The Ages of Creation is a Hebrew text from Qumran Cave 4, preserved in two manuscripts (4Q180 and 4Q181). It presents a pesher — an interpretation — of the predetermined ages of history, from the sons of Noah through Abraham, including the fall of the Watchers and the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. The text teaches that God determined all the ages before creating them, inscribing them on the heavenly tablets. A companion fragment (4Q181) describes the separation of the righteous from the wicked, destined for the community of the gods. This translation works directly from the Hebrew transcription of García Martínez and Tigchelaar.
4Q180 — Interpretation of the Ages
Fragment 1
Interpretation concerning the ages which God made: an age to conclude all that there is and all that will be. Before creating them, he determined their operations according to the precise sequence of the ages — age after age. And this is engraved on the heavenly tablets for the sons of men, for all the ages of their dominion.
This is the sequence of the sons of Noah, from Shem to Abraham, until he sired Isaac — the ten generations [...]
[...] vacat [...]
And the interpretation concerning Azazel and the angels who came to the daughters of man, and they sired giants for themselves. And concerning Azazel it is written [...] to love injustice and to let him inherit evil for all his age [...] of the judgments and the judgment of the council [...]
Fragments 2–4, Column ii
[...] is Mount Zion, where he dwells [...] because this land is beautiful for Lot, to inherit [...] a land [...] vacat
The three men who appeared to Abraham in the oaks of Mamre are angels. And what it says: "The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is loud, and their sin is very grave. I will go down and see whether their outcry that has come to me is the full measure — and if not, I will know."
The interpretation of the word concerns all flesh which [...] and every mouth which speaks [...] and I will see — for everything is inscribed for the age of its testimony, since before creating them he knew their thoughts.
Fragments 5–6
[...] forever. vacat [...] And what is written concerning the land [...] two days' journey [...] is Mount Zion, Jerusalem [...] and what is written concerning Pharaoh [...]
4Q181 — The Separation
Fragment 1, Column ii
For guilt — in the community with the counsel of his people — and to be defiled with the sin of the sons of man, and for great judgments and vile maladies in the flesh. According to the mighty deeds of God, and in accordance with their wickedness — according to their impurity — he delivered the sons of heaven and earth to a wicked community until its end.
In accordance with God's compassion, and in accordance with his goodness and the wonder of his glory, he draws near some from among the sons of the world — so that they may be reckoned with him in the community of the gods, as a holy congregation, in the standing of eternal life and in the lot with his holy ones [...] his wondrous mysteries — each man according to his lot which he assigned to him [...] for eternal life [...]
Fragment 2
[...] to Abraham, until he sired Isaac — the ten generations [...] the daughters of man, and they sired giants for themselves [...] to Israel in the seventieth week [...] And those who love injustice and inherit guilt [...] before the eyes of all who know him [...] and his goodness is unfathomable [...] These are the wonders of his knowledge [...] He has established them in his truth [...] in all their ages [...] their creatures [...]
Colophon
Text: Ages of Creation (4Q180–181)
Source: Qumran Cave 4
Translation Method: Blind translation from Hebrew transcription (García Martínez & Tigchelaar, Dead Sea Scrolls Study Edition, Brill, 1997). No published English translations were consulted.
Translator: NTAC + Claude (Good Works Translation)
Scribe: Tulku Ezra, New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026
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Source Text (4Q180–181)
Hebrew transcription from the Dead Sea Scrolls. Transcription follows García Martínez & Tigchelaar (Dead Sea Scrolls Study Edition, Brill 1997). Scholarly apparatus: [...] marks lacunae; [] marks editorial reconstructions; vacat marks intentional blank spaces.
4Q180 — Fragment 1
1 Frag. 1 פשר על הקצים אשר עשה la קץ להתם] כול הויה[
2 ונהיה בטרם בראם הכין פעולות]יהם בכול סרך הקצים[ 3 קץ לקצו
והוא חרות על לוחות] השמים לבני אדם[ ] 4ל[]כ[ל קצי ממשלותם זה סרך
בנ]י נוח משם לאברהם[ ] 5 ע[ד הוליד ישחק את עשרה ה]תולדות …[
] 7 […] vacat […] 6 ו[פשר על עזזאל והמלאכים אש]ר באו אל בנות
4Q180 — Fragments 2–4, col. ii + Fragments 5–6
האדם[ ] 8 וי]ל[דו להם גברים ועל עזזאל ]כתוב …[ ] 9 ]לאהבת[ עולה
ולהנחיל רשעה כל ק]צו …[ .[…] 10 משפטים ומשפט סוד]…[[…].
…] 1 Frags. 2-4 ii הר צי]ון הוא אשר שכן ]…[… 2 אשר א]רץ
זא[ת יפה אל לוט לרשת]…[ 3 ארץ מ]…[ vacat שלושת האנשי]ם אשר[
4 ירא]ו אל אברה[ם באלוני ממרא מלאכים המה] ואשר[ ] 5 ]אמר זע[קת
סודם ועמורה כי ר]בה [והטאתמה כי 6 כבדה מאדה ארדה נא וארא
הזעקתמה הבאה ] 7 ]אלי ע[שה כלה ואם לא אדע]ה פשר[ הדבר ]על כול[
8 בש]ר[ אשר] … ו[על כול] פה[ 9 דובר] …[ ואראה כיא הכול ]חקוק
לקץ[ 10 תע]ודתו כי[ בטרם בראם ידע מחשב]ותיהם[
…] 1 Frags. 5-6 לעו]לם …] 2 […] vacat ואשר כ[תוב על הארץ]
…[ [ …] 3דרך שני ימים ]…[ …] 4 הו]א הר ציון ירושלי]ם …[ …] 5
ואש]ר כתוב על פרעה] …[ […]…[…] 6
4Q181 — Fragment 1, col. ii
1 Frag. 1 ii לאשמה ביחד עם סו]ד[ עמ]ו ו[ל]ה[תג]ו[לל בחטאת בני
אדם ולמשפטים גדולים ומחלים רעים 2 בבשר לפי גבורות אל ולעומת
רשעם לפי }סוד נדתם{ טמאתם מסיר בני ש]מים[ וארץ ליחד רשעה עד
3 קצה לעומת רחמי אל לפי טובו והפלא כבודו הגיש מבני תבל vacat
להתחשב עמו בי]חד[ ] 4 ]א[לים לעדת קודש במעמד לחיי עולם ובגורל עם
קדושיו כ]…[ ] 5 ]רזי פ[לאו איש לפי גורלו אשר הפ]י[ל ל]ו …[ …] 6
[לחיי ע]ֹו[ל]ם …[
4Q181 — Fragment 2
] 1 Frag. 2 ]לאברה[ם ]עד הולי[ד ישחק ]את עשרה התולדות …[
] 2 ]בנות [האדם וילד]ו[ להמה גבור]ים …[ ] 3 ]א[ת ישראל בשבעים
השבוע ל]…[ 4 ואוהבי עולה ומנחילי אשמה 5 […]. לעיני כול יודעיו
…ש]…[ 6 ולטובו אין חקר] …[ 7 אלה נפלאי מדע]ו …[ 8 תכנם
באמתו ו]…[ 9 בכול קצותם] …[ 10 בריאותיה]ם …[
Source Colophon
Text: Ages of Creation (4Q180–181)
Source: Qumran Cave 4
Transcription: García Martínez, F. & Tigchelaar, E.J.C., The Dead Sea Scrolls Study Edition, Brill, 1997
Scribe: Tulku Ezra, New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026
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