Scholarship on Letter: T-S 18J3.9

recto

(ln. 9-11) Many resigned themselves to divine judgement, reciting ‘The LORD is the true God, the living God and the everlasting King etc’ (Jeremiah 10:10), ‘Who looks at the earth and it shakes etc’ (Psalms 104:32), ‘Who shakes the earth from its place etc’ (Job 9:6), ‘Who touches the land and it melts’ (Amos 9:5), ‘And everyone who dwells in it will languish etc’ (Hosea 4:3), ‘Who can stand before His indignation etc? (Nahum 1:6).

(11-14) And this event occurred on Thursday, the twelfth day of the month of Tevet, before sunset, all of a sudden in Ramla, and in all of the land of Palestine, in the fortified towns and the rural villages alike, even in all the coastal fortresses up to the fortress of […] and in all the towns of the Negev and in the hill country as far as Jerusalem, and in all the towns up to Shechem (modern Nablus) and the villages as far as Tiberias, and in all the […] of the hills of Galilee and all of the Land of Israel.

(20-22) He even showed great generosity by, before the quake, summoning up dark clouds that rained heavy raindrops. Two great rainbows were seen, one of which appeared divided, and fire was seen from the south-west, at the very moment of the quake, such as had not been experienced since ancient times.

(27-29) What could this letter-writer do but speak to the people to declare a fast, call an assembly, and go out into the field to the cemetery, fasting, weeping and mourning, and saying ‘Rend your heart and not your clothing and return to the LORD your God etc’ (Joel 2:13), ‘Come, let us return to the LORD etc’ (Hosea 6:1), ‘Who knows? He may still turn and relent etc’ (Jonah 3:9).

(30) And the great miracle (והנס הגדול) was that all the days that the people were cast out into the open and in the streets, no rain fell.

(31) Moreover [the governor of the city, and the men in the king's service], pitched tents for them outside the city.