Tobit 4 Clementine Vulgate
1 Igitur cum Tobias putaret orationem suam exaudiri ut mori potuisset, vocavit ad se Tobiam filium suum,
1 In that day Tobit remembered the money which he had left in trust with Gabael in Rages of Media,
2 dixitque ei: Audi, fili mi, verba oris mei, et ea in corde tuo quasi fundamentum construe.
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 Cum acceperit Deus animam meam, corpus meum sepeli: et honorem habebis matri tuæ omnibus diebus vitæ ejus:
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 memor enim esse debes, quæ et quanta pericula passa sit propter te in utero suo.
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 Cum autem et ipsa compleverit tempus vitæ suæ, sepelias eam circa 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 Omnibus autem diebus vitæ tuæ in mente habeto Deum: et cave ne aliquando peccato consentias, et prætermittas præcepta Domini Dei nostri.
6 For if you do what is true, your deeds will prosperously succeed for you, and for all those who do righteousness.
7 Ex substantia tua fac eleemosynam, et noli avertere faciem tuam ab ullo paupere: ita enim fiet ut nec a te avertatur facies Domini.
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 Quomodo potueris, ita esto misericors.
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 Si multum tibi fuerit, abundanter tribue: si exiguum tibi fuerit, etiam exiguum libenter impertiri stude.
9 for you lay up a good treasure for yourself against the day of necessity;
10 Præmium enim bonum tibi thesaurizas in die necessitatis:
10 because alms-giving delivers from death, and doesn’t allow you to come into darkness.
11 quoniam eleemosyna ab omni peccato et a morte liberat, et non patietur animam ire in tenebras.
11 Alms is a good gift in the sight of the Most High for all that give it.
12 Fiducia magna erit coram summo Deo, eleemosyna omnibus facientibus eam.
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 Attende tibi, fili mi, ab omni fornicatione, et præter uxorem tuam numquam patiaris crimen scire.
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 Superbiam numquam in tuo sensu aut in tuo verbo dominari permittas: in ipsa enim initium sumpsit omnis perditio.
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 Quicumque tibi aliquid operatus fuerit, statim ei mercedem restitue, et merces mercenarii tui apud te omnino non remaneat.
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 Quod ab alio oderis fieri tibi, vide ne tu aliquando alteri facias.
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 Panem tuum cum esurientibus et egenis comede, et de vestimentis tuis nudos tege.
17 Pour out your bread on the burial of the just, and give nothing to sinners.
18 Panem tuum et vinum tuum super sepulturam justi constitue, et noli ex eo manducare et bibere cum peccatoribus.
18 Ask counsel of every man who is wise, and don’t despise any counsel that is profitable.
19 Consilium semper a sapiente perquire.
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 Omni tempore benedic Deum: et pete ab eo ut vias tuas dirigat, et omnia consilia tua in ipso permaneant.
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 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:
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 et ideo perquire quomodo ad eum pervenias, et recipias ab eo supra memoratum pondus argenti, et restituas ei chirographum suum.
22 Not in this translation
23 Noli timere, fili mi: pauperem quidem vitam gerimus, sed multa bona habebimus si timuerimus Deum, et recesserimus ab omni peccato, et fecerimus bene.
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)