1*The book of the acts^a of Tobit the son of Tobi'el, son of Anan'iel, son of Adu'el, son of Gab'ael, of the descendants of As'i-el and the tribe of Naph'tali, ²who in the days of Shalmane'ser,^b king of the Assyrians, was taken into captivity from Thisbe, which is to the south of Ke'desh Naph'tali in Galilee above Asher.

³I, Tobit, walked in the ways of truth and righteousness all the days of my life, and I performed many acts of charity to my brethren and countrymen who went with me into the land of the Assyrians, to Nin'eveh. ⁴Now when I was in my own country, in the land of Israel, while I was still a young man, the whole tribe of Naph'tali my forefather deserted the house of Jerusalem. This was the place which had been chosen from among all the tribes of Israel, where all the tribes should sacrifice and where the temple of the dwelling of the Most High was consecrated and established for all generations for ever.

⁵All the tribes that joined in apostasy used to sacrifice to the calf^c Ba'al, and so did the house of Naph'tali my forefather. ⁶But I alone went often to Jerusalem for the feasts, as it is ordained for all Israel by an everlasting decree. Taking the first fruits and the tithes of my produce and the first shearings, I would give these to the priests, the sons of Aaron, at the altar. ⁷Of all my produce I would give a tenth to the sons of Levi who ministered at Jerusalem; a second tenth I would sell, and I would go and spend the proceeds each year at Jerusalem; ⁸the third tenth I would give to those to whom it was my duty, as Deborah my father’s mother had commanded me, for I was left an orphan by my father. ⁹When I became a man I married Anna, a member of our family, and by her I became the father of Tobi'as.

¹⁰Now when I was carried away captive to Nin'eveh, all my brethren and my relatives ate the food of the Gentiles; ¹¹but I kept myself from eating it, ¹²because I remembered God with all my heart. ¹³Then the Most High gave me favor and good appearance in the sight of Shalmane'ser,^b and I was his buyer of provisions. ¹⁴So I used to go into Med'ia, and once at Ra'ges in Med'ia I left ten talents of silver in trust with Gab'ael, the brother of Ga'brias. ¹⁵But when Shalmane'ser^b died, Sennach'erib his son reigned in his place; and under him the highways were unsafe, so that I could no longer go into Med'ia.

¹⁶In the days of Shalmane'ser^b I performed many acts of charity to my brethren. ¹⁷I would give my bread to the hungry and my clothing to the naked; and if I saw any one of my people dead and thrown out behind the wall of Nin'eveh, I would bury him. ¹⁸And if Sennach'erib the king put to death any who came fleeing from Judea, I buried them secretly. For in his anger he put many to death. When the bodies were sought by the king, they were not found. ¹⁹Then one of the men of Nin'eveh went and informed the king about me, that I was burying them; so I hid myself. When I learned that I was being searched for, to be put to death, I left home in fear. ²⁰Then all my property was confiscated and nothing was left to me except my wife Anna and my son Tobi'as.

²¹But not fifty^d days passed before two of Sennach'erib’s^e sons killed him, and they fled to the mountains of Ar'arat. Then E'sar-had'don,^f his son, reigned in his place; and he appointed Ahi'kar, the son of my brother An'ael, over all the accounts of his kingdom and over the entire administration. ²²Ahi'kar interceded for me, and I returned to Nin'eveh. Now Ahikar was cupbearer, keeper of the signet, and in charge of administration of the accounts, for E'sar-had'don^f had appointed him second to himself.^g He was my nephew.

⁷When the sun had set I went and dug a grave and buried the body.^{h 8}And my neighbors laughed at me and said, “He is still not afraid; he has already been hunted down to be put to death for doing this, and he ran away, yet here he is burying the dead again!” ⁹On the same night after I, Tobit, returned from burying the dead, I went into my courtyard and slept by the wall of the courtyard, and my face was uncovered because of the heat. ¹⁰I did not know that there were sparrows on the wall and their fresh droppings fell into my open eyes and white films formed on my eyes. I went to physicians to be healed, but the more they treated me with ointments, the more my vision was obscured by the white films, until I became completely blind. For four years I remained unable to see. All my kindred were sorry for me, and Ahi'kar took care of me for two years until heⁱ went to El''yma'is.

