1 The book of the acts^[a] of Tobit the son of To′biel, son of Anan′iel, son of Ad′uel, son of Gab′ael, of the descendants of As′iel and the tribe of Naph′tali, ² who in the days of Shalmane′ser,^[b] king of the Assyrians, was taken into captivity from Thisbe, which is to the south of Kedesh Naph′tali in Galilee above Asher.

Tobit’s Youth and Virtuous Life

³ I, Tobit, walked in the ways of truth and righteousness all the days of my life, and I performed many acts of charity to my brethren and countrymen who went with me into the land of the Assyrians, to Nin′eveh. ⁴ Now when I was in my own country, in the land of Israel, while I was still a young man, the whole tribe of Naph′tali my forefather deserted the house of Jerusalem. This was the place which had been chosen from among all the tribes of Israel, where all the tribes should sacrifice and where the temple of the dwelling of the Most High was consecrated and established for all generations for ever.

⁵ All the tribes that joined in apostasy used to sacrifice to the calf^[c] Ba′al, and so did the house of Naph′tali my forefather. ⁶ But I alone went often to Jerusalem for the feasts, as it is ordained for all Israel by an everlasting decree. Taking the first fruits and the tithes of my produce and the first shearings, I would give these to the priests, the sons of Aaron, at the altar. ⁷ Of all my produce I would give a tenth to the sons of Levi who ministered at Jerusalem; a second tenth I would sell, and I would go and spend the proceeds each year at Jerusalem; ⁸ the third tenth I would give to those to whom it was my duty, as Deb′orah my father’s mother had commanded me, for I was left an orphan by my father. ⁹ When I became a man I married Anna, a member of our family, and by her I became the father of Tobi′as.

Taken Captive to Nineveh

¹⁰ Now when I was carried away captive to Nin′eveh, all my brethren and my relatives ate the food of the Gentiles; ¹¹ but I kept myself from eating it, ¹² because I remembered God with all my heart. ¹³ Then the Most High gave me favor and good appearance in the sight of Shalmane′ser,^[d] and I was his buyer of provisions. ¹⁴ So I used to go into Media, and once at Rages in Media I left ten talents of silver in trust with Gab′ael, the brother of Gabri′as. ¹⁵ But when Shalmane′ser^[e] died, Sennach′erib his son reigned in his place; and under him the highways were unsafe, so that I could no longer go into Media.

Courage in Burying the Dead

¹⁶ In the days of Shalmane′ser^[f] I performed many acts of charity to my brethren. ¹⁷ I would give my bread to the hungry and my clothing to the naked; and if I saw any one of my people dead and thrown out behind the wall of Nin′eveh, I would bury him. ¹⁸ And if Sennach′erib the king put to death any who came fleeing from Judea, I buried them secretly. For in his anger he put many to death. When the bodies were sought by the king, they were not found. ¹⁹ Then one of the men of Nin′eveh went and informed the king about me, that I was burying them; so I hid myself. When I learned that I was being searched for, to be put to death, I left home in fear. ²⁰ Then all my property was confiscated and nothing was left to me except my wife Anna and my son Tobi′as.

²¹ But not fifty^[g] days passed before two of Sennach′erib’s^[h] sons killed him, and they fled to the mountains of Ar′arat. Then Esarhad′don,^[i] his son, reigned in his place; and he appointed Ahi′kar, the son of my brother An′ael, over all the accounts of his kingdom and over the entire administration. ²² Ahi′kar interceded for me, and I returned to Nin′eveh. Now Ahi′kar was cupbearer, keeper of the signet, and in charge of administration of the accounts, for Esarhad′don^[j] had appointed him second to himself.^[k] He was my nephew.

2 When I arrived home and my wife Anna and my son Tobi′as were restored to me, at the feast of Pentecost, which is the sacred festival of the seven weeks, a good dinner was prepared for me and I sat down to eat. ² Upon seeing the abundance of food I said to my son, “Go and bring whatever poor man of our brethren you may find who is mindful of the Lord, and I will wait for you.” ³ But he came back and said, “Father, one of our people has been strangled and thrown into the market place.” ⁴ So before I tasted anything I sprang up and removed the body^[l] to a place of shelter until sunset. ⁵ And when I returned I washed myself and ate my food in sorrow. ⁶ Then I remembered the prophecy of Amos, how he said,

And I wept.

