Article: The Dead Sea Scrolls Fiasco by Will Kinney

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The Dead Sea Scrolls Fiasco

No Bible

Most Christians today do not believe that any Bible in any language is now the complete and inerrant words of God. This is a simple and undeniable fact. When pressed to the wall, most Christians today will fall back on the idea that "only the originals were inspired and inerrant". Yet we all know that there are no such things as "the originals" and they never did make up a single book called the Bible.

God has promised to preserve His words in the Book of the LORD here on this earth and I and many others believe He has done this in the only Book believed by thousands to be the inerrant and complete words of God - the King James Bible.

Nobody defends the NKJV, NIV, NASB, RSV, ESV, Holman Standard or any other of the alphabet soup versions as being the inerrant words of God. None of these versions agrees with any other in both texts and meanings in either Testament.

All modern versionists believe the Hebrew texts have been corrupted in numerous places, and they differ wildly concerning what texts make up the New Testament. It is well documented that versions like the NASB, NIV, RSV, ESV etc. often reject the Hebrew readings and frequently they differ among themselves as to which readings are legitimate and which are not. For proof of this, see the following two articles.

NIV, NASB Reject Hebrew

NIV,NASB Reject Hebrew 2

The purpose of this little study is to show by way of a mere SAMPLING just SOME of the textual variants found in today's hodgepodge of multiple-choice versions in just one book of the Bible - the book of Isaiah the prophet. Most of these textual variants are based on the dubious readings found in the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS).

Dead Sea Scrolls

The Psalms Scroll with transcription.

Here is a little information about what was found among the Dead Sea Scrolls that many people are not aware of. This information comes directly from the recent 1999 book called “The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible” by Martin Abegg, Jr., Peter Flint, and Eugene Ulrich.

At Qumran and a few other sites, there were nearly 900 manuscripts found in some 25,000 pieces, with many no bigger than a postage stamp. Some 227 of these are classified as “biblical scrolls” while another 670 were “non biblical” in nature. These were classified as

1. rules and regulations;
2. poetic and wisdom texts,
3. reworked or rewritten Scripture;
4. commentaries, and 5. miscellaneous writings.

Included among the “biblical scrolls” are the book of Tobit, Ecclesiasticus, the Letter of Jeremiah (a.k.a. Baruch), and:

“It is also most likely that the Qumran community viewed the books of 1 Enoch and Jubilees as Scripture.” (page xvii)

“The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible” includes apocryphal books, new Psalms (there are at least 15 totally new Psalms now found in the Hebrew Scriptures), previously unknown passages, and hundreds of individual readings that are significant...” (page xix)

“But from Psalm 91 onward, many of the Psalms scrolls differ radically from the Psalter as we know it. (page 505). In addition to these Psalms that are found in modern Bibles, at least fifteen “apocryphal” Psalms or similar compositions are also distributed among four manuscripts....nine were completely unknown prior to the discovery of the DSS.” (page 506)

“we cannot be sure that Psalm 32 was ever part of these scrolls”...90 is not preserved- both the arrangement and contents of many Psalms scrolls are very different from what we had known previously. These variations are so numerous and radical that it is necessary to provide a table at the end of this introduction to the Psalms in order to assist readers in locating specific Psalms.” (page 507)

This is the type of confusion and uncertainty that results from viewing the Bible through a humanistic perspective. We don't know who wrote the DSS or who gathered them nor why they differ so radically in many hundreds of readings from the traditional Hebrew texts we have today. Some scholars have speculated that these were "dump sites" where inferiour manuscripts and personal writings were stored. Who knows for sure? The important question to ask ourselves is this: Has God in fact been faithful to preserve His pure words in a Book somewhere here on this earth, or have they been lost and confused beyond all recognition or hope of recovery? More and more Christians today do not believe in the inerrancy of Scripture.

Isaiah

We could easily do this same type of comparative study in any book of the Bible, but I hope this single book of Isaiah will demonstrate the utter confusion that exists today among the various "scholars" who put together these conflicting versions.

If the first few examples don't grab your attention or awaken a godly concern, then please keep on reading a bit further. Pretty soon the accumulation of example after example should make an indelible impression on your mind and spirit.

Isaiah 3:24

Isaiah 3:24 - "...and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and BURNING instead of beauty."