¹¹Then my wife Anna earned money at women’s work. ¹²She used to send the product to the owners, and they paid her wages. One day, the seventh of Dystrus, when she cut off a piece she had woven and sent it to the owners, they paid her full wages and they also gave her a kid. ¹³When she returned to me it began to bleat. So I called her and said to her, “Where did you get the kid? It is not stolen, is it? Return it to the owners; for it is not right to eat what is stolen.” ¹⁴And she said, “It was given to me as a gift in addition to my wages.” But I did not believe her, and told her to return it to the owners; and I blushed for her. Then she replied to me, “Where are your charities and your righteous deeds? You seem to know everything!”

⁷On the same day, at Ecbat'ana in Med'ia, it also happened that Sarah, the daughter of Rag'uel, was reproached by her father’s maids, ⁸because she had been given to seven husbands, and the evil demon As''mode'us had slain each of them before he had been with her as his wife. So the maids^j said to her, “You are the one who kills your husbands! See, you already have had seven and have had no benefit from^k any of them. ⁹Why do you beat us? Because your husbands are dead? Go with them! May we never see a son or daughter of yours!”

¹⁰On that day she was deeply grieved in spirit and wept. When she had gone up to her father’s upper room, she intended to hang herself. But she thought it over and said, “Never shall they reproach my father, saying to him, ‘You only had one beloved daughter but she hanged herself because of her distress.’ And I shall bring his old age down in sorrow to the grave.^l It is better for me not to hang myself, but to pray the Lord that I may die and not listen to these reproaches any more.” ¹¹At that same time, with hands outstretched toward the window, she prayed and said, “Blessed are you, O Lord, merciful God, and blessed is your holy and honored name for ever. May all your works praise you for ever. ¹²And now, O Lord, I have turned my eyes and my face toward you. ¹³Command that I be released from the earth and that I hear reproach no more. ¹⁴You know, O Lord, that I am innocent of any sin with man, ¹⁵and that I did not stain my name or the name of my father in the land of my captivity. I am my father’s only child, and he has no child to be his heir, no near kinsman or kinsman’s^m son for whom I should keep myself as wife. Already seven husbands of mine are dead. Why should I live? But if it be not pleasing to you to take my life, command that respect be shown to me and pity be taken upon me, and that I hear reproach no more.”

¹⁶At that very moment the prayer of both was heard in the presence of the glory of the great God. ¹⁷And Ra'phaelⁿ was sent to heal the two of them: to scale away the white films of Tobit’s eyes; to give Sarah the daughter of Rag'uel in marriage to Tobi'as the son of Tobit, and to bind As''mode'us the evil demon, because Tobias was entitled to possess her. At that very moment Tobit returned and entered his house and Sarah the daughter of Raguel came down from her upper room.

4On that day Tobit remembered the money which he had left in trust with Gab'ael at Ra'ges in Med'ia, and he said to himself: ²“I have asked for death. Why do I not call my son Tobi'as so that I may explain to him about the money^o before I die?” ³So he called him and said, “My son, when I die, bury me, and do not neglect your mother. Honor her all the days of your life; do what is pleasing to her, and do not grieve her. ⁴Remember, my son, that she faced many dangers for you while you were yet unborn. When she dies, bury her beside me in the same grave.

⁵“Remember the Lord our God all your days, my son, and refuse to sin or to transgress his commandments. Live uprightly all the days of your life, and do not walk in the ways of wrongdoing. ⁶For if you do what is true, your ways will prosper through your deeds. ⁷Give alms from your possessions to all who live uprightly, and do not let your eye begrudge the gift when you make it. Do not turn your face away from any poor man, and the face of God will not be turned away from you. ⁸If you have many possessions, make your gift from them in proportion; if few, do not be afraid to give according to the little you have. ⁹So you will be laying up a good treasure for yourself against the day of necessity. ¹⁰For charity* delivers from death and keeps you from entering the darkness; ¹¹and for all who practice it charity is an excellent offering in the presence of the Most High.

¹²“Beware, my son, of all immorality.* First of all take a wife from among the descendants of your fathers and do not marry a foreign woman, who is not of your father’s tribe; for we are the sons of the prophets. Remember, my son, that Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our fathers of old, all took wives from among their brethren. They were blessed in their children, and their posterity will inherit the land. ¹³So now, my son, love your brethren, and in your heart do not disdain your brethren and the sons and daughters of your people by refusing to take a wife for yourself from among them. For in pride there is ruin and great confusion; and in shiftlessness there is loss and great want, because shiftlessness is the mother of famine. ¹⁴Do not hold over till the next day the wages of any man who works for you, but pay him at once; and if you serve God you will receive payment.