Tobit Becomes Blind

⁷ When the sun had set I went and dug a grave and buried the body.^{[m] 8} And my neighbors laughed at me and said, “He is no longer afraid that he will be put to death for doing this; he once ran away, and here he is burying the dead again!” ⁹ On the same night I returned from burying him, and because I was defiled I slept by the wall of the courtyard, and my face was uncovered. ¹⁰ I did not know that there were sparrows on the wall and their fresh droppings fell into my open eyes and white films formed on my eyes. I went to physicians, but they did not help me. Ahi′kar, however, took care of me until he^[n] went to Elyma′is.^[o]

Tobit’s Wife Earns Their Livelihood

¹¹ Then my wife Anna earned money at women’s work. ¹² She used to send the product to the owners. Once when they paid her wages, they also gave her a kid; ¹³ and when she returned to me it began to bleat. So I said to her, “Where did you get the kid? It is not stolen, is it? Return it to the owners; for it is not right to eat what is stolen.” ¹⁴ And she said, “It was given to me as a gift in addition to my wages.” But I did not believe her, and told her to return it to the owners; and I blushed for her. Then she replied to me, “Where are your charities and your righteous deeds? You seem to know everything!”

Tobit’s Prayer

3 Then in my grief I wept, and I prayed in anguish, saying, ² “Righteous art thou, O Lord; all thy deeds and all thy ways are mercy and truth, and thou dost render true and righteous judgment for ever. ³ Remember me and look favorably upon me; do not punish me for my sins and for my unwitting offenses and those which my fathers committed before thee. ⁴ For they disobeyed thy commandments, and thou gavest us over to plunder, captivity, and death; thou madest us a byword of reproach in all the nations among which we have been dispersed. ⁵ And now thy many judgments are true in exacting penalty from me for my sins and those of my fathers, because we did not keep thy commandments. For we did not walk in truth before thee. ⁶ And now deal with me according to thy pleasure; command my spirit to be taken up, that I may depart and become dust. For it is better for me to die than to live, because I have heard false reproaches, and great is the sorrow within me. Command that I now be released from my distress to go to the eternal abode; do not turn thy face away from me.”

Sarah Falsely Accused

⁷ On the same day, at Ecbat′ana in Media, it also happened that Sarah, the daughter of Rag′uel, was reproached by her father’s maids, ⁸ because she had been given to seven husbands, and the evil demon Asmode′us had slain each of them before he had been with her as his wife. So the maids^[p] said to her, “Do you not know that you strangle your husbands? You already have had seven and have had no benefit from^[q] any of them. ⁹ Why do you beat us? If they are dead, go with them! May we never see a son or daughter of yours!”

Sarah’s Prayer for Death

¹⁰ When she heard these things she was deeply grieved, even to the thought of hanging herself. But she said, “I am the only child of my father; if I do this, it will be a disgrace to him, and I shall bring his old age down in sorrow to the grave.”^{[r] 11} So she prayed by her window and said, “Blessed art thou, O Lord my God, and blessed is thy holy and honored name for ever. May all thy works praise thee for ever. ¹² And now, O Lord, I have turned my eyes and my face toward thee. ¹³ Command that I be released from the earth and that I hear reproach no more. ¹⁴ Thou knowest, O Lord, that I am innocent of any sin with man, ¹⁵ and that I did not stain my name or the name of my father in the land of my captivity. I am my father’s only child, and he has no child to be his heir, no near kinsman or kinsman’s^[s] son for whom I should keep myself as wife. Already seven husbands of mine are dead. Why should I live? But if it be not pleasing to thee to take my life, command that respect be shown to me and pity be taken upon me, and that I hear reproach no more.”^[t]

An Answer to Prayer

¹⁶ The prayer of both was heard in the presence of the glory of the great God. ¹⁷ And Raph′ael^[u] was sent to heal the two of them: to scale away the white films of Tobit’s eyes; to give Sarah the daughter of Rag′uel in marriage to Tobi′as the son of Tobit, and to bind Asmode′us the evil demon, because Tobi′as was entitled to possess her. At that very moment Tobit returned and entered his house and Sarah the daughter of Rag′uel came down from her upper room.

Imitating Christ’s Humility

2 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, ² complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³ Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God,^[a] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself,^[b] taking the form of a servant,^[c] being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Shining as Lights in the World

¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³ for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

¹⁴ Do all things without grumbling or questioning, ¹⁵ that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, ¹⁶ holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. ¹⁷ Even if I am to be poured as a libation upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. ¹⁸ Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

Timothy and Epaphroditus

¹⁹ I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be cheered by news of you. ²⁰ I have no one like him, who will be genuinely anxious for your welfare. ²¹ They all look after their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. ²² But Timothy’s worth you know, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. ²³ I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me; ²⁴ and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself shall come also.

²⁵ I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphrodi′tus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, ²⁶ for he has been longing for you all, and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. ²⁷ Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. ²⁸ I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. ²⁹ So receive him in the Lord with all joy; and honor such men, ³⁰ for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete your service to me.