All of you, be in peace.

Fragment 1

(Lines 1–3 preserve only isolated letters and traces. No continuous translation is possible.)

[...] All of you, be in peace. [...]

[Lines 5–7 too fragmentary.]

Fragment 2

(Lines 1–3 preserve only isolated letters.)

[...] [...] [...]

All who are far from the king [...] They are those who reject their God. [...] glory before the king [...]

[Remainder too fragmentary.]

Colophon

Source: 4Q476, Caves of Qumran (Cave 4), first century BCE. Published in Qimron, The Dead Sea Scrolls: The Hebrew Writings, Vol. 3 (Yad Ben-Zvi, 2015). See also DJD XXIX (Chazon et al., Oxford University Press, 2000).

Tradition: Judean sectarian literature. Fragment 1 preserves a liturgical address calling the assembly to peace (shalom) — a greeting formula attested in the Community Rule and other sectarian texts. Fragment 2 introduces a contrast between "all who are far from the king" (kol meruḥaqei melekh) — possibly those estranged from God or from the community's leader — and "those who reject their God" (me'osei eloheihem). The phrase carries the flavor of covenant warning: the God who can be approached in peace can also be rejected. The final line's reference to "glory before the king" may belong to the closing formula of a blessing or an eschatological statement about the righteous appearing before God.

Note on lacunae: Both fragments are heavily damaged. Fragment 1 yields only one continuous phrase: "All of you, be in peace." Fragment 2 yields three partial lines. Square brackets mark uncertain boundaries. No readings have been filled or restored beyond what the transcription supports.

Translation: New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026 (from Hebrew transcription in Qimron composite edition). This translation is independent of existing English renderings.

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