1 Igitur cum Tobias putaret orationem suam exaudiri ut mori potuisset, vocavit ad se Tobiam filium suum, 2 dixitque ei: Audi, fili mi, verba oris mei, et ea in corde tuo quasi fundamentum construe. 3 Cum acceperit Deus animam meam, corpus meum sepeli: et honorem habebis matri tuæ omnibus diebus vitæ ejus: 4 memor enim esse debes, quæ et quanta pericula passa sit propter te in utero suo. 5 Cum autem et ipsa compleverit tempus vitæ suæ, sepelias eam circa me. 6 Omnibus autem diebus vitæ tuæ in mente habeto Deum: et cave ne aliquando peccato consentias, et prætermittas præcepta Domini Dei nostri. 7 Ex substantia tua fac eleemosynam, et noli avertere faciem tuam ab ullo paupere: ita enim fiet ut nec a te avertatur facies Domini. 8 Quomodo potueris, ita esto misericors. 9 Si multum tibi fuerit, abundanter tribue: si exiguum tibi fuerit, etiam exiguum libenter impertiri stude. 10 Præmium enim bonum tibi thesaurizas in die necessitatis: 11 quoniam eleemosyna ab omni peccato et a morte liberat, et non patietur animam ire in tenebras. 12 Fiducia magna erit coram summo Deo, eleemosyna omnibus facientibus eam. 13 Attende tibi, fili mi, ab omni fornicatione, et præter uxorem tuam numquam patiaris crimen scire. 14 Superbiam numquam in tuo sensu aut in tuo verbo dominari permittas: in ipsa enim initium sumpsit omnis perditio. 15 Quicumque tibi aliquid operatus fuerit, statim ei mercedem restitue, et merces mercenarii tui apud te omnino non remaneat. 16 Quod ab alio oderis fieri tibi, vide ne tu aliquando alteri facias. 17 Panem tuum cum esurientibus et egenis comede, et de vestimentis tuis nudos tege. 18 Panem tuum et vinum tuum super sepulturam justi constitue, et noli ex eo manducare et bibere cum peccatoribus. 19 Consilium semper a sapiente perquire. 20 Omni tempore benedic Deum: et pete ab eo ut vias tuas dirigat, et omnia consilia tua in ipso permaneant. 21 Indico etiam tibi, fili mi, dedisse me decem talenta argenti, dum adhuc infantulus esses, Gabelo, in Rages civitate Medorum, et chirographum ejus apud me habeo: 22 et ideo perquire quomodo ad eum pervenias, et recipias ab eo supra memoratum pondus argenti, et restituas ei chirographum suum. 23 Noli timere, fili mi: pauperem quidem vitam gerimus, sed multa bona habebimus si timuerimus Deum, et recesserimus ab omni peccato, et fecerimus bene.
Tobit 4 Clementine Vulgate
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)