Tobit 1

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 The tale of Tobit son of Tobiel, son of Ananiel, son of Aduel, son of Gabael, of the lineage of Asiel andtribe of Naphtali.	1 Tobit 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).
2 In the days of Shalmaneser king of Assyria, he was exiled from Thisbe, which is south of Kedesh-Naphtali in Upper Galilee, above Hazor, some distance to the west, north of Shephat.	2 Although 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 truth.
3 I, Tobit, have walked in paths of truth and in good works al the days of my life. I have given much inalms to my brothers and fel ow country-folk, exiled like me to Nineveh in the country of Assyria.	3 So then, every day, all that he was able to obtain, he bestowed on his fellow captive brothers, who were from his kindred.
4 In my young days, when I was still at home in the land of Israel, the whole tribe of Naphtali my ancestorbroke away from the House of David and from Jerusalem, though this was the city chosen out of al the tribes ofIsrael for their sacrifices; here, the Temple -- God's dwelling-place -- had been built and hallowed for algenerations to come.	4 And, when he was among the youngest of any in the tribe of Naphtali, he showed not so much as any childish behavior in his work.
5 All my brothers and the House of Naphtali sacrificed on every hil -top in Galilee to the calf thatJeroboam king of Israel had made at Dan.	5 And then, when all went to the golden calves which Jeroboam, king of Israel, had made, he alone fled from the company of them all.
6 Often I was quite alone in making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, fulfil ing the Law that binds al Israelperpetual y. I would hurry to Jerusalem with the first yield of fruits and beasts, the tithe of cattle and the sheep'sfirst shearings.	6 Yet 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 tithes.
7 I would give these to the priests, the sons of Aaron, for the altar. To the Levites ministering atJerusalem I would give my tithe of wine and corn, olives, pomegranates and other fruits. Six years in successionI took the second tithe in money and went and paid it annual y at Jerusalem.	7 So then, in the third year, he administered all his tithes to new converts and to new arrivals.
8 I gave the third to orphans and widows and to the strangers who live among the Israelites; I brought itthem as a gift every three years. When we ate, we obeyed both the ordinances of the law of Moses and theexhortations of Deborah the mother of our ancestor Ananiel; for my father had died and left me an orphan.	8 These and similar such things, even as a boy, he observed according to the law of God.
9 When I came to man's estate, I married a woman from our kinsfolk whose name was Anna; she boreme a son whom I cal ed Tobias.	9 Truly, 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 name.
10 When the banishment into Assyria came, I was taken away and went to Nineveh. Al my brothers andthe people of my race ate the food of the heathen,	10 From his infancy, he taught him to fear God and to abstain from all sin.
11 but for my part I was careful not to eat the food of the heathen.	11 Therefore, when, during the captivity, he had arrived with his wife and son at the city of Nineveh, with all his tribe,
12 And because I had kept faith with my God with my whole heart,	12 (even though they all ate from the foods of the Gentiles,) he guarded his soul and never was contaminated with their foods.
13 the Most High granted me the favour of Shalmaneser, and I became the king's purveyor.	13 And because he was mindful of the Lord with his whole heart, God gave him favor in the sight of Shalmaneser the king.
14 Until his death I used to travel to Media, where I transacted business on his behalf, and I depositedsacks of silver worth ten talents with Gabael the brother of Gabrias at Rhages in Media.	14 And he gave him the power to go wherever he would want, having the freedom to do whatever he wished.
15 On the death of Shalmaneser his son Sennacherib succeeded; the roads into Media were barred, andI could no longer go there.	15 Therefore, he continued on to all who were in captivity, and he gave them helpful advice.
16 In the days of Shalmaneser I had often given alms to the people of my race;	16 But 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 king.
17 I gave my bread to the hungry and clothes to those who lacked them; and I buried, when I saw them,the bodies of my country-folk thrown over the wal s of Nineveh.	17 And 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 silver.
18 I also buried those who were kil ed by Sennacherib. When Sennacherib was beating a disorderlyretreat from Judaea after the King of heaven had punished his blasphemies, he kil ed a great number ofIsraelites in his rage. So I stole their bodies to bury them; Sennacherib looked for them and could not find them.	18 In 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 Israel.
19 A Ninevite went and told the king it was I who had buried them secretly. When I knew that the king hadbeen told about me and saw myself being hunted by men who would put me to death, I was afraid and fled.	19 Every 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 resources.
20 Al my goods were seized; they were al confiscated by the treasury; nothing was left me but my wifeAnna and my son Tobias.	20 He nourished the hungry, and he supplied clothes to the naked, and he showed concern for the burial of the dead and of the slain.
21 Less than forty days after this, the king was murdered by his two sons, who then fled to the mountainsof Ararat. His son Esarhaddon succeeded. Ahikar the son of my brother Anael, was appointed chancellor of theexchequer for the kingdom and given the main ordering of affairs.	21 And 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 bodies.
22 Ahikar then interceded for me and I was al owed to return to Nineveh, since Ahikar had been chiefcupbearer, keeper of the signet, administrator and treasurer under Sennacherib king of Assyria, and Esarhaddon had kept him in office. He was a relation of mine; he was my nephew.	22 And when it was reported to the king, he ordered him to be slain, and he took away all his belongings.
	23 In truth, Tobit, fleeing with nothing but his son and his wife, was able to remain hidden because many loved him.
	24 In truth, after forty-five days, the king was slain by his own sons,
	25 and Tobit was able to return to his house, and all his resources were restored to him.