m’gilta d’ulpaneyh `eyta diÅ¡úa‘ bar yosef
ha-m’gillat ha-musar y’shúa` ben yoseif
(THE SCROLL OF THE PREACHING OF YESHUA` SON OF YOSEF)

The complete collection of the 14 books of The Exhortations has now been published in one volume. It is available from Amazon-UK at £18.50, and from Amazon-US at $23.19

If you ever have any questions about what you read, or if you profoundly disagree with anything, please email me at shmuliq.parzal@googlemail.com

The Exhortations is our equivalent of the New Testament, but does not have any scriptural authority; the only scriptural authority for Talmidis is the Galilean canon of the Hebrew Bible; therefore you do not have to agree with the contents of The Exhortations in order to call oneself a Talmidi.

1. 1These are the words of the preaching of Yeshua` son of Yosef of Nazareth.

2. ¹How fortunate are you who are humble in spirit,

because yours is the Kingdom of God;

²How fortunate are you who mourn now,

because you will be comforted;

³How fortunate are you who are meek,

because you shall inherit the Land;

⁴How fortunate are you who hunger now,

because you shall be well fed;

⁵How fortunate are you who weep now,

because you will laugh.

⁶How fortunate are you who are merciful,

because you shall obtain mercy;

⁷How fortunate are you who are innocent in heart,

for you shall be shown into the presence of God;

⁸How fortunate are you who create peace,

because you shall be called the children of God.

3.¹How fortunate are you when people hate you and exclude you,

when they revile you and drag your name through the dirt,

²simply because you are my followers.

³Rejoice! Leap for joy!

Because your reward is great in heaven;

⁴for that’s just how they treated the Prophets.

4. ¹If anyone strikes you on the right cheek,

present them with your left cheek as well!

²If someone demands your mantle as a pledge,

give them your tunic as well!

³And if someone conscripts you to go one mile,

go with them two!

5. ¹Give to anyone who asks you for something on loan;
   ²don’t turn away someone who wishes to borrow from you.

6. ¹Whatsoever you would wish other people to do for you,
   do so for them as well.

7. ¹I tell you, love your enemies,
   do good to those who hate you,
   bless those who curse you,
   ²and pray for those who ill-treat you.

8. ¹For if you love only those who love you,
   what credit is that to you?
   Because even tax collectors do the same!
   ²And if you do good only to those who do good to you,
   what more are you doing than others?
   Don’t even Gentiles do the same?
   ³And if you give to those from whom you hope to receive,
   what reward are you expecting?
   Even moneylenders give to others to receive as much again.

9. ¹So I tell you, do good,

expecting nothing in return,
and your reward will be great.
²You will be children of the Most High,

because God Himself is kind even to the ungrateful and the selfish.

10. ¹Be perfect therefore,
    Just as your heavenly Father is perfect.

11. ¹Don’t judge, and you won’t be judged.

²Don’t condemn, and you won’t be condemned.

³Forgive, and you’ll be forgiven.

⁴Give, And the same will be given to you.

12. ¹In the same way that you judge others, you’ll be judged,
    ²and the measure you use will be the same measure you get.

13. ¹If a blind man leads a blind man,
    they’ll both fall into a pit.

14. ¹A pupil isn’t greater than his teacher.
    ²It’s enough for a pupil to be like his teacher.

15. ¹Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye,
    but don’t notice the plank in your own eye?
    ²Or how can you say to your brother,
    “Brother, let me remove the splinter in your eye,”
    when behold,

you yourself do nothing to get rid of the plank in your own eye?
³You hypocrite!

First get rid of the plank from your own eye,
and then you’ll see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.

16. ¹A bad tree cannot bear good fruit,
    any more than a good tree can bear bad fruit.

17. ¹Each tree is known by its fruit;
    ²Are figs gathered from thistles?
    Or grapes picked from a thornbush?

18. ¹The good person out of the storehouse of good

in their heart brings forth good,
²and the evil person out of the storehouse of evil

in their heart brings forth evil;
³because from the abundance of plenty in the heart,
the mouth speaks.

19. ¹Why do you call me ‘Master’,
    and yet do nothing that I say?

