Tobit 2

¹But after this, when there was a festival of the Lord, and a good dinner was prepared in Tobias's house,

²He said to his son: Go, and bring some of our tribe that fear God, to feast with us.

³And when he had gone, returning he told him, that one of the children of Israel lay slain in the street. And he forthwith leaped up from his place at the table, and left his dinner, and came fasting to the body.

⁴And taking it up carried it privately to his house, that after the sun was down, he might bury him cautiously.

⁵And when he had hid the body, he ate bread with mourning and fear,

⁶Remembering the word which the Lord spoke by Amos the prophet: Your festival days shall be turned into lamentation and mourning.

⁷So when the sun was down, he went and buried him.

⁸Now all his neighbours blamed him, saying: once already commandment was given for thee to be slain because of this matter, and thou didst scarce escape the sentence of death, and dost thou again bury the dead?

⁹But Tobias fearing God more than the king, carried off the bodies of them that were slain, and hid them in his house, and at midnight buried them.

¹⁰Now it happened one day that being wearied with burying, he came to his house, and cast himself down by the wall and slept,

¹¹And as he was sleeping, hot dung out of a swallow's nest fell upon his eyes, and he was made blind.

¹²Now this trial the Lord therefore permitted to happen to him, that an example might be given to posterity of his patience, as also of holy Job.

¹³For whereas he had always feared God from his infancy, and kept his commandments, he repined not against God because the evil of blindness had befallen him,

¹⁴But continued immoveable in the fear of God, giving thanks to God all the days of his life.

¹⁵For as the kings insulted over holy Job: so his relations and kinsmen mocked at his life, saying:

¹⁶Where is thy hope, for which thou gavest alms, and buriedst the dead?

¹⁷But Tobias rebuked them, saying: Speak not so:

¹⁸For we are the children of saints, and look for that life which God will give to those that never change their faith from him.

¹⁹Now Anna his wife went daily to weaving work, and she brought home what she could get for their living by the labour of her hands.

²⁰Whereby it came to pass, that she received a young kid, and brought it home:

²¹And when her husband heard it bleating, he said: Take heed, lest perhaps it be stolen: restore ye it to its owners, for it is not lawful for us either to eat or to touch any thing that cometh by theft.

²²At these words his wife being angry answered: It is evident the hope is come to nothing, and thy alms now appear.

²³And with these and other such like words, she upbraided him.

Tobit 2

¹In truth, after this, when there was a feast day of the Lord, and a good dinner had been prepared in the house of Tobit,

²he said to his son: “Go, and bring some others who fear God from our tribe to feast with us.”

³And after he had gone, returning, he reported to him that one of the sons of Israel, with his throat cut, was lying in the street. And immediately, he leapt from his place reclining at table, left behind his dinner, and went forth with fasting to the body.

⁴And taking it up, he carried it in secret to his house, so that, after the sun had set, he might bury him cautiously.

⁵And after he had hidden the body, he chewed his bread with mourning and fear,

⁶remembering the word that the Lord spoke through the prophet Amos: “Your feast days shall be turned into lamentation and mourning.”

⁷Truly, when the sun had set, he went out, and he buried him.

⁸Yet all his neighbors argued with him, saying: “Now, an order was given to execute you because of this matter, and you barely escaped a death sentence, and again you are burying the dead?”

⁹But Tobit, fearing God more than the king, stole away the bodies of the slain and concealed them in his house, and in the middle of the night, he buried them.

¹⁰But it happened one day, being tired from burying the dead, he came into his house, and he threw himself down next to the wall, and he slept.

¹¹And, as he was sleeping, warm droppings from a swallow’s nest fell upon his eyes, and he was made blind.

¹²And so the Lord permitted this trial to befall him, in order that an example might be given to posterity of his patience, which is even like that of holy Job.

¹³For, even from his infancy, he had always feared God and kept his commandments, so he was not discouraged before God because of the scourge of blindness that had befallen him.

¹⁴But he remained immoveable in the fear of God, giving thanks to God all the days of his life.

¹⁵For just as kings have mocked blessed Job, so also his relatives and acquaintances ridiculed his life, saying:

¹⁶“Where is your hope, on behalf of which you gave alms and buried the dead?”

¹⁷In truth, Tobit corrected them, saying: “Do not speak in this way,

¹⁸for we are the sons of the holy ones, and we look forward to that life which God will give to those who never change in their faith before him.”

¹⁹In truth, his wife Anna went out to weaving work daily, and she brought back the provisions that she was able to obtain by the labor of her hands.

²⁰Whereupon it happened that, having received a young goat, she brought it home.

²¹When her husband heard the sound of its bleating, he said, “Look, so that it might not be stolen, return it to its owners, for it is not lawful for us either to eat, or to touch, anything stolen.”

²²At this, his wife, being angry, answered, “Clearly, your hope has become vanity, and the manner of your almsgiving has become apparent.”

²³And with these and other similar such words, she reproached him.