"Burning" is the reading of the Hebrew Masoretic texts, the Geneva Bible, Bishops', Green's, New Life Bible and several others while the NKJV, NASB, ESV, NIV translate this as "branding", but the bigger change is found in the RSV and NRSV where they follow the DDS instead and read: "SHAME instead of beauty."

Isaiah 5:17

Isaiah 5:17 - "Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall STRANGERS eat." So read the Hebrew texts and the NASB, NKJV, RV, ASV. However the NIV says: "LAMBS will feed" and then footnotes that "lambs" comes from the LXX but the Hebrew reads "strangers will eat". Also reading "lambs" or "kids" are the RSV and NRSV but the more recent ESV now reads "NOMADS shall eat".

Isaiah 9:17

Isaiah 9:17 - "Therefore the Lord shall HAVE NO JOY in their young men...". So reads the Hebrew Masoretic text as well as the RV, ASV, NASB, NKJV, NIV, RSV and ESV. The Holman also reads this way but tells us in a footnote that the DSS reads "NOT SPARE" instead of "rejoice over" and the NRSV follows the DSS reading "Lord DID NOT HAVE PITY on their young people."

Isaiah 14:4

Isaiah 14:4 - "...How hath the oppressor ceased! the GOLDEN CITY ceased!". This is the reading found in the KJB, RV, ASV, NKJV, Hebrew Names Version, Third Millenium bible and others. However the NIV, Holman, ESV footnotes tells us that they have followed the Dead Sea Scrolls reading of "fury" and so read the NASB, RSV, and NRSV too saying something like: "how FURY has ceased" (NASB).

Isaiah 19:18

Isaiah 19:18 - "...one shall be called the city of DESTRUCTION." So read the Masoretic texts as well as the RV, ASV, NASB, NKJV, NIV and the ESV, but the RSV, NRSV and Holman Standard follow the DSS and say: "the city OF THE SUN", while the LXX has "city of RIGHTEOUSNESS". Let's see, "destruction", "sun" and "righteousness". Yeah, they're all pretty close in meaning. Right?

Isaiah 21:8

Isaiah 21:8 KJB ( NKJV, Geneva, Bishops' Bible 1568, Darby, Young's, Jewish translations and many others) - "And he cried, A LION: My lord..." RV, ASV - "And he cried AS A LION: O Lord...."

The NIV, Holman, RSV, NRSV, ESV say: "And THE LOOKOUT shouted" then tell us in a footnote that the word "lookout" comes from the Syriac and Dead Sea Scrolls, but the Hebrew says "a lion". The NASB of 1977 says: "then the SENTRY called like a LION", combining both the Syriac and the Hebrew, but now the 1995 NASB omits "lion" altogether and says: "Then the LOOKOUT called, O Lord..." One NASB is not the same as the next NASB. There are literally thousands of changes between the 1977 edition and the 1995 update edition.

For my article on "The ever changing 'literal' NASB" please see the following link: ever changing NASBs

Isaiah 23:10

Isaiah 23:10 - "PASS THROUGH thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish..." "Pass through" is the Hebrew Masoretic readings and that of the RV, ASV, Young's, Geneva, and the NKJV, NASB, RSV, NRSV, ESV and Holman. However the NIV follows what it says is the reading found in the DSS and the LXX and says: "TILL your land as along the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish..."

Isaiah 33:6

Isaiah 33:6 “the fear of the LORD is HIS treasure.” So reads the Hebrew text as well as the NKJV and NASB, but the ASV says “THY treasure”, then footnotes that the Hebrew reads HIS, and the RSV, ESV and Holman say: “the fear of the LORD is ZION’S treasure”, then footnote that the Hebrew reads HIS treasure, and the NIV says: “the fear of the LORD IS THE KEY TO THIS treasure”, apparently having just made it up out of thin air. By the way, the DSS says “YOUR treasure”, but nobody followed this reading so far.