20. ¹Everyone who hears my words and puts them into practice,
    I’ll show you to whom they’re like:
    ²They’re like someone who built a house on rock.
    ³The heavy rains came down,
    the flash-rivers struck,
    and the winds blew and beat against that house;
    but it didn’t fall,
    because it had been founded on solid rock.
    ⁴But everyone who hears my words and ignores them,
    I’ll show you to whom they’re like:
    ⁵They’re like someone who built a house on sand.
    ⁶The heavy rains came down,
    the flash-rivers struck,
    and the winds blew and beat against that house,
    and it fell down with an almighty crash!

21. ¹Listen! A sower went out to sow his seed.
    ²As he scattered the seed,

some fell by the path,
and little birds came and devoured them.
³Some fell on rocky ground,
and they grew,

but they withered away because they didn’t have much root.
⁴And some fell among thorns,
and as they grew,

the thorns choked them.
⁵And some fell on good soil,

and yielded a good harvest,

producing one hundred and twenty times their original measure.

22. ¹As Yeshuaʽ was going along the road,
    someone said to him,
    ‘Master, I’ll follow you wherever you go.’
    ²But Yeshuaʽ said to him,
    ‘Foxes have holes,
    and the birds of the sky have nests,
    but this son of man has nowhere to lay his head.’

23. ¹A Zealot’s son said to him,

‘Master, I’ll follow you,
but first let me go and bury my father!’
²But Yeshuaʽ said to him,
‘Follow me,

and leave the Dead to bury their own dead!’

24. ¹Behold, the harvest is great,
    but the labourers are few.
    ²Therefore, beg the One in charge of the harvest
    that He’ll rush out labourers into His harvest.

25. ¹Go forth, for behold,

I’m sending you like lambs in the midst of wolves.

²So be as cunning as snakes,

And as innocent as doves.

26. ¹Don’t carry any money,
    or take a side-bag,

or food,
or spare sandals,

or an extra tunic;
²And don’t greet anyone on the road.

27. ¹Whatever house you enter,

first say,
“Peace be upon this house!”
²And if a welcoming person is there,
your blessing of peace will remain on that household;
but if not,

withdraw your blessing and move on.
³Remain in the same house,
eating and drinking whatever they provide,
⁴for “The worker deserves his wages”!
⁵Don’t go from house to house.

28. ¹Whatever town you enter,
    and they welcome you,
    eat the things they set before you.

29. ¹Minister to the sick among them,

and say to them,
‘The Kingdom of God has drawn near to you!’

30. ¹If you enter a town, and they don’t welcome you,
    Go out into the streets of that town and say,
    ²‘The dust of your town that clings to us like ashes to our feet,
    we shake off in witness against you.
    ³Because if you heed nothing else, know this:
    The kingship of God is fast approaching.’

⁴Believe me, I tell you,

when the day of reckoning falls upon the Land,

the devastation of Sodom will be easier to look upon

than the ruin of that town!

31. ¹Whoever hears you hears me,

and whoever hears me, hears the One who called me.

²But whoever rejects you, rejects the One who called me.

32. ¹Woe to you, O Jericho! Woe to you, O Hevron!

For if the powerful message proclaimed in you

had been proclaimed in Joppa and Caesarea,

they would’ve repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes!

²Therefore I say to you,

on the Day of Judgment it’ll be more bearable

for Joppa and Caesarea than for you!

³And you, O Jerusalem, will you be exalted to the heavens?

No, you will be cast down to She’ol!’

33. ¹Blessed are your eyes,

for they see,
and your ears,

for they hear!
²Let me tell you,
many sages and kings have longed to see what you see,

but couldn’t,
and hear what you hear,

but couldn’t.

34. ¹Be careful not to perform your acts of charity in front of others

in order to be seen by them.

If you do,

your reward won’t be from your Father in heaven!

²Instead, when you give alms,

don’t make a fanfare about it,

like religious phonies do in synagogues and in the streets,

so that they may be praised by others.

³Believe me, I tell you,

that’s all the reward they’re going to get!

⁴But when you give alms,

don’t let your left hand know what your right hand’s doing,

so that your almsgiving may be in secret.

