Tobit · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Tobit 12 Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Notes on this text (1)
- Ezra and Nehemiah form one book (2 Esdras) in this edition; the reader shows them as Ezra 1–10 and Nehemiah 1–13.
1 Καὶ ἐκάλεσε Τωβὶτ Τωβίαν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· ὅρα, τέκνον, μισθὸν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ συνελθόντι σοι· καὶ προσθεῖναι αὐτῷ δεῖ.
1 And Tobit called his son Tobias, and said to him, “See, my child, that the man which went with you have his wages, and you must give him more.”
2 Καὶ εἶπε, πάτερ, οὐ βλάπτομαι δοὺς αὐτῷ τὸ ἥμισυ ὧν ἐνήνοχα,
2 And he said to him, “Father, it is no harm to me to give him the half of those things which I have brought;
3 ὅτι με ἀγήοχέ σοι ὑγιῆ, καὶ τὴν γυναῖκά μου ἐθεράπευσε, καὶ τὸ ἀργύριόν μου ἤνεγκε, καὶ σὲ ὁμοίως ἐθεράπευσε.
3 for he has led me for you in safety, and he cured my wife, and brought my money, and likewise cured you.”
4 Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ πρεσβύτης, δικαιοῦται αὐτῷ.
4 The old man said, “It is due to him.”
5 Καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸν ἄγγελον, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, λάβε τὸ ἥμισυ πάντων ὧν ἐνηνόχατε, καὶ ὕπαγε ὑγιαίνων.
5 And he called the angel, and said to him, “Take half of all that you have brought.”
6 Τότε καλέσας τοὺς δύο κρυπτῶς, εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, εὐλογεῖτε τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ αὐτῷ ἐξομολογεῖσθε, καὶ μεγαλωσύνην δίδοτε αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐξομολογεῖσθε αὐτῷ ἐνώπιον πάντων τῶν ζώντων περὶ ὧν ἐποίησε μεθʼ ὑμῶν· ἀγαθὸν τὸ εὐλογεῖν τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ὑψοῦν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, τοὺς λόγους τῶν ἔργων τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐντίμως ὑποδεικνύοντες· καὶ μὴ ὀκνεῖτε ἐξομολογεῖσθαι αὐτῷ.
6 Then he called them both privately, and said to them, “Bless God, and give him thanks, and magnify him, and give him thanks in the sight of all that live, for the things which he has done with you. It is good to bless God and exalt his name, showing forth with honor the works of God. Don’t be slack to give him thanks.
7 Μυστήριον βασιλέως καλὸν κρύψαι, τὰ δὲ ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀνακαλύπτειν ἐνδόξως· ἀγαθὸν ποιήσατε, καὶ κακὸν οὐχ εὑρήσει ὑμᾶς.
7 It is good to conceal the secret of a king, but to reveal gloriously the works of God. Do good, and evil won’t find you.
8 Ἀγαθὸν προσευχὴ μετὰ νηστείας καὶ ἐλεημοσύνης καὶ δικαιοσύνης· ἀγαθὸν τὸ ὀλίγον μετὰ δικαιοσύνης, ἢ πολὺ μετὰ ἀδικίας· καλὸν ποιῆσαι ἐλεημοσύνην ἢ θησαυρίσαι χρυσίον.
8 Good is prayer with fasting, alms, and righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than much with unrighteousness. It is better to give alms than to lay up gold.
9 Ἐλεημοσύνη γὰρ ἐκ θανάτου ῥύεται, καὶ αὕτη ἀποκαθαριεῖ πᾶσαν ἁμαρτίαν· οἱ ποιοῦντες ἐλεημοσύνας καὶ δικαιοσύνας πλησθήσονται ζωῆς.
9 Alms delivers from death, and it purges away all sin. Those who give alms and do righteousness will be filled with life;
10 Οἱ δὲ ἁμαρτάνοντες πολέμιοί εἰσι τῆς ἑαυτῶν ζωῆς.
10 but those who sin are enemies to their own life.
