Dead Sea Scrolls
The Dead Sea Scroll Texts
The Dead Sea Scroll where found at the Cave in Qumran in 1947. These scrolls are estimated to have been copied before 68 a.d. when the Qumran cave was abandoned. The oldest scroll is dated to 250 b.c. The community at the Qumran site abandoned this site during the Judean-Roman war of 70 a.d., no scroll can be dated to after this time period.
The best method of dating the scrolls is based on the handwriting analysis and some carbon 14 dating. Coin have been found in the caves that match these time periods. This location is protected from weather and retain a very low humidity that preserved the scrolls for millennia. It is believed that the scrolls were written by the Essenes and the Essene communities in Hebrew - 764 scrolls, Aramaic - 217 scrolls, Greek - 131 scrolls, Nabatean - 12 scrolls, unidentified - 25 scrolls.
The Dead Sea Scrolls match the Masoretic Text more often than the Septuagint. The scrolls are considered proto-Masoretic in many areas; however, some portions agree with the Septuagint, the Samarian Pentateuch and in a few placed with none.
Translation of the scrolls on this site into English is based on the World English Translation (public domain).
All currently translated Dead Sea Scrolls from the Torah Books
All currently translated Dead Sea Scrolls from the Nevi'im Books
All currently translated Dead Sea Scrolls from the Ketuvim Books