⁵Then your Father in heaven,

who sees what’s done in secret,

will reward you.

35. ¹When you fast,

don’t look sombre like religious phonies do,

for they put ash on their heads,

and dirty their faces,

in order to show others they’re fasting,

and so gain their respect.

²Believe me I tell you,

that’s all the reward they’re going to get!

³But when you fast,

put oil on your head,

and wash your face,

so that it won’t be obvious to others that you’re fasting,

⁴but only to your Father in heaven,

who sees what’s hidden;

and your Father in heaven,

who sees what’s done in secret,

will reward you.

36. ¹And when you pray,

don’t be like the religious phonies,

for they love to pray rocking in synagogues

and on street corners in order to be seen by others,

and so gain their respect.

²Believe me I tell you,

that’s all the reward they’re going to get!

³But when you pray,

go into your innermost room,

and after closing your door,

pray to your Father who’s in secret places.

⁴Then your Father in heaven,

who sees what’s done in secret,

will reward you.

37. ¹And when you pray,

don’t babble over and over like pagans do,

²for they think they’ll be heard because of their many words.

³Don’t be like them,

for your heavenly Father knows

what you need before you ask Him.

38. ¹When you pray each morning, say,
    ²‘Our Father who is in heaven,
    may Your Name be sanctified!
    ³May Your Kingdom be fulfilled;

may Your will be realised,

⁴just as it is in heaven,

so also upon the earth.
⁵Our bread, which is from the earth,
give us day by day;
⁶and forgive us our sins,
just as we should forgive our debtors;
⁷and don’t bring us to trial,

rather deliver us from our accusers.’

39. ¹I tell you, ask,

and it’ll be given to you;
look, and you’ll find;
knock, and it’ll be opened to you.
²Because everyone who asks receives,
and whoever looks finds,
and to whomever knocks it’ll be opened.

40. ¹What father is there among you if he is asked by his son for a fish,
    and instead of a fish,

will hand him a snake?
²Or if he asks for an egg,
will hand him a scorpion?
³Therefore, if you who are imperfect,
know how to give good things to your children,
⁴How much more so will your Father in heaven,

who is perfect,

give you good things when His children ask Him.

41. ¹Any kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste,
    and any house divided against itself will fall.

42. Whoever is not with me is against me,

and whoever does not gather the harvest with me scatters it.

43. ¹‘Whoever speaks a word against human beings will be forgiven,

²but whoever speaks against the holiness of God will not be forgiven.’

44. ¹Whoever isn’t against you is for you.

45. ¹A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

46. ¹Be a light for the world;

²for no one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket,

nor in a place where it will be hidden.
³Instead, they put it on a stand,

so that everyone who comes in will see its light.

47. ¹The eye is the lamp of the body.
    ²So if you’ve got a good eye,
    your whole body’s full of light,
    and your good eye becomes a source of light to everyone around you.
    ³But if you’ve got a bad eye,
    your whole body’s full of darkness,
    and your bad eye spreads only darkness around you.

48. ¹It isn’t what goes into your mouth that will defile you,

but what comes out of your mouth –

²that’s what will defile you.

49. ¹An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign,

but no sign will be given to it.

²Because just as Yonah was sent to the Ninevites,

so also this son of man has been sent to this generation.

³When the Ninevites were told of the imminent disaster facing them,

they repented at the preaching of Yonah;

⁴believe me I tell you, this generation stands condemned,

because a disaster even greater than theirs is upon us,

and it doesn’t repent!

⁵The Queen of Sheba came from the ends of the earth

to listen to the wisdom and judgment of Solomon,

and her spirit was overwhelmed.

⁶Believe me I tell you, this generation stands condemned,

because a judgment even greater than that is upon us,

and yet its spirit is unmoved!’

50. ¹Woe to you scholars, you tricksters!

²For you tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,

and lay them on the shoulders of others,

but you yourselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them!

51. ¹Woe to you scholars, you phonies!

For you tithe mint and dill and and cumin,

but have neglected the weightier matters of the Torah:

justice and mercy and faith.

²It is these you should have practiced,

without neglecting the others.

You blind guides!

You strain out a gnat, but swallow a camel!

