Apr 26 - Tobit 1-4
Tobit
1Tobit was from the tribe and city of Naphtali (which is in the upper parts of Galilee above Asher, after the way, which leads to the west, that has on its left the city of Sephet)2Although he had been taken captive in the days of Shalmaneser, the king of the Assyrians, even in such a situation as captivity, he did not desert the way of truth3So then, every day, all that he was able to obtain, he bestowed on his fellow captive brothers, who were from his kindred4And, when he was among the youngest of any in the tribe of Naphtali, he showed not so much as any childish behavior in his work5And then, when all went to the golden calves which Jeroboam, king of Israel, had made, he alone fled from the company of them all6Yet he continued on to Jerusalem, to the temple of the Lord, and there he adored the Lord God of Israel, offering faithfully all his first-fruits and his tithes7So then, in the third year, he administered all his tithes to new converts and to new arrivals8These and similar such things, even as a boy, he observed according to the law of God9Truly, when he had become a man, he received as wife Anna of his own tribe, and he conceived a son by her, to whom he assigned his own name10From his infancy, he taught him to fear God and to abstain from all sin11Therefore, when, during the captivity, he had arrived with his wife and son at the city of Nineveh, with all his tribe12(even though they all ate from the foods of the Gentiles,) he guarded his soul and never was contaminated with their foods13And because he was mindful of the Lord with his whole heart, God gave him favor in the sight of Shalmaneser the king14And he gave him the power to go wherever he would want, having the freedom to do whatever he wished15Therefore, he continued on to all who were in captivity, and he gave them helpful advice16But when he had arrived at Rages, a city of the Medes, he had ten talents of silver, from that which he had been given in honor by the king17And when, in the midst of the great tumult of his kindred, he saw the destitution of Gabael, who was from his tribe, he loaned him, under a written agreement, the aforementioned weight of silver18In truth, after a long time, Shalmaneser the king died, while Sennacherib his son reigned in his place, and he held a hatred for the sons of Israel19Every day, Tobit traveled though all his own people, and he consoled them, and he distributed to each one as much as he could from his resources20He nourished the hungry, and he supplied clothes to the naked, and he showed concern for the burial of the dead and of the slain21And then, when king Sennacherib had returned from Judea, fleeing the scourge which God had caused all around him because of his blasphemy, and, being angry, he was slaughtering many from the sons of Israel, Tobit buried their bodies22And when it was reported to the king, he ordered him to be slain, and he took away all his belongings23In truth, Tobit, fleeing with nothing but his son and his wife, was able to remain hidden because many loved him24In truth, after forty-five days, the king was slain by his own sons25and Tobit was able to return to his house, and all his resources were restored to him
1In truth, after this, when there was a feast day of the Lord, and a good dinner had been prepared in the house of Tobit2he said to his son: "Go, and bring some others who fear God from our tribe to feast with us.3And after he had gone, returning, he reported to him that one of the sons of Israel, with his throat cut, was lying in the street. And immediately, he leapt from his place reclining at table, left behind his dinner, and went forth with fasting to the body4And taking it up, he carried it in secret to his house, so that, after the sun had set, he might bury him cautiously5And after he had hidden the body, he chewed his bread with mourning and fear6remembering the word that the Lord spoke through the prophet Amos: "Your feast days shall be turned into lamentation and mourning.7Truly, when the sun had set, he went out, and he buried him8Yet all his neighbors argued with him, saying: "Now, an order was given to execute you because of this matter, and you barely escaped a death sentence, and again you are burying the dead?9But Tobit, fearing God more than the king, stole away the bodies of the slain and concealed them in his house, and in the middle of the night, he buried them10But it happened one day, being tired from burying the dead, he came into his house, and he threw himself down next to the wall, and he slept11And, as he was sleeping, warm droppings from a swallow’s nest fell upon his eyes, and he was made blind12And so the Lord permitted this trial to befall him, in order that an example might be given to posterity of his patience, which is even like that of holy Job13For, even from his infancy, he had always feared God and kept his commandments, so he was not discouraged before God because of the scourge of blindness that had befallen him14But he remained immoveable in the fear of God, giving thanks to God all the days of his life15For just as kings have mocked blessed Job, so also his relatives and acquaintances ridiculed his life, saying16"Where is your hope, on behalf of which you gave alms and buried the dead?17In truth, Tobit corrected them, saying: "Do not speak in this way18for we are the sons of the holy ones, and we look forward to that life which God will give to those who never change in their faith before him.19In truth, his wife Anna went out to weaving work daily, and she brought back the provisions that she was able to obtain by the labor of her hands20Whereupon it happened that, having received a young goat, she brought it home21When her husband heard the sound of its bleating, he said, "Look, so that it might not be stolen, return it to its owners, for it is not lawful for us either to eat, or to touch, anything stolen.22At this, his wife, being angry, answered, "Clearly, your hope has become vanity, and the manner of your almsgiving has become apparent.23And with these and other similar such words, she reproached him
