The Book of Tobit (Tobias)

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- Kapitel 1 -

Tobias’s early piety: his works of mercy, particularly in burying the dead.

Tobit 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).(a)

Although 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 truth.

So then, every day, all that he was able to obtain, he bestowed on his fellow captive brothers, who were from his kindred.

And, when he was among the youngest of any in the tribe of Naphtali, he showed not so much as any childish behavior in his work.

And then, when all went to the golden calves which Jeroboam, king of Israel, had made, he alone fled from the company of them all.

Yet 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 tithes.

So then, in the third year, he administered all his tithes to new converts and to new arrivals.(b)

These and similar such things, even as a boy, he observed according to the law of God.

Truly, 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 name.(c)

From his infancy, he taught him to fear God and to abstain from all sin.

Therefore, when, during the captivity, he had arrived with his wife and son at the city of Nineveh, with all his tribe,

(even though they all ate from the foods of the Gentiles,) he guarded his soul and never was contaminated with their foods.

And because he was mindful of the Lord with his whole heart, God gave him favor in the sight of Shalmaneser the king.

And he gave him the power to go wherever he would want, having the freedom to do whatever he wished.

Therefore, he continued on to all who were in captivity, and he gave them helpful advice.

But 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 king.

And 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 silver.

In 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 Israel.

Every day, Tobit traveled through all his own people, and he consoled them, and he distributed to each one as much as he could from his resources.

He nourished the hungry, and he supplied clothes to the naked, and he showed concern for the burial of the dead and of the slain.

And 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 bodies.

And when it was reported to the king, he ordered him to be slain, and he took away all his belongings.

In truth, Tobit, fleeing with nothing but his son and his wife, was able to remain hidden because many loved him.(d)

In truth, after forty-five days, the king was slain by his own sons,

and Tobit was able to return to his house, and all his resources were restored to him.

Fußnoten

(a)1:1 The Latin text plainly says that Sephet is on the ‘left,’ but the Challoner and the Douay-Rheims versions have this as on the ‘right.’ The Wycliffe version has it as ‘the left.’(Conte)

(b)1:7 In this context, the new arrivals would refer not merely to any stranger or foreigner, but to those who were a new arrival to Jerusalem, who were there to inquire about the Jewish faith. And the new converts would be those one step further in the process of becoming a Jew. The word ‘ministraret’ indicates that Tobit did not merely give away his tithes, but he applied them judiciously to particular persons and circumstances, as needed.(Conte)

(c)1:9 Since Tobit and his son have the same name, editors of various Bible editions have introduced variations on the name, so as to distinguish between the father and his son. In this translation, the father is called ‘Tobit,’ and his son is called, ‘Tobias.’ But actually, they have the same name.(Conte)

(d)1:23 The word ‘nudus’ in this context does not mean that Tobit was naked, but that he fled with nothing of his possessions, but only with his wife and son.(Conte)

Tobias' frühe Frömmigkeit: seine Werke der Barmherzigkeit, vor allem beim Begraben der Toten

Tobias war aus dem Stamme und der Stadt Nephthali (welche in dem oberen Teile von Galiläa liegt, oberhalb Naasson, hinter dem Wege, der nach Westen führt und zur Linken die Stadt Sephet hat).

Er war in den Tagen Salmanasars, des Königs von Assyrien, gefangen fortgeführt, aber auch in der Gefangenschaft verließ er den Weg der Wahrheit nicht,

so dass er alles, was in seinem Vermögen war, täglich seinen mitgefangenen Brüdern, welche aus seinem Geschlechte waren, mitteilte.

Und obgleich er der jüngste unter allen im Stamme Nephthali war, so zeigte er doch nichts Kindisches in seiner Handlungsweise.

Als nämlich alle zu den goldenen Kälbern gingen, welche Jeroboam, der König von Israel, gemacht hatte, mied er allein die Gemeinschaft aller

und ging vielmehr nach Jerusalem zu dem Tempel des Herrn und betete daselbst den Herrn, den Gott Israels, an und brachte alle seine Erstlinge und seine Zehnten treulich dar,

so dass er im dritten Jahre den Fremdlingen und Ankömmlingen alle Zehnten darreichte.

Dieses und ähnliches beobachtete er nach dem Gesetze Gottes schon in seiner Jugend.

Nachdem er aber ein Mann geworden war, nahm er Anna aus seinem Stamme zum Weibe und zeugte mit ihr einen Sohn, dem er seinen Namen gab.

Diesen lehrte er von Kindheit auf Gott fürchten und alle Sünde meiden.

Er kam also mit seinem Weibe und seinem Sohne in die Gefangenschaft nach der Stadt Ninive, zugleich mit seinem ganzen Stamme.

Während aber alle von den Speisen der Heiden aßen, bewahrte er seine Seele und verunreinigte sich niemals durch die Speisen derselben.

Und weil er des Herrn von ganzem Herzen eingedenk war, ließ Gott ihn vor dem Angesichte des Königs Salmanasar Gnade finden

und dieser gab ihm Erlaubnis, zu gehen, wohin er immer wollte, und es stand ihm frei, alles zu tun, was er wünschte.

So ging er zu allen, die in der Gefangenschaft waren, und gab ihnen heilsame Ermahnungen.

Als er nun nach Rages, einer Stadt der Meder, gekommen war, und von dem, womit er von dem König beschenkt worden war, noch zehn Talente Silber hatte,

sah er unter der Menge seines Volksgenossen Gabel darben, der aus deinem Stamme war, und gab ihm gegen eine Handschrift das erwähnte Gewicht Silber.

Als aber nach langer Zeit der König Salmanasar gestorben und sein Sohn Sennacherib an seiner Statt König geworden war, dem die Söhne Israels verhasst waren,

ging Tobias täglich bei allen seinen Verwandten umher, tröstete sie und teilte einem jeden von seinem Vermögen mit, so viel er konnte;

die Hungernden speiste er, den Nackten reichte er Kleider und den Toten und Erschlagenen verschaffte er voller Sorgfalt das Begräbnis.

So auch, als der König Sennacherib aus Judäa zurückgekommen war, nach der Niederlage fliehend, welche Gott um seiner Lästerung willen über ihn gesandt hatte, und er in seinem Grimm hierüber viele von den Söhnen Israels tötete, begrub Tobias ihre Leichen.

Als dies aber dem Könige berichtet ward, befahl er, ihn zu töten, und nahm ihm sein ganzes Vermögen weg.

Da floh Tobias mit seinem Sohne und seinem Weibe und hielt sich, von allem entblößt, verborgen; denn viele hatten ihn lieb.

Nach fünfundvierzig Tagen aber ward der König von seinen eigenen Söhnen getötet

und Tobias kehrte wieder in sein Haus zurück und sein ganzes Vermögen ward ihm wieder zurückgegeben.