Tobit 1
Tobit, a righteous Israelite from the tribe of Naphtali, remained faithful to God despite being taken captive by the Assyrians. He continued to observe Jewish customs and laws, and even helped his fellow captives, earning him favor with King Shalmaneser. Tobit used his wealth to help those in need, including loaning money to a fellow Israelite, Gabael, and burying the dead. However, when King Sennacherib succeeded Shalmaneser, Tobit's actions were reported to the king, leading to an order for his execution and the seizure of his belongings.
1Tobit was from the tribe and city of Naphtali (which is in the upper parts of Galilee above Asher, after the way, which leads to the west, that has on its left the city of Sephet)2Although he had been taken captive in the days of Shalmaneser, the king of the Assyrians, even in such a situation as captivity, he did not desert the way of truth3So then, every day, all that he was able to obtain, he bestowed on his fellow captive brothers, who were from his kindred4And, when he was among the youngest of any in the tribe of Naphtali, he showed not so much as any childish behavior in his work5And then, when all went to the golden calves which Jeroboam, king of Israel, had made, he alone fled from the company of them all6Yet he continued on to Jerusalem, to the temple of the Lord, and there he adored the Lord God of Israel, offering faithfully all his first-fruits and his tithes7So then, in the third year, he administered all his tithes to new converts and to new arrivals8These and similar such things, even as a boy, he observed according to the law of God9Truly, when he had become a man, he received as wife Anna of his own tribe, and he conceived a son by her, to whom he assigned his own name10From his infancy, he taught him to fear God and to abstain from all sin11Therefore, when, during the captivity, he had arrived with his wife and son at the city of Nineveh, with all his tribe12(even though they all ate from the foods of the Gentiles,) he guarded his soul and never was contaminated with their foods13And because he was mindful of the Lord with his whole heart, God gave him favor in the sight of Shalmaneser the king14And he gave him the power to go wherever he would want, having the freedom to do whatever he wished15Therefore, he continued on to all who were in captivity, and he gave them helpful advice16But when he had arrived at Rages, a city of the Medes, he had ten talents of silver, from that which he had been given in honor by the king17And when, in the midst of the great tumult of his kindred, he saw the destitution of Gabael, who was from his tribe, he loaned him, under a written agreement, the aforementioned weight of silver18In truth, after a long time, Shalmaneser the king died, while Sennacherib his son reigned in his place, and he held a hatred for the sons of Israel19Every day, Tobit traveled though all his own people, and he consoled them, and he distributed to each one as much as he could from his resources20He nourished the hungry, and he supplied clothes to the naked, and he showed concern for the burial of the dead and of the slain21And then, when king Sennacherib had returned from Judea, fleeing the scourge which God had caused all around him because of his blasphemy, and, being angry, he was slaughtering many from the sons of Israel, Tobit buried their bodies22And when it was reported to the king, he ordered him to be slain, and he took away all his belongings23In truth, Tobit, fleeing with nothing but his son and his wife, was able to remain hidden because many loved him24In truth, after forty-five days, the king was slain by his own sons25and Tobit was able to return to his house, and all his resources were restored to him
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