52. ¹Woe to you scholars, you fraudsters!

For you clean the outside of the cup and the bowl,

but inside they’re chock-full of greed and overindulgence!

²Blind scholars!

Did not the one who made the outside make the inside as well?

³First clean the inside of the cup and the bowl,

so that the outside may become clean as well!

53. ¹Woe to you scholars, you fakers!

For you are like whitewashed tombs,

which on the outside look beautiful indeed,

but inside are full of dead men’s bones

and of all kinds of uncleanness.

²So you too, on the outside you look really righteous to others,

but inside you’re full of pretence and unlawfulness!

54. ¹‘Woe to you scholars, you swindlers!

For you build the tombs of the prophets,

and adorn the graves of the righteous, saying,

²“If we had lived in the days of our ancestors,

we would not have taken part with them

in shedding the blood of the prophets.”

³Thus you testify against yourselves

that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets.

⁴And still you continue to fill the measure of your ancestors!’

55. ¹Nothing’s so covered up that it won’t be revealed,
    or so hidden that it won’t be made known.

56. ¹Whatever I tell you privately in the darkness,

go say openly in daylight.

²And whatever you hear whispered in your ear,

go proclaim publicly upon the housetops.

57. ¹Don’t fear those who kill the body,
    because after that there’s nothing more they can do.

58. ¹Aren’t five sparrows sold for just two assaria?
    And yet not one of them is abandoned by God!
    ²Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
    ³So don’t be afraid;
    you’re worth more than many sparrows!

59. ¹Someone said to Yeshuaʽ,
    ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide our father’s possessions with me!’
    ²But Yeshuaʽ said to him,
    ‘Look Mister, who appointed me as judge or arbiter over you?’

60. ¹The estate of a certain rich man produced a plentiful crop.
    ²He said to himself,

“I sow, I plant and reap,

and as a result I want for nothing.
³But what shall I do,

because I haven’t anywhere to gather all of my produce in one place?”

⁴So he thought to himself and said,

“This is what I’ll do:

I’ll pull down my storehouses,

and I’ll build bigger ones!

I’ll gather up all my wheat and goods there,

⁵and I’ll say to myself,

‘Self, you have enough laid by for many years.
Take it easy, eat, drink and enjoy yourself.’ ”
⁶Such were his intentions, but that same night he died.
⁷Of what service was his wealth to him then?

61. ¹Believe me I tell you,

don’t worry about your life,
about what you’ll eat or drink,
or about your body,
about what you’ll wear.
²Because life’s more than just food and drink,
and the body more than just clothes.

62. ¹Look at the birds of the sky;
    they neither sow nor reap,
    nor gather their grain into storehouses,
    and yet our heavenly Father feeds them.
    ²How much more so will God feed you!

63. ¹Who of you by worrying can add a single cubit to the length of their days?
    ²If you aren’t able to do as small a thing as that,
    why be anxious about greater things?

64. ¹Why worry about clothes?
    See the wild flowers,

how they clothe the grass.
²The grass neither cards nor spins,
yet I tell you,
not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed up like that!
³So if that’s how God

clothes the wild grass,
which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire,
⁴how much more so will God clothe you!

65. ¹Don’t be anxious, saying,
    “What will we eat?”
    or “What will we drink?”
    or “What will we wear?”
    ²Because all the nations of the world look for these things as well,
    and yet your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

66. ¹Look for the Kingdom of God, and you’ll see,

all these things will be yours as well.

67. ¹Don’t build up storehouses,
    nor put away treasures for yourselves on earth,
    ²where moth and maggot eat away,
    and thieves dig through and steal.
    ³Rather, build up storehouses

and put away an unfailing treasure for yourselves in heaven,
⁴where neither moth nor maggot can eat away,
nor thieves dig through and steal.

68. ¹Where your treasure lies,

there will your heart be as well.

69. ¹Strive to enter through the narrow door,

for many, I tell you, will try to enter and won’t be able to.

70. ¹Unless your righteousness goes beyond that of those who are merely observant,

You’ll never find the Kingdom of God.

71. ¹If you’re about to make your sin-offering in the Temple,

and there you remember that your neighbour has some quarrel against you,

²leave your offering there with the priest at the altar and go.

