1 Καὶ ἐπὶ Σαχερδονος βασιλέως κατῆλθον εἰς τὸν οἶκόν μου, καὶ ἀπεδόθη μοι ἡ γυνή μου Αννα καὶ Τωβιας ὁ υἱός μου. καὶ ἐν τῇ πεντηκοστῇ τῇ ἑορτῇ ἡμῶν, ἥ ἐστιν ἁγία ἑπτὰ ἑβδομάδων, ἐγενήθη μοι ἄριστον καλόν, καὶ ἀνέπεσα τοῦ ἀριστῆσαι. 2 καὶ παρετέθη μοι ἡ τράπεζα, καὶ παρετέθη μοι ὀψάρια πλείονα, καὶ εἶπα τῷ Τωβια τῷ υἱῷ μου Παιδίον, βάδιζε καὶ ὃν ἂν εὕρῃς πτωχὸν τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν ἐκ Νινευητῶν αἰχμαλώτων, ὃς μέμνηται ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἄγαγε αὐτὸν καὶ φάγεται κοινῶς μετ᾽ ἐμοῦ· καὶ ἰδὲ προσμενῶ σε, παιδίον, μέχρι τοῦ σε ἐλθεῖν. 3 καὶ ἐπορεύθη Τωβιας ζητῆσαί τινα πτωχὸν τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν. καὶ ἐπιστρέψας λέγει Πάτερ. καὶ εἶπα αὐτῷ Ἰδοὺ ἐγώ, παιδίον. καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν Πάτερ, ἰδοὺ εἷς ἐκ τοῦ ἔθνους ἡμῶν πεφόνευται καὶ ἔρριπται ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ καὶ αὐτόθι νῦν ἐστραγγάληται. 4 καὶ ἀναπηδήσας ἀφῆκα τὸ ἄριστον πρὶν ἢ γεύσασθαί με αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀναιροῦμαι αὐτὸν ἐκ τῆς πλατείας καὶ εἰς ἓν τῶν οἰκιδίων ἔθηκα μέχρι τοῦ τὸν ἥλιον δύειν καὶ θάψω αὐτόν. 5 ἐπιστρέψας οὖν ἐλουσάμην καὶ ἤσθιον τὸν ἄρτον μετὰ πένθους· 6 καὶ ἐμνήσθην τοῦ ῥήματος τοῦ προφήτου, ὅσα ἐλάλησεν Αμως ἐπὶ Βαιθηλ λέγων
Στραφήσονται ὑμῶν αἱ ἑορταὶ εἰς πένθος
καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ ᾠδαὶ ὑμῶν εἰς θρῆνος
καὶ ἔκλαυσα. 7 καὶ ὅτε ἔδυ ὁ ἥλιος, ᾠχόμην καὶ ὀρύξας ἔθαψα αὐτόν. 8 καὶ οἱ πλησίον μου κατεγέλων λέγοντες Οὐ φοβεῖται οὐκέτι· ἤδη γὰρ ἐπεζητήθη τοῦ φονευθῆναι περὶ τοῦ πράγματος τούτου καὶ ἀπέδρα, καὶ πάλιν ἰδοὺ θάπτει τοὺς νεκρούς. 9 καὶ αὐτῇ τῇ νυκτὶ ἐλουσάμην καὶ εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὴν αὐλήν μου καὶ ἐκοιμήθην παρὰ τὸν τοῖχον τῆς αὐλῆς, καὶ τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ἀνακεκαλυμμένον διὰ τὸ καῦμα· 10 καὶ οὐκ ᾔδειν ὅτι στρουθία ἐν τῷ τοίχῳ ἐπάνω μού εἰσιν, καὶ ἐκάθισεν τὸ ἀφόδευμα αὐτῶν εἰς τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου θερμὸν καὶ ἐπήγαγεν λευκώματα. καὶ ἐπορευόμην πρὸς τοὺς ἰατροὺς θεραπευθῆναι, καὶ ὅσῳ ἐνεχρίοσάν με τὰ φάρμακα, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον ἐξετυφλοῦντο οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου τοῖς λευκώμασιν μέχρι τοῦ ἀποτυφλωθῆναι· καὶ ἤμην ἀδύνατος τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἔτη τέσσαρα. καὶ πάντες οἱ ἀδελφοί μου ἐλυποῦντο περὶ ἐμοῦ, καὶ Αχιαχαρος ἔτρεφέν με ἔτη δύο πρὸ τοῦ αὐτὸν βαδίσαι εἰς τὴν Ἐλυμαΐδα.