“Watch yourself, my son, in everything you do, and be disciplined in all your conduct. ¹⁵And what you hate, do not do to any one. Do not drink wine to excess or let drunkenness go with you on your way. ¹⁶Give of your bread to the hungry, and of your clothing to the naked. Give all your surplus to charity, and do not let your eye begrudge the gift when you make it. ¹⁷Place your bread* on the grave of the righteous, but give none to sinners. ¹⁸Seek advice from every wise man, and do not despise any useful counsel. ¹⁹Bless the Lord God on every occasion; ask him that your ways may be made straight and that all your paths and plans may prosper. For none of the nations has understanding; but the Lord himself gives all good things, and according to his will he humbles whomever he wishes.

“So, my son, remember my commands, and do not let them be blotted out of your mind. ²⁰And now let me explain to you about the ten talents of silver which I left in trust with Gab'ael the son of Ga'brias at Ra'ges in Med'ia. ²¹Do not be afraid, my son, because we have become poor. You have great wealth if you fear God and refrain from every sin and do what is pleasing in his sight.”

5Then Tobi'as answered him, “Father, I will do everything that you have commanded me; ²but how can I obtain the money when I do not know the man?” ³Then Tobit gave him the receipt, and said to him, “Find a man to go with you and I will pay him wages as long as I live; and go and get the money.” ⁴So he went to look for a man; and he found Ra'phael, who was an angel, ⁵but Tobi'as^p did not know it. Tobias^p said to him, “Can you go with me to Ra'ges in Med'ia? Are you acquainted with that region?” ⁶The angel replied, “I will go with you; I am familiar with the way, and I have stayed with our brother Gab'ael.” ⁷Then Tobi'as said to him, “Wait for me, and I shall tell my father.” ⁸And he said to him, “Go, and do not delay.” So he went in and said to his father, “I have found some one to go with me.” He said, “Call him to me, so that I may learn to what tribe he belongs, and whether he is a reliable man to go with you.”

⁹So Tobi'as^p invited him in; he entered and they greeted each other. ¹⁰Then Tobit said to him, “My brother, to what tribe and family do you belong? Tell me.” ¹¹But he answered, “Are you looking for a tribe and a family or for a man whom you will pay to go with your son?” And Tobit said to him, “I should like to know, my brother, your people and your name.” ¹²He replied, “I am Azari'as the son of the great Anani'as, one of your relatives.” ¹³Then Tobit said to him, “You are welcome, my brother. Do not be angry with me because I tried to learn your tribe and family. You are a relative of mine, of a good and noble lineage. For I used to know Anani'as and Ja'than, the sons of the great Shemai'ah, when we went together to Jerusalem to worship and offered the first-born of our flocks and the tithes of our produce. They did not go astray in the error of our brethren. My brother, you come of good stock. ¹⁴But tell me, what wages am I to pay you—a drachma a day, and expenses for yourself as for my son? ¹⁵And besides, I will add to your wages if you both return safe and sound.” So they agreed to these terms.

¹⁶Then he said to Tobi'as, “Get ready for the journey, and good success to you both.” So his son made the preparations for the journey. And his father said to him, “Go with this man; God who dwells in heaven will prosper your way, and may his angel attend you.” So they both went out and departed, and the young man’s dog was with them.

¹⁷But Anna,^q his mother, began to weep, and said to Tobit, “Why have you sent our child away? Is he not the staff of our hands as he goes in and out before us? ¹⁸Do not add money to money, but consider it rubbish as compared to our child. ¹⁹For the life that is given to us by the Lord is enough for us.” ²⁰And Tobit said to her, “Do not worry, my sister; he will return safe and sound, and your eyes will see him. ²¹For a good angel will go with him; his journey will be successful, and he will come back safe and sound.” ²²So she stopped weeping.

And they both continued on their way until they came near to Ecbat'ana.^{r 6}Then the young man said to the angel, “Brother Azari'as, of what use is the liver and heart and gall of the fish?” ⁷He replied, “As for the heart and liver, if a demon or evil spirit gives trouble to any one, you make a smoke from these before the man or woman, and that person will never be troubled again. ⁸And as for the gall, anoint with it a man who has white films in his eyes, and he will be cured.”