³First make peace with your neighbour,

and then return and make your sin-offering.

72. ¹When you are going through a lawsuit,
    along the way try your hardest to settle matters with your adversary,
    ²in case your adversary drags you off to the judge,
    and the judge hands you over to the bailiff,
    and the bailiff throws you into prison.
    ³Believe me I tell you,
    there’s no way you’re getting out of there

until you’ve paid back the very last prutah.

73. ¹Believe me I tell you,

until heaven and earth pass away,

not one yodh or one tittle,

will pass away from the Torah

until everything is fulfilled.

74. ¹You all know how it’s written,

‘You shall not commit murder’,

and anyone who commits murder will be brought to judgment.

²But this is what I say to you:

anyone who’s unjustly angry with their brother or sister

shall be subject to judgment!

³Furthermore, anyone who calls someone,

‘Worthless moron!’

shall be answerable to the Great Sanhedrin;

⁴And anyone who says, ‘Fool!’

Shall be cast into the Outer Darkness.

75. ¹You’ve all seen where it’s written,

‘You shall not commit adultery’;

So anyone who commits adultery will be taken for judgment.

²But this is what I say to you:

Any married person who leers at someone else with lustful longing for them,

has already committed adultery with that person in their heart,

and shall be brought before the Great Sanhedrin for judgment!

76. ¹You all know where it’s written,

‘You shall not make false oaths;’

and ‘When anyone makes an oath,

they must not break their word,

but must do everything they vowed in the Name of the Holy One.’

²But this is what I say to you:

Don’t swear oaths at all,

³neither by heaven,

because it’s God’s throne;

nor by the earth,

because it’s God’s footstool;

nor by Jerusalem,

for it’s the city of God,

our Great King.

⁴And don’t swear by your head,

since you can’t make even one hair white or black.

⁵Simply let your “Yes” mean “Yes”,

and your “No” mean “No”.

77. ¹The Kingdom of God is like a hoard of money hidden in a field.
    ²While ploughing, a man found it.
    He immediately covered it up again,
    and then in his joy goes and sells every last possession in order to buy that field.

78. ¹The Kingdom of God is like a merchant who was looking for fine pearls;

²then, on finding one pearl of enormous value,

he went and sold everything that he had,

and bought the pearl.

79. ¹Many who are first will become last,
    ²and many who are last will become first in the Kingdom of God.

80. ¹Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
    ²but he who humbles himself will be exalted.

81. ¹Whoever humbles himself like a child,

is the greatest in the Kingdom of God.

Believe me, I tell you,

unless you accept the Kingdom of God like a child,

you shall never find it.

82. ¹The greatest among you should become as the least,

²and the one who rules should be as the one who serves.

83. As lightning flashes and comes from the east,

and lights up the sky as far as the west,

so will be the day of the coming of our God –

that great and terrible Day!

84. ¹If the owner of the house had known

at what hour the thief was coming,

he would have kept watch,

and would not have let his house be broken into.

²You too must be ready,

for the Day is coming at time you do not expect.

85. ¹Who, then, is the trustworthy and prudent steward

whom his master will appoint to have charge over his servants,

to dole out their allowance of food at the proper time?

²How fortunate will be that servant

whom his master will find at his job when he arrives!

³Believe me I tell you,

he will put that one in charge of all his possessions!

⁴But if that servant should say to himself,

‘My master is delayed in coming,’

and begins to beat his fellow menservants and maidservants,

and to gorge himself, and drink and get drunk,

⁵then the master of that servant will come

on a day when he does not expect him,

and at an hour that he does not know,

and will tear him apart,

and throw him out as untrustworthy.

86. ¹From the days of Yochanan the Immerser until now,

the kingdom of God has suffered violence,

and violent men try to take it by force.

87. ¹Now there were some in the crowd who detested the Herods,

and since Yeshua was approaching Jerusalem,

they supposed that the kingdom of David

would be ushered in very soon with violence.

So to them Yeshua said,

²‘A certain man of noble birth was setting off for a distant region

to obtain more royal power for himself and then return.

³So first he summoned ten of his servants

and gave them one kikkar of gold each, and said to them,

“Do business with this money until I come back.”