11 Καὶ ἐν τῷ χρόνῳ ἐκείνῳ Αννα ἡ γυνή μου ἠριθεύετο ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς γυναικείοις· 12 καὶ ἀπέστελλε τοῖς κυρίοις αὐτῶν, καὶ ἀπεδίδουν αὐτῇ τὸν μισθόν. καὶ ἐν τῇ ἑβδόμῃ τοῦ Δύστρου ἐξέτεμε τὸν ἱστὸν καὶ ἀπέστειλεν αὐτὸν τοῖς κυρίοις, καὶ ἔδωκαν αὐτῇ τὸν μισθὸν πάντα καὶ ἔδωκαν αὐτῇ ἐφ᾽ ἑστίᾳ ἔριφον ἐξ αἰγῶν. 13 καὶ ὅτε εἰσῆλθεν πρός με, ὁ ἔριφος ἤρξατο κράζειν· καὶ ἐκάλεσα αὐτὴν καὶ εἶπα Πόθεν τὸ ἐρίφιον τοῦτο; μήποτε κλεψιμαῖόν ἐστιν; ἀπόδος αὐτὸ τοῖς κυρίοις αὐτοῦ· οὐ γὰρ ἐξουσίαν ἔχομεν ἡμεῖς φαγεῖν οὐδὲν κλεψιμαῖον. 14 καὶ λέγει μοι αὐτή Δόσει δέδοταί μοι ἐπὶ τῷ μισθῷ. καὶ οὐκ ἐπίστευον αὐτῇ καὶ ἔλεγον ἀποδοῦναι τοῖς κυρίοις καὶ προσηρυθρίων χάριν τούτου πρὸς αὐτήν· εἶτα ἀποκριθεῖσα λέγει μοι Καὶ ποῦ εἰσιν αἱ ἐλεημοσύναι σου; ποῦ εἰσιν αἱ δικαιοσύναι σου; ἰδὲ ταῦτα μετὰ σοῦ γνωστά ἐστιν. —
1 Now when I was come home again, and my wife Anna was restored unto me, with my son Tobias, in the feast of Pentecost, which is the holy feast of the seven weeks, there was a good dinner prepared me, in the which I sat down to eat.
2 And when I saw abundance of meat, I said to my son, Go and bring what poor man soever thou shalt find out of our brethren, who is mindful of the Lord; and, lo, I tarry for thee.
3 But he came again, and said, Father, one of our nation is strangled, and is cast out in the marketplace.
4 Then before I had tasted of any meat, I started up, and took him up into a room until the going down of the sun.
5 Then I returned, and washed myself, and ate my meat in heaviness,
6 Remembering that prophecy of Amos, as he said, Your feasts shall be turned into mourning, and all your mirth into lamentation.
7 Therefore I wept: and after the going down of the sun I went and made a grave, and buried him.
8 But my neighbours mocked me, and said, This man is not yet afraid to be put to death for this matter: who fled away; and yet, lo, he burieth the dead again.
9 The same night also I returned from the burial, and slept by the wall of my courtyard, being polluted and my face was uncovered:
10 And I knew not that there were sparrows in the wall, and mine eyes being open, the sparrows muted warm dung into mine eyes, and a whiteness came in mine eyes: and I went to the physicians, but they helped me not: moreover Achiacharus did nourish me, until I went into Elymais.
11 And my wife Anna did take women’s works to do.
12 And when she had sent them home to the owners, they paid her wages, and gave her also besides a kid.
13 And when it was in my house, and began to cry, I said unto her, From whence is this kid? is it not stolen? render it to the owners; for it is not lawful to eat any thing that is stolen.
14 But she replied upon me, It was given for a gift more than the wages. Howbeit I did not believe her, but bade her render it to the owners: and I was abashed at her. But she replied upon me, Where are thine alms and thy righteous deeds? behold, thou and all thy works are known.