¹ The book of the words of Tobit son of Tobiel, son of Ananiel, son of Aduel, son of Gabael, son of Raphael, son of Raguel, of the descendants of Asiel from the tribe of Naphtali,

² who in the days of Shalmaneser, the king of the Assyrians, was taken into captivity from Thisbe, which is to the south of Kedesh of Naphtali in Upper Galilee above Asher to the west, north of Phogor.

Tobit’s Youth and Virtuous Life

³ I, Tobit, walked in the ways of truth and in righteous deeds all the days of my life, and I performed many acts of mercy for my brothers and my compatriots who went with me into captivity in the land of the Assyrians, to Nineveh.

⁴ Now when I was in my own country, in the land of Israel, when I was young, the whole tribe of Naphtali my ancestor broke away from the house of my ancestor David and from the city of Jerusalem, the place chosen from among all the tribes of Israel, where all the tribes should sacrifice. In it the temple of God’s dwelling was consecrated and established for all generations for ever.

⁵ All my brothers and the house of Naphtali my ancestor—those people used to sacrifice on all the high places of Galilee to the calf that Jeroboam, king of Israel, made in Dan.

⁶ But I alone went often to Jerusalem at the time for the feasts, just as it is written for all Israel by an everlasting decree. I would hurry off to Jerusalem, taking the first fruits—the first fruits of my fields and the tithes of my livestock and the first shearings of the sheep—and I would give these to the priests, the sons of Aaron, at the altar.

⁷ I would give a tenth of the corn, wine, olive oil, pomegranates, figs, and the produce from the other fruit trees to the sons of Levi who ministered in Jerusalem. I tithed a second tenth in silver for the six years, and I would go and spend this in Jerusalem each year.

⁸ I would give these things to the orphans and widows and sojourners who had attached themselves to the sons of Israel: I would carry and give it to them in the third year and we would eat them according to the stipulation that had been stipulated concerning them in the Law of Moses and according to the commands which Deborah, the mother of Ananiel our father, had commanded me (for my father had died and left me an orphan).

⁹ When I became a man I took a wife from the descendants of our family, and I fathered a son by her, and I called his name Tobias. Taken Captive to Nineveh

¹⁰ After I was carried away captive to Assyria, and while I was in captivity, I went to Nineveh. And all my brothers and my relatives ate the food of the Gentiles;

¹¹ but I preserved my soul from eating the Gentiles’ food.

¹² And because I had been mindful of my God with my whole soul,

¹³ the Most High gave me favour and good standing in the sight of Shalmaneser, and I used to purchase for him whatever he needed.

¹⁴ I used to go into Media and buy for him there until he died. And I entrusted sacks of money to Gabael, the brother of Gabri, in the land of Media—ten talents of silver.

¹⁵ And when Shalmaneser died and his son Sennacherib reigned in his place, the roads to Media were unfit and I could no longer travel into Media.

Courage in Burying the Dead

¹⁶ In the days of Shalmaneser I performed many acts of mercy for my brothers, for those of my kindred.

¹⁷ I would give my bread to the hungry and garments to the naked; and if ever I saw anyone from my people dead and thrown out behind the wall of Nineveh, I would bury him.

¹⁸ And if King Sennacherib put anyone to death at the time he came fleeing from Judea (in the days of the judgement that the King of Heaven visited upon him for the blasphemies he uttered), I buried him. For in his anger he put to death many of the sons of Israel, and I stole away their bodies and buried them. Sennacherib sought them out, but did not find them.

¹⁹ Then a certain one of the Ninevites went and informed the king about me, that I was burying them, so I hid myself. When I learned that the king knew about me and that I was being sought out to be put to death, I was terrified and ran away.

²⁰ Then everything that belonged to me was confiscated and nothing was left to me, that had not been taken for the royal treasury, except my wife Anna and my son Tobias.

²¹ But not forty days passed before two of Sennacherib’s sons killed him. They fled into the mountains of Ararat, and Esar-haddon, his son, reigned after him. He appointed Ahikar son of my brother Anael over all the accounts of his kingdom and he himself had authority over the entire administration.

²² Then Ahikar interceded for me, and I returned to Nineveh. Now Ahikar was cupbearer, keeper of the signet ring, administrator and accountant under Sennacherib king of the Assyrians, and Esar-haddon had appointed him second to himself. He was my nephew and a member of my family.