Pedahsur Stele inscription – ruins of the Shevte Yeshurun’s Old City

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This is a celebration stele, commemorating the ordainance of the first judge of Yisrel at Shevte Yeshurun. This stele is fragmented and only the upper part survived, as the second part was found erased a few feet away from the first stele - it´s believed that some Ekronite or Canaanite found the second half and erased most of it. There is a separate fragment that speaks about the Torah of Moses, but it's not known if it is from Pedahsur Stele or from the sanctuary that stood near it.

This stele describes the first years of the exile after the Captors took them from the original homeland. It is believed that this stele contains only part of the Book of the Judges, a book now lost which is believed to have had all the main recordings of the firsts Judges until the time of the First Exile in 88 AC (after capture) by the hands of the Ekronite-Canaanite-Moabite alliance.

The stele was found in the ruins of the Old City, near to what is believed to have been the "House of Judgement" (tribunal) first estabilished by Pedahsur, as well as the first place of worship of G-d in Yisrel.

I am Pedahsur, son of Yoav, the Judge over Israel in a strange land. G-d chose me among my people to lead them, and Ahiezer, son of Hilel, the prophet, anointed me over His people.
In the second month, in the twenty second day of the month, G-d visited the sins of His people and took them to a strange land, to be under different stars. For opening the Ark of G-d at Bet Shemes, after it was returned from the hands of the Philistines, He was angry; thus, He put us among our enemies that were seeking our destruction. And our enemies desired our boys for their daughters, and our daughters for their boys, by force; until G-d raised me to fight for my people and we distanced ourselves from the city of Gola [Mevo Gelo], where Israel was among the Canaanites and the Philistines. By His great kindness G-d brought us to a good land, as the garden of G-d, at the entrance of the desert; we established ourselves there and we built a city, and its name is Shivte [Shevte] Yeshurun, for Yeshurun [Yisrelite people] established there, everybody together. And Ahiezer, the prophet son of Hilel, the Judahite, searched for G-d; and He came unto him in a dream, saying: “Take the heads (people) of the children of Israel and count them now, even [if they are] far from My Sanctuary, and anoint Pedahsur, son of Yoav, the Gadite, as a judge over My people in their exile”. And Ahiezer counted the heads [people] of the children of Israel, living at Shivte [Shevte] Yeshurun, and their number [was] five hundred and forty-nine; both men and women are from the age of twenty and above, and no one from the age of twenty and below was not to be found. And the number of women [was] three hundred and sixty-six, all of them have not known a man; and the number of men was [was] one hundred and eighty-three. And took me Ahiezer unto the eyes of all the people, and said: “Pedahsur, son of Hilel, will judge Israel, for G-d has desired him for leader over His people; G-d you shall fear and to His Voice you shall hear, for He has anointed upon you a judge”. And I fell on my face and […]
[… the book of] the Torah of Moshe, which has ordained to us G-d on the Horev […]

Text in Hebrew alphabet, for those interested:

אֲנֹכִי פֶּדָהצוּר בֵּן יֹאָב הַשֹּׁפֵט עַל יִשׂרָאֵל בְּאֶרֶץ נָכרִיָה וַיבַחרֵנִי ה' מִקֶרֶב עָמִי לִמשֹׁל עֲלֵהֶם וְאַחִיעֵזֶר בֵּן הִלֵּל הַנָּבִיא מְשָׁחַנִי עַל עָמוֹ
בָּחֹדֶש הַשְּׁנִי בִּשְׁתַיִּם וְעֶשׂרִים לָחֹדֶשׁ פָּקַד ה' אֶת עֲוֹנֹת עָמוֹ וַיִשׁלְחֵם לְאַדָמָה נָכרִיָה תַחַת כֹּכָבִים אֲחֵרִים עַל פָּתַחנוּ אָרֹן ה' בְּבֵית שֵׁמֶש אֲחָר הֵשִּׁבָהּ מִידֵי הַפְּלִשׁתִים יִּחַר אָפּוֹ וַיְשִׂימֵנוּ בֵּין אֹיְבֵנוּ הַמְּבַקשִׁים לְהַשׁמִדֵּנוּ וְאֹיְבֵנוּ בָּקשׁוּ בְּנֹתֵנוּ לִבנָם וּבנֵנוּ לִבנֹתָם בְּיָד חֲזָקָה עַד הֵקִּמָנִי ה' לְהִלָחֵם לָהֶם עַל עָמִי וַיִתרָחַקנוּ מֵעִר גֹלָּה אֲשֶּׁר יָשבוּ יִשׂרָאֵל בְּקֶרֶב כְנַעֲנִם וּפלִשׁתִּם וּברֹב חַסדֹ הֵבִאָנוּ ה' אֶל אֲדָמָה טֹבָה כְּגָן ה' פֶתַח מִדבָּרָה וְיָשַבנוּ בָּהּ וּבָנִינוּ עִיר וּשׁמָהּ שִׁבטֵי יְשֻׁרוּן עַל אֲשֶּׁר יָשׁבוּ שִׁבטֵי יְשֻׁרוּן כֻלָם יַחַד וַיִדרֹשׁ אַחִיעֵזֶר הַנָּבִיא בֵּן הִלֵּל הַיְּהוּדִי אֵל ה' וַיָּבֹא אֶלָו בָּחֲלֹם לֵאמֹר תִּשָּׂא אֶת רֹאשׁ בְּנֵי יִשׂרָאֵל וּפקֹד אֹתָּם עַתָּה גָּם רָחֹק מִקדָשִׁי וּמשַׁח פֶּדָהצוּר בֵּן יֹאָב הַגָּדִי לְשֹׁפֵט עַל עָמִי בְּגָלֻתָם וַיִפקֹד אַחִיעֵזֶר אֶת רֹאשׁ בְּנֵי יִשׂרָאֵל אֲשֶּׁר בְּשִׁבטֵי יְשֻׁרוּן וּמִספָּרָם תִשׁעָה וְאַרבָּעִים וְחָמֵש מֵאֹת מִבֵּין אֲנָשִׁים וּמִבֵּין נָשִׁים כֻּלָם מִבֵּין עֶשׂרִים שָׁנָה וַמַעֲלָה אִישׁ מִבֵּין עֶשׂרִים שָׁנָה וַמַטָה לֹא מְצָאוֹ וּמִספָּר נָשִׁים שָׁלֹשׁ מֵאֹת וְשִׁשִּׁם וָשֶׁשׁ כֻלָם לֹא יְדֻעֹת בָּעָל וּמִספָּר אֲנָשִׁים מֶאָה שְׁמֹנִים וְשָׁלֹשׁ וַיִקַחֵנִי אַחִיעֵזֶר לְעֵנֵי כָל הָעָם וַיֹאמֵר יִשׁפֹּט יִשׂרָאֵל פֶּדָהצוּר בֵּן יֹאָב כּי חָפָץ בּוֹ ה' לְמֹשֵׁל עַל עָמוֹ אֶת ה' תִּרָאוּ וְאֶת דְבָרָו תִּשׁמְעוּ כִּי מָשָׁח ה' עֲלֵכֶם שֹׁפֵט וְנָפַלתִּי עַל פָּנַי [...]
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