11 Οὐ μὴ κρύψω ἀφʼ ὑμῶν πᾶν ῥῆμα· εἴρηκα δὴ, μυστήριον βασιλέως κρύψαι καλὸν, τὰ δὲ ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀνακαλύπτειν ἐνδόξως.
11 Surely I will conceal nothing from you. I have said, ‘It is good to conceal the secret of a king, but to reveal gloriously the works of God.’
12 Καὶ νῦν ὅτε προσηύξω σὺ καὶ ἡ νύμφη σου Σάῤῥα, ἐγὼ προσήγαγον τὸ μνημόσυνον τῆς προσευχῆς ὑμῶν ἐνώπιον τοῦ ἁγίου· καὶ ὅτε ἔθαπτες τοὺς νεκροὺς, ὡσαύτως συμπαρήγμην σοι.
12 And now, when you prayed, and Sarah your daughter-in-law, I brought the memorial of your prayer before the Holy One. When you buried the dead, I was with you likewise.
13 Καὶ ὅτε οὐκ ὤκνησας ἀναστῆναι καὶ καταλιπεῖν τὸ ἄριστόν σου, ὅπως ἀπελθὼν περιστείλῃς τὸν νεκρὸν, οὐκ ἔλαθές με ἀγαθοποιῶν, ἀλλὰ σὺν σοὶ ἤμην.
13 And when you didn’t delay to rise up, and leave your dinner, that you might go and cover the dead, your good deed was not hidden from me. I was with you.
14 Καὶ νῦν ἀπέστειλέ με ὁ Θεὸς ἰάσασθαί σε καὶ τὴν νύμφην σου Σάῤῥαν.
14 And now God sent me to heal you and Sarah your daughter-in-law.
15 Ἐγώ εἰμι Ῥαφαήλ, εἷς ἐκ τῶν ἑπτὰ ἁγίων ἀγγέλων οἳ προσαναφέρουσι τὰς προσευχὰς τῶν ἁγίων, καὶ εἰσπορεύονται ἐνώπιον τῆς δόξης τοῦ ἁγίου.
15 I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels which present the prayers of the saints and go in before the glory of the Holy One.”
16 Καὶ ἐταράχθησαν οἱ δύο, καὶ ἔπεσον ἐπὶ πρόσωπον, ὅτι ἐφοβήθησαν.
16 And they were both troubled, and fell upon their faces; for they were afraid.
17 Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, μὴ φοβεῖσθε, εἰρήνη ὑμῖν ἔσται· τὸν δὲ Θεὸν εὐλογεῖτε εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα,
17 And he said to them, “Don’t be afraid. You will all have peace; but bless God forever.
18 ὅτι οὐ τῇ ἐμαυτοῦ χάριτι, ἀλλὰ τῇ θελήσει τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἦλθον, ὅθεν εὐλογεῖτε αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.
18 For I came not of any favor of my own, but by the will of your God. Therefore bless him forever.
19 Πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ὠπτανόμην ὑμῖν, καὶ οὐκ ἔφαγον οὐδὲ ἔπιον, ἀλλὰ ὅρασιν ὑμεῖς ἐθεωρεῖτε.
19 All these days I appeared to you. I didn’t eat or drink, but you all saw a vision.
20 Καὶ νῦν ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῷ Θεῷ, διότι ἀναβαίνω πρὸς τὸν ἀποστείλαντά με, καὶ γράψατε πάντα τὰ συντελεσθέντα εἰς βιβλίον.
20 Now give God thanks, because I ascend to him who sent me. Write in a book all the things which have been done.”
21 Καὶ ἀνέστησαν, καὶ οὐκ ἔτι εἶδον αὐτόν.
21 Then they rose up, and saw him no more.
22 Καὶ ἐξωμολογοῦντο τὰ ἔργα τὰ μεγάλα καὶ θαυμαστὰ αὐτοῦ, ὡς ὤφθη αὐτοῖς ὁ ἄγγελος Κυρίου.
22 They confessed the great and wonderful works of God, and how the angel of the Lord had appeared to them.
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.