Damascus Document

Damascus Document, CD-A column 13, Schechter 1910 English

|| * and Israel—till ten men at least by thousands and hundreds and fifties | and tens. And when there will arise ten, the man who is a priest learned in the Book of the Hagu shall not depart. According | unto his word shall they all be ruled. And if he is not tried in all these but a man of the Levites is tried | in these, then the lot shall be cast that all those who enter into the camp shall go out and come in according to his word. And if | there be a decision regarding the law of leprosy *which a man will have, then shall come the priest and stand in the camp, and the Censor shall instruct him | in the explanation of the law. And if it *increased, he shall shut him up for unto them | is the judgment. And this is the usage of the Censor of the camp. He shall instruct the many in the deeds | of God, and shall make them understand *His mighty wonders, and shall narrate before them the *happenings of eternity *in the Law of God*, | and shall have mercy with them as a father with his children, and shall *forgive all their rebellions*. Like a shepherd with his flock | he shall loose all the bonds of their knots... oppressed and crushed *in his congregation*. | And everyone who shall join his congregation, he shall count him according to his *deeds his *understanding, his might, his strength and his property. | And they shall record him in his place in accordance with his *assignment through the lot in the camp. But no man of the children of the camp shall rule | to bring a man into the congregation *without the word of the Censor of the camp. | Nor shall any man of them who entered into the covenant deal with the sons of the *strangers *unless | hand to hand. No man shall perform a *thing as buying and selling *unless he has spoken | to the Censor of the camp and he shall do...and not... ... | and so to him who expels and he... | afflict him and in the love...he shall not incline... | they, and he who is not connected with... | And this is the settlement of the camps. All... | shall not succeed to settle in the land | ...