Tobit · Douay-Rheims (Challoner), American Edition 1899
Tobit 4 Douay-Rheims (Challoner), American Edition 1899
DRB Douay-Rheims (Challoner), American Edition 1899
WEB World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)
1 Therefore when Tobias thought that his prayer was heard that he might die, he called to him Tobias his son,
1 In that day Tobit remembered the money which he had left in trust with Gabael in Rages of Media,
2 And said to him: Hear, my son, the words of my mouth, and lay them as a foundation in thy heart.
2 and he said to himself, I have asked for death; why do I not call my son Tobias, that I may explain to him about the money before I die?
3 When God shall take my soul, thou shalt bury my body: and thou shalt honour thy mother all the days of her life:
3 And he called him, and said, “My child, if I die, bury me. Don’t despise your mother. Honor her all the days of your life, and do that which is pleasing to her, and don’t grieve her.
4 For thou must be mindful what and how great perils she suffered for thee in her womb.
4 Remember, my child, that she has seen many dangers for you, when you were in her womb. When she is dead, bury her by me in one grave.
5 And when she also shall have ended the time of her life, bury her by me.
5 My child, be mindful of the Lord our God all your days, and don’t let your will be set to sin and to transgress his commandments: do righteousness all the days of your life, and don’t follow the ways of unrighteousness.
6 And 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.
6 For if you do what is true, your deeds will prosperously succeed for you, and for all those who do righteousness.
7 Give 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.
7 Give alms from your possessions. When you give alms, don’t let your eye be envious. Don’t turn away your face from any poor man, and the face of God won’t be turned away from you.
8 According to thy ability be merciful.
8 As your possessions are, give alms of it according to your abundance. If you have little, don’t be afraid to give alms according to that little;
9 If thou have much give abundantly: if thou have a little, take care even so to bestow willingly a little.
9 for you lay up a good treasure for yourself against the day of necessity;
10 For thus thou storest up to thyself a good reward for the day of necessity.
10 because alms-giving delivers from death, and doesn’t allow you to come into darkness.
11 For alms deliver from all sin, and from death, and will not suffer the soul to go into darkness.
11 Alms is a good gift in the sight of the Most High for all that give it.
12 Alms shall be a great confidence before the most high God, to all them that give it.
12 Beware, my child, of all fornication, and take first a wife of the seed of your fathers. Don’t take a strange wife, who is not of your father’s tribe; for we are the descendants of the prophets. Remember, my child, that Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our fathers of old time, all took wives of their kindred, and were blessed in their children, and their seed will inherit the land.
13 Take heed to keep thyself, my son, from all fornication, and beside thy wife never endure to know a crime.
13 And now, my child, love your kindred, and don’t scorn your kindred and the sons and the daughters of your people in your heart, to take a wife of them; for in scornfulness is destruction and much trouble, and in idleness is decay and great lack; for idleness is the mother of famine.
14 Never suffer pride to reign in thy mind, or in thy words: for from it all perdition took its beginning.
14 Don’t let the wages of any man who works for you wait with you, but give it to him out of hand. If you serve God, you will be rewarded. Take heed to yourself, my child, in all your works, and be discreet in all your behavior.
15 If 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.
15 And what you yourself hate, do to no man. Don’t drink wine to drunkenness, and don’t let drunkenness go with you on your way.
16 See thou never do to another what thou wouldst hate to have done to thee by another.
16 Give of your bread to the hungry, and of your garments to those who are naked. Give alms from all your abundance. Don’t let your eye be envious when you give alms.
17 Eat thy bread with the hungry and the needy, and with thy garments cover the naked.
17 Pour out your bread on the burial of the just, and give nothing to sinners.
18 Lay out thy bread, and thy wine upon the burial of a just man, and do not eat and drink thereof with the wicked.
18 Ask counsel of every man who is wise, and don’t despise any counsel that is profitable.
19 Seek counsel always of a wise man.
19 Bless the Lord your God at all times, and ask of him that your ways may be made straight, and that all your paths and counsels may prosper; for every nation has no counsel; but the Lord himself gives all good things, and he humbles whom he will, as he will. And now, my child, remember my commandments, and let them not be blotted out of your mind.
20 Bless God at all times: and desire of him to direct thy ways, and that all thy counsels may abide in him.
20 And now I explain to you about the ten talents of silver, which I left in trust with Gabael the son of Gabrias at Rages of Media.
21 I 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:
21 And fear not, my child, because we are made poor. You have much wealth, if you fear God, and depart from all sin, and do that which is pleasing in his sight.”
22 Now 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.
22 Not in this translation
23 Fear 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.
23 Not in this translation
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
When you can do good, defer it not, because "alms delivers from death." Be all of you subject one to another "having your conduct blameless among the Gentiles," that ye may both receive praise for your good works, and the Lord may not be blasphemed through you.
He told him to give to the poor, charged him to give alms to the needy, and taught him, saying, "My son, alms suffereth not to come into darkness." The blind gave counsel for receiving and gaining light.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)
Ye know this, that Tobit warned his son, and said to him, "Son, give alms of thy substance; because that alms suffer not to come into darkness." Even he who was in darkness spoke thus....Dost thou wish to know that light?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)