if it be a charge of death he shall make it known* | in his presence to the Censor, proving it to him. And the Censor shall write it down with his hand; until he will do it | again before one, *and then he shall come back and make it known to the Censor. If he will be caught again before | another, his sentence shall be finished. And if they are two and they witness* against | him in another thing the man shall be only excluded from the Purity, if they are trustworthy. | And on the day on which the man sees it he shall make it known to the Censor. And according* to the statute... two | trustworthy witnesses, and through one* witness to exclude* from the Purity. And there shall rise no