⁴However, his subjects detested him,

and sent a delegation after him, saying,

“We don’t want this man to rule over us.”

⁵Now it so happened when he returned,

having received greater royal power,

he ordered that these servants,

to whom he had given the money

be summoned to him,

so that he might find out what each had gained

by doing business.

⁶On arriving, the first drew near and said,

“My lord, your one kikkar has made ten more kikkarin.”

⁷He said to him, “Well done, good servant!

Because you have been trustworthy in a very small thing,

I give you authority over ten cities!”

⁸Then the second came, saying,

“Your kikkar, my lord, has made five kikkarin.”

⁹Similarly, to this one he said, “And you shall rule over five cities!”

¹⁰Yet another one came, saying,

“My lord, here is your kikkar,

which I stashed away, tied up in a piece of cloth.

¹¹For I was afraid of you,

because you are a harsh man;

you withdraw what you didn’t deposit,

and reap what you didn’t sow.”

¹²He says to him,

“By the words of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant!

You knew, did you, that I’m a harsh man,

withdrawing what I didn’t deposit,

and reaping what I didn’t sow?

¹³In that case, why didn’t you put my money into the bank?

Then on my return,

I myself could have collected it with interest.”

¹⁴Then to the others waiting their turn, he said,

‘Take the kikkar from him,

and give it to the one who has ten kikkarin.’

¹⁵However, they protested to him, saying,

“But my lord, he’s already got ten kikkarin!”

¹⁶Then the man said,

“And as for these enemies of mine –  

those who were unwilling to have me reign over them –  

bring them here and execute them before me!”

¹⁷Believe me I tell you, to all those who have, more will be given,

but from those who have not,

even what little they have will be taken away.’

88. ¹When Yeshuaʽ arrived outside Jerusalem,

and caught sight of it from the Mount of Olives,

Yeshuaʽ addressed the Holy City and said,

²‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets,

and stones those who are sent to it!

How often I’ve desired to gather your children together,

as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

³See, your House is left abandoned to you,

desolate and profaned.

⁴For I tell you, you won’t see me again until you say,

‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of Adonai.”’

89. ¹A king ordered a banquet to be prepared,
    and when it was ready,

he sent his servants to invite the guests, saying,

²‘Come, because now the banquet is ready.’
³So his servants went and did just as the king had commanded them.

But all of the guests began to make excuses.
They went to the first and said,
“Come, my master invites you.”
⁴But this one said,

“I’ve got claims against some merchants.
They’re coming to me this evening,
and I must go to give them my orders.
I ask to be excused from the banquet.”
⁵So the servants went to a second, and said to him,
“Come, my master’s invited you.”
⁶But this one said,

“I’ve just bought a house,
and I’m required for the day.
I won’t have any spare time.”
⁷So the servants went to a third,

and said to him,
“Come, my master invites you.”
⁸But this one said,

“I’ve leased out a farm,
and I’m on my way to collect the rent.
I won’t be able to come.

I ask to be excused.”
And so it was with all the others.
⁹So the servants returned to their king, and said,
“Those whom you invited asked to be excused.”
¹⁰And the king said to them,

“Go then to the street corners,
and invite anyone you find,
so that they might come instead.”
¹¹So the servants went to the street corners,

and called to all to come –
the poor and the lowly,

the blind and the lame –
and the banquet hall was filled with guests.
¹²Believe me I tell you,
the rich and the wealthy are too busy for the Kingdom of God.’

90. ¹There’ll be weeping and a gnashing of teeth,

when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob

and all the prophets in the kingdom of God,

while you yourselves are thrown out.

²Then people will come from east and west,

and from north and south,

and will recline at the Banquet

when the kingdom of God is fulfilled.

91. ¹Yeshua said to his followers,

“Just as it happened in the days of Noah,

so it will also be in the days

before the coming of God’s Kingship.

²They were eating and drinking

and marrying and being given in marriage

right until the day Noah entered the ark,

and the flood came and took them all away.

