1 Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐμνήσθη Τωβὶτ περὶ τοῦ ἀργυρίου, οὗ παρέθετο Γαβαὴλ ἐν Ῥάγοις τῆς Μηδίας. 2 Καὶ εἶπεν ἐν ἑαυτῷ, ἐγὼ ᾐτησάμην θάνατον, τί οὐ καλῶ Τωβίαν τὸν υἱόν μου, ἵνα αὐτῷ ὑποδείξω, πρὶν ἀποθανεῖν με; 3 Καὶ καλέσας αὐτὸν, εἶπε, παιδίον, ἐὰν ἀποθάνω, θάψον με, καὶ μὴ ὑπερίδῃς τὴν μητέρα σου· τίμα αὐτὴν πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς σου, καὶ ποίει τὸ ἀρεστὸν αὐτῇ, καὶ μὴ λυπήσῃς αὐτήν. 4 Μνήσθητι, παιδίον, ὅτι πολλοὺς κινδύνους ἑώρακεν ἐπὶ σοὶ ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ· ὅταν ἀποθάνῃ, θάψον αὐτὴν παρʼ ἐμοὶ ἐν ἑνὶ τάφῳ. 5 Πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας, παιδίον, Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν μνημόνευε, καὶ μὴ θελήσῃς ἁμαρτάνειν καὶ παραβῆναι τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ· δικαιοσύνην ποίει πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς σου, καὶ μὴ πορευθῇς ταῖς ὁδοῖς τῆς ἀδικίας. 6 Διότι ποιουντός σου τὴν ἀλήθειαν, εὐοδίαι ἔσονται ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις σου, καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ποιοῦσι τὴν δικαιοσύνην. 7 Ἐκ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων σοι ποίει ἐλεημοσύνην, καὶ μὴ φθονεσάτω σου ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς ἐν τῷ ποιεῖν σε ἐλεημοσύνην· μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπὸ παντὸς πτωχοῦ, καὶ ἀπὸ σοῦ οὐ μὴ ἀποστραφῇ τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Θεοῦ. 7a Ὡς σοὶ ὑπάρχοι κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος, ποίησον ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐλεημοσύνην· ἐὰν ὀλίγον σοι ὑπάρχῃ, κατὰ τὸ ὀλίγον μὴ φοβοῦ ποιεῖν ἐλεημοσύνην. 7b Θέμα γὰρ ἀγαθὸν θησαυρίζεις σεαυτῷ εἰς ἡμέραν ἀνάγκης. 7c Διότι ἐλεημοσύνη ἐκ θανάτου ῥύεται, καὶ οὐκ ἐᾴ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸ σκότος. 7d Δῶρον γὰρ ἀγαθόν ἐστιν ἐλεημοσύνη πᾶσι τοῖς ποιοῦσιν αὐτὴν ἐνώπιον τοῦ ὑψίστου. 7e Πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ, παιδίον, ἀπὸ πάσης πορνείας, καὶ γυναῖκα πρῶτον λάβε ἀπὸ τοῦ σπέρματος τῶν πατέρων σου· μὴ λάβῃς γυναῖκα ἀλλοτρίαν, ἣ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς τοῦ πατέρος σου, διότι υἱοὶ προφητῶν ἐσμέν, Νῶε, Ἁβραάμ, Ἰσαάκ, Ἰακώβ. Οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος, μνήσθητι, παιδίον, ὅτι αὐτοὶ πάντες ἔλαβον γυναῖκας ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτῶν, καὶ εὐλογήθησαν ἐν τοῖς τέκνοις αὐτῶν, καὶ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτῶν κληρονομήσει γῆν. 7f Καὶ νῦν, παιδίον, ἀγάπα τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου, καὶ μὴ ὑπερηφανεύου τῇ καρδίᾳ σου ἀπὸ τῶν ἀδελφῶν σου, καὶ τῶν υἱῶν καὶ θυγατέρων τοῦ λαοῦ σου, λαβεῖν σεαυτῷ ἐξ αὐτῶν γυναῖκα· διότι ἐν τῇ ὑπερηφανίᾳ ἀπώλεια καὶ ἀκαταστασία πολλή, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀχρειότητι ἐλάττωσις καὶ ἔνδεια μεγάλη· ἡ γὰρ ἀχρειότης μήτηρ ἐστὶ τοῦ λιμοῦ. 7g Μισθὸς παντὸς ἀνθρώπου ὃς ἐὰν ἐργάσηται, παρὰ σοὶ μὴ αὐλισθήτω, ἀλλʼ ἀπόδος αὐτῷ παρʼ αὐτίκα· ἐὰν δουλεύσῃς τῷ Θεῷ, ἀποδοθήσεταί σοι· πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ, παιδίον, ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔργοις σου, καὶ ἴσθι πεπαιδευμένος ἐν πάσῃ ἀναστροφῇ σου. 7h Καὶ ὃ μισεῖς, μηδενὶ ποιήσῃς· οἶνον εἰς μέθην μὴ πίῃς, καὶ μὴ πορευθήτω μετὰ σοῦ μέθη ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ σου. 7i Ἐκ τοῦ ἄρτου σου δίδου πεινῶντι, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἱματίων σου τοῖς γυμνοῖς· πᾶν ὃ ἐὰν περισσεύσῃ σοι, ποίει ἐλεημοσύνην, καὶ μὴ φθονεσάτω σου ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς ἐν τῷ ποιεῖν σε ἐλεημοσύνην. 7k Εκχεον τοὺς ἄρτους σου ἐπὶ τὸν τάφον τῶν δικαίων, καὶ μὴ δῷς τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς. 7l Συμβουλίαν παρὰ παντὸς φρονίμου ζήτησον, καὶ μὴ καταφρονήσῃς ἐπὶ πάσης συμβουλίας χρησίμης. 19 Καὶ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ εὐλόγει Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ παρʼ αὐτοῦ αἴτησον, ὅπως αἱ ὁδοί σου εὐθεῖαι γένωνται, καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ τρίβοι καὶ βουλαὶ σου εὐοδωθῶσι· διότι πᾶν ἔθνος οὐκ ἔχει βουλὴν, ἀλλʼ αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος δίδωσι πάντα τὰ ἀγαθὰ, καὶ ὃν ἐὰν θέλῃ, ταπεινοῖ καθὼς βούλεται· καὶ νῦν, παιδίον, μνημόνευε τῶν ἐντολῶν μου, καὶ μὴ ἐξαλειφθήτωσαν ἐκ τῆς καρδίας σου. 20 Καὶ νῦν ὑποδεικνύω σοι τὰ δέκα τάλαντα τοῦ ἀργυρίου, ἃ παρεθέμην Γαβαήλῳ τῷ τοῦ Γαβρία ἐν Ῥάγοις τῆς Μηδίας. 21 Καὶ μὴ φοβοῦ, παιδίον, ὅτι ἐπτωχεύσαμεν· ὑπάρχει σοι πολλὰ, ἐὰν φοβηθῇς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ἀποστῇς ἀπὸ πάσης ἁμαρτίας, καὶ ποιήσῃς τὸ ἀρεστὸν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ.
Tobit · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Tobit 4 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.
There are no verses 8–18 in this translation; the other verses keep their usual numbers.
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)