⁹When he entered Med'ia and was already approaching Ecbat'ana, ¹⁰Ra'phael said to the young man, “Brother Tobi'as!” “Here I am,” he answered. Then Raphael said to him, “We must stay this night in the home of Ra'guel. He is your relative, and he has a daughter named Sarah. He has no male heir and no daughter except Sarah only, and you, as next of kin to her, have before all other men a hereditary claim on her. ¹¹Also, it is right for you to inherit her father’s possessions. ¹²Moreover, the girl is sensible, brave, and very beautiful, and her father is a good man.”

¹³Then the young man said to the angel, “Brother Azari'as, I have heard that the girl has been given to seven husbands and that each died in the bridal chamber. ¹⁴Now I am the only son my father has, and I am afraid that if I go in I will die as those before me did, for a demon is in love with her, and he harms no one except those who approach her. So now I fear that I may die and bring the lives of my father and mother to the grave in sorrow on my account. And they have no other son to bury them.”

¹⁵But the angel said to him, “Do you not remember the words with which your father commanded you to take a wife from among your own people? Now listen to me, brother, for she will become your wife; and do not worry about the demon, for this very night she will be given to you in marriage. ¹⁶When you enter the bridal chamber, you shall take live ashes of incense and lay upon them some of the heart and liver of the fish so as to make a smoke. ¹⁷Then the demon will smell it and flee away, and will never again return. And when you approach her, rise up, both of you, and cry out to the merciful God, and he will save you and have mercy on you. Do not be afraid, for she was destined for you from eternity. You will save her, and she will go with you, and I suppose that you will have children by her.” When Tobi'as heard these things, he fell in love with her and yearned deeply for her.

⁹Then Rag'uel killed a ram from the flock and received them very warmly. When they had bathed and washed themselves and had reclined to dine, Tobi'as said to Ra'phael, “Brother Azari'as, ask Raguel to give me my kinswoman Sarah.” ¹⁰But Rag'uel overheard it and said to Tobi'as, “Eat, drink, and be merry; for no one except you, brother, has the right to marry my daughter Sarah. Likewise, I am not at liberty to give her to any other man than yourself, because you are my nearest relative. ¹¹But let me explain the true situation to you. I have given my daughter to seven men of our kinsmen, and when each came to her he died in the night. But for the present, my child, eat and drink, and the Lord will act on behalf of you both.” But Tobi'as said, “I will eat nothing here unless you make a binding agreement with me.” ¹²So Rag'uel said, “I will do so. She is given to you in accordance with the decree in the book of Moses, and it has been decreed from heaven that she be given to you. Take your kinswoman; from now on you are her brother and she is your sister. She is given to you from today and for ever. May the Lord of heaven, my child, guide and prosper you both this night and grant you mercy and peace.” ¹³Then he called his daughter Sarah, and taking her by the hand he gave her to Tobi'as to be his wife, saying, “Here she is; take her to be your wife in accordance with the law and the decree written in the book of Moses. Take her and bring her safely to your father. And may the God of heaven prosper your journey with his peace.” ¹⁴Then he called her mother and told her to bring writing material; and he wrote out a copy of the marriage contract, to the effect that he gave her to him as wife according to the law of Moses. ¹⁵Then they began to eat and drink.

¹⁶And Rag'uel called his wife Edna and said to her, “Sister, make up the other room, and take her into it.” ¹⁷So she did as he said, and took her there; and the girl^s began to weep. But the mother^s comforted her daughter in her tears, and said to her, ¹⁸“Be brave, my child; the Lord of heaven and earth grant you joy^t in place of this sorrow of yours. Be brave, my daughter.”

But Rag'uel arose and went and dug a grave, ¹⁰with the thought, “Perhaps he too will die.” ¹¹Then Rag'uel went into his house ¹²and said to his wife Edna, “Send one of the maids to see whether he is alive; and if he is not, let us bury him without any one knowing about it.” ¹³So the maid opened the door and went in, and found them both asleep. ¹⁴And she came out and told them that he was alive. ¹⁵Then Rag'uel blessed God and said,

¹⁹After this he gave a wedding feast for them which lasted fourteen days. ²⁰And before the days of the feast were over, Rag'uel declared by oath to Tobi'as^u that he should not leave until the fourteen days of the wedding feast were ended, ²¹that then he should take half of Rag'uel’s^v property and return in safety to his father, and that the rest would be his “when my wife and I die.”