Daniel Wallace’s NET version changes this to: “he gives all this to those who fear him.” and then footnotes - “tn (text modified) Heb “the fear of the Lord, it is his treasure.” Hope this clears everything up for you all ;-)

Isaiah 33:8

Isaiah 33:8 "he hath despised THE CITIES". So read the Hebrew Masoretic texts and the Jewish translations, Geneva, Darby, NASB and the ESV and Holman, but the RSV, NRSV, NET and the NIV change this to "ITS WITNESSES are despised" from DSS. But wait! The Dead Sea Scrolls also change verse 33:3 which reads "AT THE LIFTING UP OF THYSELF the nations were scattered" (found in the RV, ASV, RSV, NRSV, NET, NIV, NASB and NKJV) to "AT YOUR SILENCE nations scattered." Why don't any of these conflicting modern versions follow the DSS reading here? They just willy-nilly pick and choose at random among the various readings whenever some spirit leads them to do so and not one of them agrees all the way through with the others.

Isaiah 34:4-5

Isaiah 34:4-5 - "And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved... For my sword SHALL BE BATHED in heaven". The Holman Standard informs us of two different readings found in these verses that come from the DSS. In verse 4 the DSS adds the words "AND THE VALLEYS WILL BE SPLIT" and in verse 5 it changes "shall be bathed in heaven" to "shall APPEAR in heaven". However none of the modern versions followed either of these readings this time. But apparently they want us to be aware of the fact that there are variant readings and we can never be sure about what God inspired or not. Daniel Wallace also mentions these two variant readings for us in his NET version footnotes. Nice of them to do that for us, isn't it?

Isaiah 37:25

Isaiah 37:25 - "I have digged and drunk water; ". So read the Masoretic text and the RV, ASV, NKJV, NASB, RSV, NRSV, ESV and Holman but the NIV, TNIV follow the DSS reading and add the extra words "IN A FOREIGN LAND".

Isaiah 37:28

Isaiah 37:28 - "But I know thy ABODE and thy going out and thy coming in, and thy rage against me." So read the RV, ASV, NASB, RSV, ESV, NIV and Holman. However only the NRSV 1989 follows the DSS reading instead and says: "I know your RISING UP and your sitting down...". It then informs us in their footnote that "the Masoretic Text lacks 'your rising up' ".

Isaiah 40:6

Isaiah 40:6 - "The voice said, Cry. And HE said, What shall I cry?" So read the Geneva Bible, NKJV, NASB, Young's, Darby and many others. However as the NKJV footnote tells us, even though the Masoretic text reads this way the DSS, LXX and Vulgate change the HE to "I said" and so read the RSV, NRSV, ESV and NIV.

Isaiah 41:14

Isaiah 41:14 - "Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and YE MEN of Israel; I will help thee..." So reads the Masoretic text, the RV, ASV, NKJV, NASB, RSV, ESV and Holman. However the Holman footnote tells us the LXX reads "small number" while the DSS has "DEAD ONES of Israel". The NIV follows the LXX and reads: "Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O LITTLE Israel", while the NRSV 1989 actually says: "YOU INSECT Israel"!!! and then tells us that this supposedly comes from the Syriac, while the Hebrew clearly says "men of Israel". Notice that so far no one has yet followed the DSS reading of "DEAD ONES of Israel".

Isaiah 41:23

Isaiah 41:23 - "...or do evil, that we may BE DISMAYED, and behold it together." So read the Hebrew texts and the RV, ASV, RSV, ESV, NIV, and NKJV. The NASB says "anxiously look about", but the Holman Standard informs us that the DSS read "THAT WE MAY HEAR" instead of "by dismayed" but nobody so far has followed this reading.

Isaiah 41:25

Isaiah 41:25 - "...from the rising of the sun he shall call upon MY name". So read most versions but the Holman Standard informs us that the DSS read HIS name instead of MY name.

Isaiah 43:19

Isaiah 43:19 - "I will even make a way in the wilderness, and RIVERS in the desert." So read the NASB, NKJV, RSV, NRSV, NIV, and the Holman, but Holman footnotes that the DSS reading is PATHS instead of RIVERS. So far no one has adopted this one yet.

Isaiah 44:21

Isaiah 44:21 - "THOU SHALT NOT BE FORGOTTEN OF ME". Thus read the Masoretic texts and the RV, NASB, NIV, ESV, RSV, NKJV etc. but the Holman footnote again informs us that the DSS reads: "ISRAEL, DO NOT FORGET ME" instead. Among the modern versions the New English Bible 1970 and the Douay 1950 follow this reading.