1Then Tobit sighed, and he began to pray with tears2saying, "O Lord, you are just and all your judgments are just, and all your ways are mercy, and truth, and judgment3And now, O Lord, remember me, and do not take vengeance for my sins, and do not call to mind my offenses, nor those of my parents4For we have not obeyed your precepts, and so we have been handed over to plundering and to captivity, and to death, and to mockery, and as a disgrace before all the nations, among which you have dispersed us5And now, O Lord, great are your judgments. For we have not acted according to your precepts, and we have not walked sincerely before you6And now, O Lord, do with me according to your will, and order my spirit to be received in peace. For it is more expedient for me to die, than to live.7And so, on the same day, it happened that Sarah, the daughter of Raguel, in Rages, a city of the Medes, also heard a reproach from one of her father’s servant maids8For she had been given to seven husbands, and a demon named Asmodeus had killed them, as soon as they had approached her9Therefore, when she corrected the maid for her fault, she answered her, saying, "May we never see son or daughter from you upon the earth, you murderess of your husbands10Would you also kill me, just as you have already killed seven husbands?" At these words, she proceeded to an upper room of her house. And for three days and three nights, she did not eat or drink11But, continuing in prayer with tears, she beseeched God, so that he would liberate her from this reproach12And it happened on the third day, while she was completing her prayer, blessing the Lord13that she said: "Blessed is your name, O God of our fathers, who, though you had been angry, will show mercy. And in time of tribulation, you dismiss the sins of those who call upon you14To you, O Lord, I turn my face; to you, I direct my eyes15I beg you, O Lord, that you may absolve me from the chains of this reproach, or at least take me away from the earth16You know, O Lord, that I have never coveted a husband, and I have preserved my soul clean from all impure desire17I have never mingled myself with those who play. And I have not presented myself as a participant with those who walk with levity18But I consented to accept a husband, in your fear, not in my lust19And, either I was unworthy of them, or they perhaps were not worthy of me. For perhaps you have preserved me for another husband20For your counsel is not within the ability of man21But all who worship you are certain of this: that one’s life, if it should be tested, shall be crowned, and if it should be in tribulation, shall be delivered, and if it should be corrected, shall be permitted to approach your mercy22For you are not delighted with our perdition. For, after a storm, you create tranquility, and after tears and weeping, you pour out exultation23May your name, O God of Israel, be blessed forever.24At that time, the prayers of them both were heard in the sight of the glory of the most high God25And the holy Angel of the Lord, Raphael, was sent to care for both of them, whose prayers were recited at the same time in the sight of the Lord
1Therefore, when Tobit considered that his prayer was heard, so that he might be able to die, he called his son Tobias to him2And he said to him: "My son, hear the words of my mouth, and set them, like a foundation, in your heart3When God will receive my soul, bury my body. And you shall honor your mother, all the days of her life4For you are obliged to be mindful of what great perils she suffered because of you in her womb5But when she too will have completed the time of her life, bury her near me6Yet, for all the days of your life, have God in your mind. And be careful that you never consent to sin, nor overlook the precepts of the Lord our God7Give alms from your substance, and do not turn away your face from any pauper. For so it shall be that neither will the face of the Lord be turned away from you8In whatever way that you are able, so shall you be merciful9If you have much, distribute abundantly. If you have little, nevertheless strive to bestow a little freely10For you store up for yourself a good reward for the day of necessity11For almsgiving liberates from every sin and from death, and it will not suffer the soul to go into darkness12Almsgiving will be a great act of faith before the most high God, for all those who practice it13Take care to keep yourself, my son, from all fornication, and, except for your wife, never permit yourself to know such an offense14Never permit arrogance to rule in your mind or in your words. For in it, all perdition had its beginning15And whoever has done any kind of work for you, immediately pay him his wages, and do not let the wages of your hired hand remain with you at all16Whatever you would hate to have done to you by another, see that you never do so to another17Eat your bread with the hungry and the needy, and cover the naked with your own garments18Set out your bread and your wine at the burial of a just man, and do not eat and drink from it with sinners19Always seek the counsel of a wise man20Bless God at all times. And petition him that he direct your ways and that all your counsels may remain in him21And now, I reveal to you, my son, that I lent ten talents of silver, while you were still a young child, to Gabael, in Rages, a city of the Medes, and I have his written agreement with me22And so, inquire how you may travel to him and receive from him the aforementioned weight of silver, and return to him the written agreement23Do not be afraid, my son. We do indeed lead a poor life, but we will have many good things: if we fear God, and withdraw from all sin, and do what is good.