Tobit 4

Wycliffe Bible

4 Therefore when Tobit guessed his prayer to be heard, that he might die, he called Tobias, his son, to him, [Then when Tobit guessed his prayer to be heard, that he might die, he called to him Tobias, his son,]

² and said to him, My son, hear thou the words of my mouth, and build or ground thou them as a foundament (or as a foundation) in thine heart.

³ When God hath taken my soul, bury thou my body; and thou shalt have (or thou shalt give) honour to thy mother in all the days of her life/and in all the days of thy life thou shalt do honour to thy mother;

⁴ for thou owest to be mindful (or thou ought to remember), what perils and how great perils she suffered for thee in her womb.

⁵ And when also she hath [full-]filled or hath ended the time of her life, thou shalt bury her beside me.

⁶ And in all the days of thy life have thou God in mind, and be thou ware, lest anytime thou consent to sin, and forsake the behests (or the commandments) of our God. [All forsooth the days of thy life in mind have God, and beware, lest any time to sin thou consent, and lay aside the behests of our God.]

⁷ And of thy own chattel do thou alms-(deeds), and do not thou turn away thy face from any poor man^[a]; and so it shall be done, that the face of the Lord be not turned away from thee. [Of thy substance do alms-deed, and do thou not turn away thy face from any poor man; so forsooth it shall be done, that neither from thee be turned away the face of the Lord.]

⁸ As thou mayest, that is, after thy power, be thou merciful. [What manner wise thou shalt be able, so be thou merciful.]

⁹ If thou hast much, give thou plenteously; if thou hast a little, also be thou busy to part willfully, (or willingly), or gladly a little. [If much were to thee, abundantly give; if little there were, also little gladly study to part.]

¹⁰ Certainly then thou treasurest to thee a good meed (or a good reward), in the day of need; [Forsooth a good meed to thee thou treasurest in the day of need;]

¹¹ for why alms-[deeds] delivereth from all sin and from death, and shall not suffer (or allow) the soul to go into darknesses.

¹² Alms-(deeds) shall be the great trust before the highest God to all men doing it. [Great trust shall be alms-deeds before the most good God to all men doing it.]

¹³ Son, take heed to thyself, and flee from all fornication, and besides thy wife, suffer (or allow) thou never to know (that) sin. [Take heed to thee, son, from all fornication, and, besides thy wife, never suffer thou sin of evil loss to know.]

¹⁴ And suffer (or allow) thou never pride to have lordship in thy wit, neither in thy word; for all loss, either damnation, took beginning in pride. [Pride never in thy wit or in thy word suffer thou to have lordship; in it forsooth all perdition took beginning.]

¹⁵ Whoever worketh anything to (or for) thee, yield thou anon his meed (that is, give him his reward at once), and utterly the hire of thine hired man, or thy workman, dwell it not with thee. [Whosoever anything to thee worketh, anon yield his meed, and the meed of thine hired man always with thee abide not.]

¹⁶ That that thou hatest to be done to thee of (or by) another man, see thou, lest anytime thou do that thing to another man. [That of another thou hatest to be done to thee, look thou, that anytime thou do it not to another.]

¹⁷ Eat thy bread with hungry men and needy, and with thy clothes cover thou naked men.

¹⁸ Ordain thy bread and thy wine on the sepulchre, or the burying, of a just [or (a) rightwise] man, and do not thou eat and drink thereof with sinners.

¹⁹ (For)Ever[more] seek thou perfectly counsel of (or from) a wise man.

²⁰ In all time bless thou God, and ask thou of (or from) him, that he (ad)dress, (or that he direct), thy ways, and all thy counsels dwell in him. [All time bless God, and ask of him, that thy ways he make ready, and all thy counsels in him abide still.]

²¹ Also, my son, I show (or I tell) to thee, that while thou were yet a little child, I gave ten talents of silver to Gabael, in Rages, a city of Media; and I have his obligation with me; [I show also to thee, my son, me to have given ten talents of silver, while yet thou were a little infant, to Gabael, in Rages, city of Medes; and the writ of it with me I have;]

²² therefore inquire thou busily, how thou shalt come to him, and receive thou of (or from) him the foresaid weight of silver, and restore to him his obligation. [and therefore ensearch, what manner to him thou come, and receive of him the above-mentioned weight of silver, and restore to him his writ.]

²³ My son, do not thou dread; forsooth we lead a poor life, but we shall have many goods (or many good things, or rewards), if we dread God, and go away from all sin^[b], and do well. [Do thou not dread, son (of) mine; a poor life forsooth we bear, but many goods we shall have, if we dread God, and go away from all sin, and do well.]