9Then Tobi'as called Ra'phael and said to him, ²“Brother Azari'as, take a servant and two camels with you and go to Gab'ael at Ra'ges in Med'ia and get the money for me; and bring him to the wedding feast. ³For Rag'uel has sworn that I should not leave; ⁴but my father is counting the days, and if I delay long he will be greatly distressed.” ⁵So Ra'phael made the journey and stayed overnight with Gab'ael. He gave him the receipt, and Gabael^w brought out the money bags with their seals intact and gave them to him. ⁶In the morning they both got up early and came to the wedding feast. And Gab'ael blessed Tobi'as and his wife.^x

10Now his father Tobit was counting each day, and when the days for the journey had expired and they did not arrive, ²he said, “Is it possible that he has been detained?^y Or is it possible that Gab'ael has died and there is no one to give him the money?” ³And he was greatly distressed. ⁴And his wife said to him, “The lad has perished; his long delay proves it.” Then she began to mourn for him, and said, ⁵“Am I not distressed, my child, that I let you go, you who are the light of my eyes?” ⁶But Tobit said to her, “Be still and stop worrying; he is well.” ⁷And she answered him, “Be still and stop deceiving me; my child has perished.” And she went out every day to the road by which they had left; she ate nothing in the daytime, and throughout the nights she never stopped mourning for her son Tobi'as, until the fourteen days of the wedding feast had expired which Rag'uel had sworn that he should spend there.

At that time Tobias said to Raguel, “Send me back, for my father and mother have given up hope of ever seeing me again.” ⁸But his father-in-law said to him, “Stay with me, and I will send messengers to your father, and they will inform him how things are with you.” ⁹Tobi'as replied, “No, send me back to my father.” ¹⁰So Rag'uel arose and gave him his wife Sarah and half of his property in slaves, cattle, and money. ¹¹And when he had blessed them he sent them away, saying, “The God of heaven will prosper you, my children, before I die.” ¹²He said also to his daughter, “Honor your father-in-law and your mother-in-law; they are now your parents. Let me hear a good report of you.” And he kissed her. And Edna said to Tobi'as, “The Lord of heaven bring you back safely, dear brother, and grant me to see your children by my daughter Sarah, that I may rejoice before the Lord. See, I am entrusting my daughter to you; do nothing to grieve her.”

11After this Tobi'as went on his way, praising God because he had made his journey a success. And he blessed Rag'uel and his wife Edna. So he continued on his way until they came near to Nin'eveh. ²Then Ra'phael said to Tobi'as, “Are you not aware, brother, of how you left your father? ³Let us run ahead of your wife and prepare the house. ⁴And take the gall of the fish with you.” So they went their way, and the dog went along behind them. ⁵Now Anna sat looking intently down the road for her son. ⁶And she caught sight of him coming, and said to his father, “Behold, your son is coming, and so is the man who went with him!”

⁷Ra'phael said to Tobi'as, before they approached his father, “I know that his eyes will be opened. ⁸Smear the gall of the fish on his eyes, and the medicine will cause the white films to fall away. And your father will regain his sight and see the light.”

⁹Then Anna ran to meet them, and embraced her son, and said to him, “I have seen you, my child; now I am ready to die.” And she wept. ¹⁰Tobit got up, and came stumbling out through the courtyard door. But his son ran to him ¹¹with the gall of the fish in his hand, and holding him firmly, he blew into his eyes, saying, “Take courage, Father.” ¹²With this he applied the medicine on his eyes. ¹³Next, with both his hands, he peeled off the white films from the corners of his eyes. ¹⁴Then he saw his son and embraced him, and he wept and said, “Here I see my son, the light of my eyes!” Then he said, “Blessed be God, and blessed be his great name, and blessed be all his holy angels. May his holy name be blessed throughout all the ages. ¹⁵Though he afflicted me, he has had mercy on me. Now I see my son Tobi'as!”

¹⁶And his son went in rejoicing, and he reported to his father the great things that had happened to him in Med'ia. Then Tobit went out to meet his daughter-in-law at the gate of Nin'eveh, rejoicing and praising God. Those who saw him as he went were amazed because he could see. ¹⁷And Tobit gave thanks before them that God had been merciful to him. When Tobit came near to Sarah his daughter-in-law, he blessed her, saying, “Welcome, daughter! Blessed is God who has brought you to us, and blessed are your father and your mother.” So there was rejoicing among all his brethren in Nin'eveh. ¹⁸Ahi'kar and his nephew Na'dab^z came, ¹⁹and Tobi'as’ marriage was celebrated for seven days with great festivity.