³Likewise, just as it happened in the days of Lot,

they were eating and drinking,

buying and selling, planting and building,

⁴but on the day that Lot departed from Sodom

it rained fire and sulphur from heaven,

and took out all of them;

⁵that’s how it’ll be on the day when God’s Judgment is revealed.

⁶On that day,

anyone on their housetop who has belongings inside the house

must not go down to grab them;

and likewise,

anyone out in the field must not turn back for anything –

remember Lot’s wife.

⁷I tell you, on that night there’ll be two in one bed;

one will be taken away and the other spared.

⁸There’ll be two women grinding flour together;

one will be taken away and the other spared.”

⁹And his followers asked, “Where to Master?

Where will they be taken to?”

¹⁰And Yeshua said,

“Where corpses of the dead lie –

there, where the vultures gather.”

92. ¹ You are the salt of the Land,
    but if salt becomes useless,
    how will you salt it again?
    ²Then it’s not fit for anything,

except to be thrown away,

and trampled underfoot.

93. ¹What man among you,

if he has a hundred sheep,
and one of them goes astray,
²doesn’t leave the ninety-nine on the hillside,
and go in search of the one that went astray?
³And when he finds it,
he lays it across his shoulders,
⁴and believe me I tell you,

he rejoices over it more than the other ninety-nine that never went astray.

94. ¹No servant can serve two masters;

because they’ll either hate the one and love the other,
or they’ll be devoted to the one and despise the other.
²In the same way,

you can’t serve both God and wealth.

95. ¹If your brother or sister sins against you,
    then point out their fault privately,

²and if they repent,
you must forgive them.

96. ¹Someone said to Yeshuaʽ,

‘Master, how often shall my brother or sister sin against me,

and I have to forgive them?’

²Yeshuaʽ said,

‘If they sin against you seven times in one day,

And come back to you seven times, saying,

“I’m sorry,”

Then you must forgive them.

97. ¹Believe me I tell you,
    if two make peace with one another,
    they can say to this mountain,
    “Move from here to there!”
    and it’ll move.
    ²Or they can say to this fig tree,
    “Uproot yourself and plant yourself in the sea!”
    and it’ll obey them.
    ³Nothing will be impossible for them.

98. ¹To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?
    ²It’s like the tiny mustard seed,
    which a man took and threw away into his garden.

³It’s smaller than all other seeds,

but when it falls on fertile soil,
⁴it grows into a large bush,
and birds of the sky shelter under its shade.

99. ¹Someone said to Yeshuaʽ,
    ‘How will the Kingdom of God come?’
    ²And Yeshuaʽ said to them,
    ‘The Kingdom of God is like yeast,
    which a woman took and hid in three sata of flour.
    ³Eventually all the flour was leavened.’

100. ¹The Kingdom of God is spread out over all the earth,

and people don’t see it!

101. ¹People asked Yeshuaʽ,
     ‘When will the Kingdom come?’
     ²But Yeshuaʽ said to them,
     ‘The Kingdom of God won’t come as a result of diligent observation.
     ³Nor will people say,
     “Here it is!”
     or “There it is!”
     ⁴Because the Kingdom of God is within you.’

This reconstruction represents the original Q1 layer of the so-called ‘Q-Gospel’, referred to in the ‘Ascents of James’ as the ‘Scroll of the Preaching’. There have been many attempts to reconstruct this; in accordance with the emphasis of Talmidi theology, I have concentrated on the ethical teaching of the prophet Yeshua` over everything else. Other passages from the final redaction of the Q-Gospel can be found in the Book of Yochanan the Immerser (mostly Q-sayings concerning Yochanan the Immerser [John the Baptist]), and in the Book of the Prophet Yeshua` (mostly warnings about the imminent destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem, calls to repentance, criticism of the Oral Law etc).

The Jul 2000 edition had 67 passages; this revised translation has 15 additional passages (3, 32-35, 44-45, 60-61, 63-65, 70-71 & 81). Consequently, all existing passages have had to be renumbered.

If you have any comments or questions, please email: shmuliq.parzal@googlemail.com

Table of sources for ‘The Scroll of the Preaching’

© Shmu’eil ben Naftali

‘Megillat ha-Musar’

(International Talmidi Version,

First edition published July 2000

Revised and augmented Jan 2009)