Isaiah 45:2

Isaiah 45:2 - "I will go before thee, and make the CROOKED PLACES STRAIGHT". So read the Jewish translations of 1917, 1936, the Judaica Press Tanach, the Geneva bible, Coverdale, Young's, NKJV, Lamsa's translation of the Syraic, Spanish Reina Valera, and the Third Millenium Bible. Other versions like the NASB, ASV, and Holman read "the rough places smooth". But the NKJV and Holman footnotes inform us that the Dead Sea Scrolls read MOUNTAINS, and so the NIV, RSV, NRSV "I will LEVEL THE MOUNTAINS", while the Targum reads "I will trample down the walls" and the Vulgate has "I will humble the great ones of the earth". It's nice to keep our options open, isn't it?

Isaiah 49:12

Isaiah 49:12 - "and these from the land of SINIM". So read the Hebrew texts and the NKJV, NASB, RV, ASV, and Holman. However the RSV and ESV read "SYENE" and tell us this is the reading of the DSS, but the Hebrew reads SINIM. Then the NIV and TNIV go even further and say: "from the region of ASWAN" and tell us this is the DSS reading while the Masoretic texts has SINIM.

Isaiah 49:17

Isaiah 49:17 - "Thy CHILDREN shall make haste." This is the Masoretic reading and that of the RV, ASV, the Jewish translations of 1917, 1936, Hebrew Names Version, Complete Jewish Bible, the Judaica Press Tanach, NKJV, and even the NIV and TNIV. However the footnotes inform us that the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Vulgate read BUILDERS instead of "children" and so read the RSV, NRSV, ESV, NASB and Holman Standard = "Your BUILDERS hurry" (NASB).

Isaiah 49:24

Isaiah 49:24 - "Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the LAWFUL captive be delivered?" So read the RV 1881, ASV 1901, Bishops' Bible 1568, Hebrew Names Bible, Webster's, KJV 21st century, Third Millenium Bible and the Spanish Reina Valera. The idea is that it was right and just that they be taken captives - thus "lawfully" captive. The [[NKJV], Holman Standard, Young's, Darby and other versions have "rightfully captive". However the DSS reads "fearsome one or tyrant" and thus we have the NASB, NIV, RSV, NRSV, ESV "captives OF A TYRANT be delivered".

Isaiah 51:6

Isaiah 51:6 - "...they that dwell therein shall die IN LIKE MANNER". So reads the Masoretic text and the RV, ASV, NASB, NKJV, ESV and Holman. However the Holman Standard informs us that SOME DSS manuscripts read: "die LIKE GNATS". The RSV and NRSV read: "shall die LIKE GNATS" and the NIV reads: "its inhabitants DIE LIKE FLIES".

Isaiah 52:5

Isaiah 52:5 - "...they that rule over them make them TO HOWL". Even the RSV, NASB, NRSV, ESV, NKJV, and Holman follow the Masoretic texts here (though the NASB, ESV change the meaning from that found in the KJB), but the NIV rejects them and follows the DSS reading of "those who rule them MOCK".

Isaiah 52:15

Isaiah 52:15 - "So shall he SPRINKLE many nations". So read the Geneva Bible, RV, ASV, NASB, NIV, ESV, NKJV and Holman Standard. However the alleged LXX version reads: "he shall STARTLE many nations" and so do versions like the RSV, NRSV, Message and Daniel Wallace's NET version.

[[The NKJV also casts doubt on this correct reading which refers to the sacrifice of Christ by telling us in a footnote "Or startle". The Hebrew word is #5137 nah-zah, and is used repeatedly in such verses as: "there is sprinkled of the blood", "and sprinkle the blood seven times", "thou shalt take of the blood and sprinkle..." etc. See Exodus 29:21; Leviticus 4:6, 17; 5:9; 8:11, 30 etc. There is no doubt about the correct meaning of the verse. See also 1 Peter 1:2 referring to "the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ".

Isaiah 53:9

Isaiah 53:9 - "And HE made his grave with the wicked". So read Green's literal, the Geneva Bible, KJV 21, and the Spanish Reina Valera, KJV 21, and the Third Millenium Bible to name a few. This is a peculiar one in that the Holman footnotes inform us that the DSS read "THEY made his grave with the wicked" and this is what the NKJV says! Then the NKJV footnotes that the "THEY" is literally HE. The NIV, NASB both change the meaning a bit with: "HE was assigned a grave with the wicked", but the RSV, ESV and Holman adopt the DSS reading of "THEY made his grave with the wicked." (Just like the NKJV did!)