⁶Then the angel^a called the two of them privately and said to them: “Praise God and give thanks to him; exalt him and give thanks to him in the presence of all the living for what he has done for you. It is good to praise God and to exalt his name, worthily declaring the works of God, and with fitting honor to acknowledge him. Do not be slow to give him thanks. ⁷It is good to guard the secret of a king, but gloriously to reveal the works of God, and with fitting honor to acknowledge him. Do good, and evil will not overtake you. ⁸Prayer is good when accompanied by fasting, almsgiving, and righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than much with wrongdoing. It is better to give alms than to treasure up gold. ⁹For almsgiving delivers from death, and it will purge away every sin. Those who perform deeds of charity* and of righteousness will have fulness of life; ¹⁰but those who commit sin are the enemies of their own lives.

¹¹“I will now declare the whole truth to you and I will not conceal anything from you. I have said, ‘It is good to guard the secret of a king, but gloriously to reveal the works of God.’ ¹²And so, when you and your daughter-in-law Sarah prayed, I brought a reminder of your prayer before the Holy One; and when you buried the dead, I was likewise present with you. ¹³When you did not hesitate to rise and leave your dinner in order to go and lay out the dead, I was sent to test you. ¹⁴So now God sent me to heal you and your daughter-in-law Sarah. ¹⁵I am Ra'phael, one of the seven holy angels who present the prayers of the saints and enter into the presence of the glory of the Lord.”

¹⁶They were both alarmed; and they fell upon their faces, for they were afraid. ¹⁷But he said to them, “Do not be afraid; you will be safe. But praise God for ever. ¹⁸For I did not come as a favor on my part, but by the will of our God. Therefore praise him for ever. ¹⁹All these days I merely appeared to you and did not eat or drink, but you were seeing a vision. ²⁰And now bless the Lord upon the earth and give thanks to God, for I am ascending to him who sent me. Write in a book everything that has happened to you.” ²¹Then they stood up; but they saw him no more. ²²So they confessed the great and wonderful works of God, and acknowledged that the angel of the Lord had appeared to them.

14Here Tobit ended his words of praise. ²He was fifty-eight years old when he lost his sight, and after eight years he regained it. He gave alms, and he continued to fear the Lord God and to praise him. ³When he had grown very old he called his son and grandsons, and said to him, “My son, take your sons; behold, I have grown old and am about to depart this life. ⁴Go to Med'ia, my son, for I fully believe what Jonah the prophet said about Nin'eveh, that it will be overthrown. But in Media there will be peace for a time. Our brethren will be scattered over the earth from the good land, and Jerusalem will be desolate. The house of God in it will be burned down and will be in ruins for a time. ⁵But God will again have mercy on them, and bring them back into their land; and they will rebuild the house of God,^e though it will not be like the former one until the times of the age are completed. After this they will return from the places of their captivity, and will rebuild Jerusalem in splendor. And the house of God will be rebuilt there with a glorious building for all generations for ever, just as the prophets said of it. ⁶Then all the Gentiles will turn to fear the Lord God in truth, and will bury their idols. ⁷All the Gentiles will praise the Lord, and his people will give thanks to God, and the Lord will exalt his people. And all who love the Lord God in truth and righteousness will rejoice, showing mercy to our brethren.

⁸“So now, my son, leave Nin'eveh, because what the prophet Jonah said will surely happen. ⁹But keep the law and the commandments, and be merciful and just, so that it may be well with you. ¹⁰Bury me properly, and your mother with me. And do not live in Nin'eveh any longer. See, my son, what Na'dab^f did to Ahi'kar who had reared him, how he brought him from light into darkness, and with what he repaid him. But Ahikar was saved, and the other received repayment as he himself went down into the darkness. Ahikar^g gave alms and escaped the deathtrap which Nadab^h had set for him; but Nadab^f fell into the trap and perished. ¹¹So now, my children, consider what almsgiving accomplishes and how righteousness delivers.” As he said this he died in his bed. He was a hundred and fifty-eight years old; and Tobi'as^h gave him a magnificent funeral. ¹²And when Anna died he buried her with his father.

Then Tobi'as returned with his wife and his sons to Ecbat'ana, to Rag'uel his father-in-law. ¹³He grew old with honor, and he gave his father-in-law and mother-in-law magnificent funerals. He inherited their property and that of his father Tobit. ¹⁴He died in Ecbat'ana of Med'ia at the age of a hundred and twenty-seven years. ¹⁵But before he died he heard of the destruction of Nin'eveh, which Nebuchadnez'zar and Ahas'u-erus had captured. Before his death he rejoiced over Nineveh.