Tobit 4

1Therefore when Tobias thought that his prayer was heard that he might die, he called to him Tobias his son,

2And said to him: Hear, my son, the words of my mouth, and lay them as a foundation in thy heart.

3When God shall take my soul, thou shalt bury my body: and thou shalt honour thy mother all the days of her life:

4For thou must be mindful what and how great perils she suffered for thee in her womb.

5And when she also shall have ended the time of her life, bury her by me.

6And all the days of thy life have God in thy mind: and take heed thou never consent to sin, nor transgress the commandments of the Lord our God.

7Give alms out of thy substance, and turn not away thy face from any poor person: for so it shall come to pass that the face of the Lord shall not be turned from thee.

8According to thy ability be merciful.

9If thou have much give abundantly: if thou have little, take care even so to bestow willingly a little.

10For thus thou storest up to thyself a good reward for the day of necessity.

11For alms deliver from all sin, and from death, and will not suffer the soul to go into darkness.

12Alms shall be a great confidence before the most high God, to all them that give it.

13Take heed to keep thyself, my son, from all fornication, and beside thy wife never endure to know a crime.

14Never suffer pride to reign in thy mind, or in thy words: for from it all perdition took its beginning.

15If any man hath done any work for thee, immediately pay him his hire, and let not the wages of thy hired servant stay with thee at all.

16See thou never do to another what thou wouldst hate to have done to thee by another.

17Eat thy bread with the hungry and the needy, and with thy garments cover the naked,

18Lay out thy bread, and thy wine upon the burial of a just man, and do not eat and drink thereof with the wicked.

19Seek counsel always of a wise man.

20Bless God at all times: and desire of him to direct thy ways, and that all thy counsels may abide in him.

21I tell thee also, my son, that I lent ten talents of silver, while thou wast yet a child, to Gabelus, in Rages a city of the Medes, and I have a note of his hand with me:

22Now therefore inquire how thou mayst go to him, and receive of him the foresaid sum of money, and restore to him the note of his hand.

23Fear not, my son: we lead indeed a poor life, but we shall have many good things if we fear God, and depart from all sin, and do that which is good.

1Igitur cum Tobias putaret orationem suam exaudiri ut mori potuisset, vocavit ad se Tobiam filium suum,

2dixitque ei : Audi, fili mi, verba oris mei, et ea in corde tuo quasi fundamentum construe.

3Cum acceperit Deus animam meam, corpus meum sepeli : et honorem habebis matri tuæ omnibus diebus vitæ ejus:

4memor enim esse debes, quæ et quanta pericula passa sit propter te in utero suo.

5Cum autem et ipsa compleverit tempus vitæ suæ, sepelias eam circa me.

6Omnibus autem diebus vitæ tuæ in mente habeto Deum : et cave ne aliquando peccato consentias, et prætermittas præcepta Domini Dei nostri.

7Ex substantia tua fac eleemosynam, et noli avertere faciem tuam ab ullo paupere : ita enim fiet ut nec a te avertatur facies Domini.

8Quomodo potueris, ita esto misericors.

9Si multum tibi fuerit, abundanter tribue : si exiguum tibi fuerit, etiam exiguum libenter impertiri stude.

10Præmium enim bonum tibi thesaurizas in die necessitatis:

11quoniam eleemosyna ab omni peccato et a morte liberat, et non patietur animam ire in tenebras.

12Fiducia magna erit coram summo Deo, eleemosyna omnibus facientibus eam.

13Attende tibi, fili mi, ab omni fornicatione, et præter uxorem tuam numquam patiaris crimen scire.

14Superbiam numquam in tuo sensu aut in tuo verbo dominari permittas: in ipsa enim initium sumpsit omnis perditio.

15Quicumque tibi aliquid operatus fuerit, statim ei mercedem restitue, et merces mercenarii tui apud te omnino non remaneat.

16Quod ab alio oderis fieri tibi, vide ne tu aliquando alteri facias.

17Panem tuum cum esurientibus et egenis comede, et de vestimentis tuis nudos tege.

18Panem tuum et vinum tuum super sepulturam justi constitue, et noli ex eo manducare et bibere cum peccatoribus.

19Consilium semper a sapiente perquire.

20Omni tempore benedic Deum : et pete ab eo ut vias tuas dirigat, et omnia consilia tua in ipso permaneant.

21Indico etiam tibi, fili mi, dedisse me decem talenta argenti, dum adhuc infantulus esses, Gabelo, in Rages civitate Medorum, et chirographum ejus apud me habeo:

22et ideo perquire quomodo ad eum pervenias, et recipias ab eo supra memoratum pondus argenti, et restituas ei chirographum suum.

23Noli timere, fili mi : pauperem quidem vitam gerimus, sed multa bona habebimus si timuerimus Deum, et recesserimus ab omni peccato, et fecerimus bene.

1ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐμνήσθη Τωβιτ περὶ τοῦ ἀργυρίου οὗ παρέθετο Γαβαηλ ἐν Ῥάγοις τῆς Μηδίας

2καὶ εἶπεν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἐγὼ ᾐτησάμην θάνατον τί οὐ καλῶ Τωβιαν τὸν υἱόν μου ἵνα αὐτῷ ὑποδείξω πρὶν ἀποθανεῖν με

3καὶ καλέσας αὐτὸν εἶπεν παιδίον ἐὰν ἀποθάνω θάψον με καὶ μὴ ὑπερίδῃς τὴν μητέρα σου τίμα αὐτὴν πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς σου καὶ ποίει τὸ ἀρεστὸν αὐτῇ καὶ μὴ λυπήσῃς αὐτήν

4μνήσθητι παιδίον ὅτι πολλοὺς κινδύνους ἑόρακεν ἐπὶ σοὶ ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ ὅταν ἀποθάνῃ θάψον αὐτὴν παρ' ἐμοὶ ἐν ἑνὶ τάφῳ

5πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας παιδίον κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν μνημόνευε καὶ μὴ θελήσῃς ἁμαρτάνειν καὶ παραβῆναι τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ δικαιοσύνην ποίει πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς σου καὶ μὴ πορευθῇς ταῖς ὁδοῖς τῆς ἀδικίας

6διότι ποιοῦντός σου τὴν ἀλήθειαν εὐοδίαι ἔσονται ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις σου

7καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ποιοῦσι τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἐκ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων σοι ποίει ἐλεημοσύνην καὶ μὴ φθονεσάτω σου ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς ἐν τῷ ποιεῖν σε ἐλεημοσύνην μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπὸ παντὸς πτωχοῦ καὶ ἀπὸ σοῦ οὐ μὴ ἀποστραφῇ τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ θεοῦ

8ὡς σοὶ ὑπάρχει κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος ποίησον ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐλεημοσύνην ἐὰν ὀλίγον σοι ὑπάρχῃ κατὰ τὸ ὀλίγον μὴ φοβοῦ ποιεῖν ἐλεημοσύνην

9θέμα γὰρ ἀγαθὸν θησαυρίζεις σεαυτῷ εἰς ἡμέραν ἀνάγκης

10διότι ἐλεημοσύνη ἐκ θανάτου ῥύεται καὶ οὐκ ἐᾷ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸ σκότος

11δῶρον γὰρ ἀγαθόν ἐστιν ἐλεημοσύνη πᾶσι τοῖς ποιοῦσιν αὐτὴν ἐνώπιον τοῦ ὑψίστου

12πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ παιδίον ἀπὸ πάσης πορνείας καὶ γυναῖκα πρῶτον λαβὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ σπέρματος τῶν πατέρων σου μὴ λάβῃς γυναῖκα ἀλλοτρίαν ἣ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς τοῦ πατρός σου διότι υἱοὶ προφητῶν ἐσμεν Νωε Αβρααμ Ισαακ Ιακωβ οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος μνήσθητι παιδίον ὅτι οὗτοι πάντες ἔλαβον γυναῖκας ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτῶν καὶ εὐλογήθησαν ἐν τοῖς τέκνοις αὐτῶν καὶ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτῶν κληρονομήσει γῆν

13καὶ νῦν παιδίον ἀγάπα τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου καὶ μὴ ὑπερηφανεύου τῇ καρδίᾳ σου ἀπὸ τῶν ἀδελφῶν σου καὶ τῶν υἱῶν καὶ θυγατέρων τοῦ λαοῦ σου λαβεῖν σεαυτῷ ἐξ αὐτῶν γυναῖκα διότι ἐν τῇ ὑπερηφανίᾳ ἀπώλεια καὶ ἀκαταστασία πολλή καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀχρειότητι ἐλάττωσις καὶ ἔνδεια μεγάλη ἡ γὰρ ἀχρειότης μήτηρ ἐστὶν τοῦ λιμοῦ

14μισθὸς παντὸς ἀνθρώπου ὃς ἐὰν ἐργάσηται παρὰ σοὶ μὴ αὐλισθήτω ἀλλὰ ἀπόδος αὐτῷ παραυτίκα καὶ ἐὰν δουλεύσῃς τῷ θεῷ ἀποδοθήσεταί σοι πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ παιδίον ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔργοις σου καὶ ἴσθι πεπαιδευμένος ἐν πάσῃ ἀναστροφῇ σου

15καὶ ὃ μισεῖς μηδενὶ ποιήσῃς οἶνον εἰς μέθην μὴ πίῃς καὶ μὴ πορευθήτω μετὰ σοῦ μέθη ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ σου

16ἐκ τοῦ ἄρτου σου δίδου πεινῶντι καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἱματίων σου τοῖς γυμνοῖς πᾶν ὃ ἐὰν περισσεύσῃ σοι ποίει ἐλεημοσύνην καὶ μὴ φθονεσάτω σου ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς ἐν τῷ ποιεῖν σε ἐλεημοσύνην

17ἔκχεον τοὺς ἄρτους σου ἐπὶ τὸν τάφον τῶν δικαίων καὶ μὴ δῷς τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς

18συμβουλίαν παρὰ παντὸς φρονίμου ζήτησον καὶ μὴ καταφρονήσῃς ἐπὶ πάσης συμβουλίας χρησίμης

19καὶ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ εὐλόγει κύριον τὸν θεὸν καὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ αἴτησον ὅπως αἱ ὁδοί σου εὐθεῖαι γένωνται καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ τρίβοι καὶ βουλαὶ εὐοδωθῶσιν διότι πᾶν ἔθνος οὐκ ἔχει βουλήν ἀλλὰ αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος δίδωσιν πάντα τὰ ἀγαθὰ καὶ ὃν ἐὰν θέλῃ ταπεινοῖ καθὼς βούλεται καὶ νῦν παιδίον μνημόνευε τῶν ἐντολῶν μου καὶ μὴ ἐξαλειφθήτωσαν ἐκ τῆς καρδίας σου

20καὶ νῦν ὑποδεικνύω σοι τὰ δέκα τάλαντα τοῦ ἀργυρίου ἃ παρεθέμην Γαβαήλῳ τῷ τοῦ Γαβρια ἐν Ῥάγοις τῆς Μηδίας

21καὶ μὴ φοβοῦ παιδίον ὅτι ἐπτωχεύσαμεν ὑπάρχει σοι πολλά ἐὰν φοβηθῇς τὸν θεὸν καὶ ἀποστῇς ἀπὸ πάσης ἁμαρτίας καὶ ποιήσῃς τὸ ἀρεστὸν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