Isaiah 53:11

Isaiah 53:11- "He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied." So read the RV, ASV, NASB, NKJV, RSV and the ESV. The ESV footnote tells us that the DSS adds words saying "He will see LIGHT. The NRSV 1989 says : "out of his anguish he shall SEE LIGHT", while the NIV has: "After the suffering of his soul he will SEE THE LIGHT OF LIFE and be satisfied." The NIV follows the DSS reading but the NASB and ESV do not.

Isaiah 54:9

Isaiah 54:9 - "For this is as THE WATERS of Noah unto me". So reads the Masoretic text and even the LXX, the Jewish translations of 1917, 1936, Hebrew Names Version, Judaica Press Tanach, Complete Jewish Bible, RV, ASV, Young's, Darby, NKJV, Geneva, Bishops' etc. However the DSS reads DAYS instead of "waters" and so do the RSV, [NRSV]], [ESV]], NASB, NIV and Holman. Wallace's NET version also reads "DAYS of Noah" and tells us that the Hebrew text literally reads "waters" but in his opinion it should be emended (changed) to "days" because it is supplied by the Qumran scroll and other ancient versions except the Greek Septuagint. Do you begin to see how their minds work?

Isaiah 57:11

Isaiah 57:11 - "have not I held my peace even of old, and thou fearest me not?" In this case the NASB, NIV, ESV, NKJV and Holman follow the Masoretic texts but the Holman footnotes tell us that the DSS and LXX read: " And I, when I see you, I pass by", yet no one so far has followed this strange DSS reading.

Isaiah 60:19

Isaiah 60:19 - "...neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee...". So reads the Masoretic text and the RV, ASV, NKJV, NASB, NIV and ESV but the RSV and NRSV add two words found in the DSS, which were later omitted by the next series of "revisions". The RSV, NRSV say: "the moon give light to you BY NIGHT" and then tell us this additional reading comes from the DSS and the Greek LXX.

Isaiah 60:21

Isaiah 60:21 - "the branch of my planting, the work of MY hands". The Holman Standard informs us that the DSS read "HIS hand", but so far no one has followed this one yet. Daniel Wallace's NET version has paraphrased the verse in such a way that eliminates the Hebrew reading with: "they will be the product of my labor, through whom I reveal my splendor."

Isaiah 61:8

Isaiah 61:8 - "For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery FOR BURNT OFFERING". So reads the Hebrew Masoretic text, the modern Complete Jewish Bible, the Judaica Press Tanach, and the RV, ASV, NASB, NKJV, Rotherham's Emphasized bible, Young's and the Geneva bible. However the RSV, NRSV, ESV, NIV, NET version and Holman Standard follow a different reading which Holman says is found in "some Hebrew manuscripts, the DSS, Syriac and LXX while other Hebrew mss. read "burnt offering". These versions say: "I hate robbery AND INJUSTICE" (iniquity - NIV).

Isaiah 65:1

Isaiah 65:1 - "I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation THAT WAS NOT CALLED BY MY NAME." So read the Jewish translations of 1917, 1936, the Complete Jewish Bible, Judaica Press Tanach, Hebrew Names Bible, the Revised Version, ASV 1901, NKJV, ESV, Rotherham's Emphasized bible, and even the Holman Standard. However the Holman footnotes tell us that the DSS and LXX reading is "DID NOT CALL ON MY NAME" and this is the reading followed by such versions as the [RSV]], [NRSV]], [NIV]] and NASB. Notice how the previous [RV]], ASV agree with the KJB reading but then the revised NASB switches it, and how the previous RSV, NRSV followed the DSS reading, but then the later revised ESV went back to the Hebrew reading found in the King James Bible. Go figure.

Conclusion

This is the mindset of all scholars who put together the conflicting and constantly changing multiple-choice versions today. They do the same thing in hundreds of places with the New Testament texts with their so called "science of textual criticism". For indisputable proof of the fickle and absurd nature of Textual Criticism please see my 5 part documented studies that begin here: "science" text c Rom-Rev

The central question to ask ourselves is this: Has God been faithful and true to His promises to preserve His complete and infallible words in "the book of the LORD" or not? I and many thousands of other Bible believers maintain that God does not lie and we have His pure and perfect words ONLY in the Authorized King James Holy Bible.

"As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever." Isaiah 59:21

Will Kinney